Allen’s Guide to Understanding and Appreciating Wines

Wine is an acquired taste. The more a person knows about a subject, the more they enjoy it, whether it’s art, music, literature - or wine. Wine, properly served and matched with good food, is an incredible dining experience, whether it’s a 20 year old $75 bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon with a fine aged steak, or a $7 bottle of Chablis with cheese and crackers. When author Allen Morris worked for The Coca-Cola Company in the 1980s, his responsibilities were in The Wine Spectrum, their wine subsidiary. The Wine Spectrum, which was comprised of The Taylor Wine company in New York State, and Taylor California Cellars, The Monterey Vineyards and Sterling Vineyards in California, was the second largest wine company in North America. While working there, he was sent to wine school, and taught the basics of viticulture, enology, and wine tasting, experiences that provided much of his background for writing this book. This short book will take you from growing grapes in the vineyards, through the intricacies of how wines are made, to tasting and appreciating all types of wines. It will demystify what to many is an intimidating subject, and help you maximize your wine-drinking pleasure and impress your friends.