This is a pleasure guide to wine – an unashamed romp through the flavors, sensations and joy that wine can give us. It shines a light into the darkest cellars of wine appreciation, illuminating the mysterious delights to be found within.

Max Allen’s breezy and semi-colloquial style provides for an enjoyable read where the ideas flow clearly and effortlessly, but every word has been chosen with care – a book that makes a complex subject simple. There is no rating scale or confusing jargon describing wines. The wine novice will learn to feel comfortable about which wine to select and enjoy, while the experienced wine aficionado will thrill at the insightful iconoclasms Max Allen shares about grape varieties and food and wine matching.

Wine is first made in the vineyard. Chapters on Air, Earth, Water and Sun explain how these vital elements effect the outcome of the grapes and thus the wine. How to select, taste and enjoy wine is simplified into chapters called: Nose, Babble, Cash, Space, Time, Breath, Belly, Blood and Globe!

More than a guide, Red and White is a celebration of an ancient liquid written for a new generation of wine drinkers.