A popular wine columnist uncorks the basics in this vibrant, accessible, and empowering guide to tasting, choosing, pairing, and serving every kind of wine.

The world of wine can be intimidating, with its daunting range of varieties and the often arcane language used to describe them. In this delightfully illustrated guide, Charlotte Kristensen combines her considerable knowledge with practical advice to serve novices and wine enthusiasts alike. Her approach focuses on wine as a pleasurable, sensory experience that's open to everyone-and highly subjective, no matter how experienced you are. Here she provides clear, step-by-step instructions showing how to taste wine like a pro and introducing an aroma-and-flavor wheel that illustrates the most common aspects of wine, using examples widely recognized and easily understood. She offers a short history of winemaking, explains how location affects grapes, and outlines different viticultural techniques and practices. She breaks down the basic categories of wine with full-page profiles of major varietals. A key section of the book is dedicated to finding the perfect bite to enjoy with your wine-whether it's canapes or steaks, veggies or dessert, Mexican or Middle Eastern-and it includes a handful of sumptuous recipes. Finally, she guides readers through choosing wine at a restaurant. Whether just starting out on a wine adventure or seeking to refine their tastes, readers will find this friendly, practical, wide-ranging guide both reliable and confidence building.