In Praise of The Wine Bible, 2nd Edition

by Frank Mangio
The first Wine Bible, authored by Karen MacNeil, a former New York Times writer, was published in 2001, with 909 pages of literally everything the reader would want to know about wine. I got my hands on it as a gift when I first committed to TASTE OF WINE, writing on wine for the San Diego Union Tribune in 2005.

 

 Karen MacNeil is the only Amercian wine author to have won every wine award
given in the wine world.  She has just published  her Wine Bible, 2nd Edition.

It has remained a treasured reference, from how wine is made to the most magnificent wines in all corners of the world, from Australia to Austria, and on to the great California wine countries.  My first edition is full of post-its with topics like bottle aging, the White Zinfandel fad of the 70’s, aerating of wine and many more subjects that I could not have written without the Wine Bible research. Over 100 pages were devoted to Italy, and 72 to California wine. That makes over 90% of the wines in the U.S.

I have met Karen MacNeil on two occasions.  Her grasp of all countries and their special grape varietals, has enabled her to speak on behalf of these wine areas. The 2nd edition has been long-awaited.  A lot has happened in the wine world since the original edition went to print in 2001.  Now, 14 years later and a half a million copies sold, a completely revised book is now available with  more pages, from 909 to 996.

The latest edition has been four years in the making with every chapter studiously examined and re-made. When you explore the book, the best way to master it is to carefully read the Introduction, including “Why Wine Matters,” and “How to Use the Book.” The wine culture is not a simple matter.
There are now over 10,400 bonded wineries in America , producing retail sales of $37.6 billion dollars according to to the latest reports from 2014.

 

The 2nd Edition of the Wine Bible is for sale in most book stores and the
Internet for $24.95, a timely Christmas gift for wine lovers.

MacNeil accurately takes the reader through the countries of the world and their singular elements of greatness and makes a case for a limited number of wines that have had outstanding vintages. Perhaps the most insight into MacNeil’s eloquent expressions about wine is the chapter on “What makes Great Wine Great.”  She journeys through attributes of greatness such as Distinctiveness, Balance, Complexity and an element I had not thought about, Choreography.  It is one for the books… this book, the Wine Bible, 2nd Edition.

Cost is a suggested retail price of $24.95 at most bookstores and Amazon.com.  You can order a personalized signed copy by going to karenmacneil.com.

Wine Bytes
The Solana Beach Starbucks is the first in North County to sell beer and wine for coffeehouse consumption from 4 to 10pm.  It’s also offering an expanded menu of small bites. It should be offering these new additions very soon if not now. Location is the Sprouts/Dixieline Lumber Center.

North County Wine Company in San Marcos is presenting wine lovers with an Ultra Top Flight of three half glasses of renowned wines for $25., Fri. and Sat. Dec. 11th and 12th. Then, Fri. and Sat. Dec. 18th and 19th, the annual Top Twenty Tasting event happens.  Just $35. and you can taste them all including a Caymus from Napa Valley. Call 760-753-9032 for details including times.

Quattro Staggioni, a series of dinners with leading wines and area chefs, will begin at BICE Ristorante, downtown San Diego , Tues. Dec. 15th from 6 to 9pm.  First wine to be celebrated and poured with a 4 course dinner is Batasiolo from Piemonte Italy .  Guest chefs will be Accursio Lota from Solare Ristorante and Stefano Ceresoli from Piazza 1909. Cost is $89, pp.  For an RSVP call 619-239-2423.

Raising the Bar on Wine Speak

by Frank Mangio
What do the “experts” really talk about when they ramble on about the qualities of a wine varietal.  You’ve heard the drill on the language of wine-speak: “crispy, grassy, okay, velvety, smooth, tannic, spicy,” etc. etc. In the effort to de-mystify wine, a lot of nouveau riche wine “experts” spew garbage descriptions that really have no place in the lexicon of wine.

Rather than get creative and cute in voicing a sipping description, the taster is far better off learning the basic terms of what wine is all about.

To start out, most of the labels on wine bottles will contain some basic notes from the winemaker and other required information to give the taster a running start in the understanding of wine. I give great credit for my start-up knowledge to Karen MacNeil, the author of the Wine Bible.

Karen MacNeil has written an important guide to the wines of the world with her Wine Bible, 

a 900 page essential book for wine lovers.

My copy that I purchased in 2002, has taken on dog-ears and is filled with post-its of my notesas I was inspired by and returned to what I had learned.  The publisher, when he read the original 4,000 page manuscript, excitedly declared “Oh my God, this is the Wine Bible”!  And the name stuck, even as it has gone through a number of editions.  MacNeil is an easy to understand translator.  Her biggest challenge, she says is to “stand between the producer and consumer of wine and have it all make sense.”  Her advise is to “taste as many wines as you can, with as many groups as you can where thoughts can be exchanged.”

A more focused, much smaller  book is How to Talk about Wine, by Bernard Klem.  The first part of his book gets into what wine is, where and how it is made and a primer on the Four S’s: sight, smell, sip and swallow. The 2nd part helps the reader in getting the words and basic terms together on how to compare the wines to distinguish quality. It’s less than 100 pages and a quick and concise read.

So relax, you don’t’ have to be eloquent and exact.  If you’re getting tongue-tied, just say you like it.  Don’t complicate your wine experience.

Morgan’s Rises in the Desert
La Quinta Resort has always been quiet, private and with the ambience of a sophisticated hacienda .  Nestled against the Santa Rosa Mountains near Palm Desert, its casitas bring guests back to the spirit of a storied past. The resort’s guest villages encourage strolling through gardens, several pool patios and the pampering spa.

Jimmy Schmidt is Executive Chef of the resort’s Morgan’s in the Desert, the quintessential farm-to-table fresh cuisine menu that is all the rage in restaurants today. Jimmy is an award winning  chef and pioneer of the healthy dining trend that embraces flavor in his technique.

A 30 year Executive Chef, Jimmy Schmidt has built the farm-to-table menu at Morgan's in the Desert.

He has several books on this subject.  His 30 year career is impressive and evident in the Morgan’s menu.  I build my choices around my selection of wine and this night it was the Grgich “Miljenko’s” Old Vine Zinfandel 2007.($85. at the winery) This wine is a tribute to the winemaker who lives at La Quinta Resort & Club in the winter, Mike Grgich himself.  Taste it with the hand cut pasta and the generous array of steak choices. All are Certified Angus Beef.  Access more information at www.laquintaresort.com.

Wine Bytes
A big Orange County night with big wines is planned at the Balboa Bay Club Fri Nov. 2 from 6 to 9pm.  Trinitas Cellar Wines plus dinner and Valet parking for $100. pp. RSVP at 949-474-7368 x 213.
Meritage Wine Market in Encinitas pours the World of Pinot Noir Wines Fri. Nov. 9 from 6 to 8pm.  Cost is $20.  Call 760-479-2500.

Holiday Wine Cellar of Escondido presents German and Austrian wines Mon. Nov. 12 5:30 to 7:30pm.  $5. charge.  Call 760-745-1200.

The Westgate Hotel downtown San Diego celebrates the annual French Beaujolais Nouveau wine tasting Thurs. Nov. 15 from 6 to 9pm.  It’s a 3 course French dinner plus 2 glasses of Beaujolais.  RSVP at 619-557-3655.