Had a Glass: Top 100 Wines for 2009 Under $20.

John Abbott is a professor of history at Laurentian University’s Algoma University College. He is the co-author of The Border at Sault Ste Marie and The History of Fort St. Joseph.

While they’ve gone great lengths to retain the argot of irreverence (they talk like Click and Clack, the vino-swilling Tappet Brothers of American Public Radio), Hodgson and Nevison really are growing up. Each annual edition, from 2006 to 2009, reveals new layers of insight. Who knows—by the 2013 edition these two youngsters may be considered wine fogies!

They write that “a good wine is one that represents ... diversity.” Their advice is not just about wine, it’s about wine expertise. They recommend disciplined tasting—enough of the facile nonsense that any wine is good if you like it! Take notes so you’ll be prepared for an informed discussion. Suppose you like wine made from a particular grape, say Cabernet Sauvignon, renowned for its presence in the wines of the Medoc and—wait for it—its cellaring potential. Why not see what the same grape can do when grown and vinified in Argentina or California? Compare! Contrast! Soon you will be discussing the finer points of terroir and biodynamics.

For Hodgson and Nevison it all comes down to the fact that good fun and higher learning aren’t mutually exclusive. This pair’s knowledge and enthusiasm are infectious—“Riesling is the unsung superstar of diversity ... variation is [found in] the variety of vinous results by geographic birthplace . . .With this bottle [Yellow Label, South Australia, 2006] , Wolf Blass treats us to a taste of Aussie Riesling, dry and austere, with plenty of diesel [petrol, to wine fogies] and lime rind notes.” You’ll finish this book with wine on your mind and wine on your breath.