Tony Aspler's Guide to Wine

Nora T. Corley is a librarian in Ottawa.

Though the word is overused, and often incorrect, when twinned with guide or guidebook, this is one book that might be called complete. There is very little the wine lover, experienced or novice, might ask that is not touched on in this slim, pocket size volume.

The wines of the world are discussed, albeit briefly, by country and by region, and accompanied by suitable maps. Great and good vintage years are listed. There are useful suggestions as to which wine to serve with what food, descriptions of the various standard bottle designs and appropriate glasses, and advice on how to open a bottle of wine as well as how to identify and describe wines, good and bad. These are followed by a description of the vineyard year, noting what must be done month by month to grow grapes for wine, and then, briefly, how to make itas well as how to store it. There is a glossary of winemaking terms, a suggested 13-title basic wine library, and information on winery tours and major wine events. Wine production and consumption is listed by country.

Other interesting information includes the caloric value of different wines; lists of wine-related organizations and auction houses; bottle capacities and metric conversions. Sample forms for wine tasting, listing favourite restaurants and wines, and personal cellar guide pages end the book.

Both the authors are wine experts. Tony Aspler has written several best-selling books on wine and contributes a weekly column on wines to the Toronto Star. John Lindsay is a free-lance international wine promoter. Together they have produced an excellent, informative and useful guide for wine lovers.