Oz Clarke: Grapes and Wines: A Comprehensive Guide to Varieties and Flavours

by Oz Clarke

The subtitle, "The Key to Enjoying Modern Wine", indicates what Oz Clarke is up to in this new book Grapes and Wines . Most wines now, especially those from the New World and Australasia, are sold not on the name of a chateau-type maker or a négociant blender but on the (usually single) grape variety that has gone into it. The words Chardonnay or Syrah on a label arouse particular expectations in the taste-buds of buyers in wine shops or supermarkets. This represents an enormous change in the way wine is marketed and sold, a change that has come about only in the last few years and which has opened the world of wine to many who might otherwise be deterred by the arcane impenetrabilia of traditional wine nomenclature. Most of us, if pressed, could name a handful of the grape varieties used in wine Grapes and Wines is an alphabetical encyclopaedia listing hundreds of them in great detail, many, as Clarke points out, never described in print before. The great varieties--the Sauvignons Blancs, the Pinot Noirs, the Rieslings and their noble companions--get extended treatment, but in many ways the most exciting aspect of this book are the up-and-coming hopefuls grown in developing wine areas such as Eastern Europe and the profoundly new characters acquired by familiar grapes in new soils and climates. Think of the difference between a fine, aged Hermitage from the Rhone Valley and a juicy young Australian Shiraz, both as it happens made from the same grape. The fact that in France the grape is called Syrah points to some of the difficulties that Clarke and Rand must have faced in steering a clear path through the baffling complexities of vine naming, which is in general casual, local and historically contingent. Steer it they do, though, and this comprehensive, finely illustrated book forms a lasting ornament to Oz Clarke's mission to bring the pleasures of wine to as wide an audience as possible. -- Robin Davidson

Genres: Wine, Nonfiction, Food

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 2, 2003

Reviews

[John Matthew IV · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know it sounds like a stretch to say this encyclopedia of wine grapes changed my life but it really did.

It started off slow as it is a very dense book but after a while I realized that I drink only a small fraction of the wines and grapes available and that I should consciously expand my drinking habits.

My notes are basically on what I should drink more of.

Highly recommended but realize it is a bit dated now.

p. 27: Monbazillac
p. 31: Yalumba of Australia
p. 34: Aidani from Santorini
p. 35: Aligote: Burgundy's second white grape
p. 37: Albarino: Recommended Wines To Try
p. 38: Assyrtico
p. 41: Barbera: Recommended Wines To Try
p. 43: Bonarda: Grown in Argentina
p. 54: "Most top California Cabernets are in thrall to the points system, and it makes for wines which are textbook-perfect--ripe, supple, polished--but which lack personality."
p. 59: Chasselas: "Switzerland's favourite grape variety"
p. 61: Carmenere: Recommended Wines To Try
p. 88: Dornfelder: Best producers (Germany): Lingenfelder
p. 98: "The last thing the world needs is more overcropped, anonymous red."
p. 121: Malvasia: Recommended Wines To Try
p. 125: Marsanne: Recommended Wines To Try
p. 131: Michel Rolland, Merlot guru
p. 137: Merlot: Recommended Wines To Try
p. 141: Mourvedre: Recommended Wines To Try
p. 153: Muscat: Recommended Wines To Try
p. 163: Nebbiolo: Recommended Wines To Try
p. 169: Pinot Grigio: "If vineyard yields are too high, as they frequently are, this delicacy turns to blandness; however, this doesn't stop Pinot Grigio being archetypal Italian restaurant wine, and some of it is really very pleasant."
p. 171: "'Subtlety' can so easily become a euphemism for dilution and blandness."
p. 181: "Rheingau producer Robert Weil has some Spatburgunder in a site too hot for Riesling, but usually a grower must choose between the two grapes."
p. 185: Pinot Noir: Recommended Wines To Try
p. 187: Pinotage: Recommended Wines To Try
p. 191: "In some people's eyes, Chardonnay is the great Satan; the ruthless colonizer and destroyer of the world's vineyards and the world's palate. Riesling lovers, in particular, bridle at the runaway success of the easy-going, crowd-pleaser Chardonnay, and chunter among themselves that Chardonnay is a little slip of a thing, a flibbertygibbet with no depth and no complexity."
p. 201: Non-German Rieslings: Recommended Wines To Try
p. 205: Roussanne: Recommended Wines To Try
p. 214: "Only in Brunello di Montalcino must the DOCG wine be made entirely of Sangiovese."
p. 214: "The raft of super-Tuscan vini da tavola which emerged in the 1980s did little to help the confusion." | "table wine"
p. 227: Sauvignon Blanc: Recommended Wines To Try
p. 229: Scheurebe: Best producers (Germany): Lingenfelder
p. 239: Semillon: Recommended Wines To Try
p. 242: Silvaner: Recommended Wines To Try
p. 249: Rhone Ranger
p. 255: Shiraz: Recommended Wines To Try
p. 265: Tempranillo: Recommended Wines To Try
p. 283: Viognier: Recommended Wines To Try
p. 294: zinfandel.org
p. 295: Zinfandel: Recommended Wines To Try

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my new favorite wine guide- the one I am turning to when I need to escape the dry, rote tone of my WSET textbook.

I'm a huge believer that in order to appreciate and evaluate wine, you must know the characteristics of the grapes that are in your glass and how different wine styles use those characteristics. For example, syrah/shiraz is redolent of black fruit: blackcurrant, blackberry, black raspberries; it also contains notes of smoke, leather, chocolate, tobacco. All good and well, but an Australian shiraz and a Côte Rôtie are horses of different breeds. Not to mention what happens to syrah when you add in a dash of grenache, a smidgen of mourvèdre- blends are most common in the south of France and among the New World's Rhône Rangers. How can you tell the difference? What makes a good syrah good? And what in the heck should you eat with it?

Well, renowned wine writer Oz Clark has many answers and heaps of suggestions, in a style that's welcoming without stooping to "Wine for Dummies" silliness. In an A-Z format, with gorgeous photos and illustrations, he presents 300+ varietals. Seventeen classic grapes are covered in depth, with extended information on an additional 15 varietals and paragraphs offered for dozens and dozens more (know anything about Negru de Dragasini? Len de L'El? Schiava? You will after spending some quality time with Oz).

There is a fantastic introductory section about vineyard management and wine production- all presented clearly, for the armchair viticulteur and oenologue.

[Ferhat Culfaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent introductory text to learn about the different grape varieties. Well written, with humour, and nice charts for each type showing how well they age in a bottle. Excellent for reference too.