Hugh Johnson's Wine Companion : The New Encyclopaedia of Wines, Vineyards and Winemakers

Mitchell Beazley, London, first edition, 1983. Rexine, 8vo, 26 cm,. 544 pp, ills. From the blurb: "The core of the Wine Companion is a magnificent 450-page directory of 40,000 of the world's wines, chateaux, grapes, regions, wine makers and vintages. It takes as its starting point the importance of people, detailing 7,000 makers of wine, the owners of domaines and chateaux great and small. The Wine Companion arms the ordinary wine buyer with the weapons of the inside expert. It tells him things that, until now, were the secrets of the wine trade- who has invested in new ideas and equipment and who is standing by (or relying on) tradition. Which chateau's wine is undervalued and which overpriced by fashion. Which grapes a chateau stresses in its wine - and thus how long a bottle should be cellared. In this book a wine lover, new to the subject or a connoisseur, can look up the key details on virtually any wne. To take an example-if ou are curious about the qality, status and value of the wines of the Loire, the Companion provides: a ucid general introduction to the region, written with the style and fluency of which Hugh Johnson is such a master; a full annotated A-Z list of Loire wines; detailed introductions to the major sections of the Loire Valley. Very Good in price-clipped and slightly torn dustwrapper.