If you mention the word wine to most people, it will probably conjure up images of merriment: wining and dining, wine, women and song. Wine o’clock. For some reason that sense of fun rarely translates into books on wine. They tend to be as dry as chablis. That’s not to say wine enthusiasts don’t have a sense of humour – say “Carignan Camping” to one and he’ll be in stitches – but wine jokes do tend to be rather specialised.
Before attempting any funny stuff, it’s best to have a basic knowledge of the subject, and two good introductions have been launched this year. From wine merchants Berry Bros & Rudd comes Exploring and Tasting Wine. There used to be a rule that all new wine books must have an introduction by Hugh Johnson, but here they’ve broken with tradition and instead have one by Emma Thompson. Also non-traditional is the way the book is ordered by grape variety with rather clever bullseye graphs to illustrate flavour. There are also essays by Berry’s buyers and exam questions at the end of each chapter, just like in 1066 and All That (though not as funny).
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