A Guide to Wine

By: Julian Curry

Narrated by: Julian Curry

Length: 5 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Actor and wine expert Julian Curry has devised a unique audiobook guide to wine which takes the listener to the heart of winemaking and wine drinking in a clear but light-hearted manner. However rich and complex the subject of wine may be, he insists it is also hugely rewarding and great fun.

Curry's informative and entertaining program begins with a description of work in the vineyard and cellar. It outlines the many choices faced by grape-grower and winemaker, resulting in the variety of different styles of wine produced. It continues with wine's journey from winery to gullet, with advice on cellaring, buying, serving food-matching and tasting. And it concludes with a lengthy section devoted to all the major wine regions, in the Old World and the New.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2003 Naxos AudioBooks Ltd. (P)2003 Naxos AudioBooks Ltd.

Too advance for beginner

I took a bartending class and wanted to learn more about wine, but this book require reader to have sufficient knowledge of wine variety, grape, process, etc.

Excellent, complete, and approachable

This is an excellent overview of a very complex topic. It begins with an explanation of how wine is made and goes on to discuss grapes and regions, and the anti-snob snobbery is great. Throw in a few mildly snide comments about the French (all in good fun) and you have a tremendously useful overview.
Is there too much information here? Well, if you do not enjoy listening to non-fiction or if you do not really "learn by listening" then maybe so, but I did not have this reaction AT ALL. There were times when I stopped the narrative to back up and listen again, and I'm pretty sure I will listen from beginning to end at least one more time, but because of the quality of the information and not because there is just too much of it. Wine is a complex topic, and if you could learn all there is to know by listening to a single book (no matter how complete or delightful), then there would be no need in this world for wine stewards or sommeliers! I thought this was more than worth the price for both the content and the droll reading which I personally found to be delightful.

The single best wine guide out there

This is definitely the best wine guide out there. The author is knowledgeable, clear, and clearly enjoys his work.

The topic is laid out in a clear and engaging style which is ideal for both the novice and the expert. It is a very good education on the subject. It starts with the process of wine-making from the vineyard to the store and then discusses varietals and regions. A WONDERFUL AUDIBLE PURCHASE.

Great book but highly unpractical in audio format

I really enjoyed learning more about wines however the book is full of names - which is not very handy for an audiobook (hence 4 stars instead of 5 for Overall but 5 stars for Performance and Story). I would absolutely need a hard/paper copy of this book (not available), so I can come back to it again and again for references. I wouldn't know how to spell most of the names since they're in other languages (French and German are quite difficult to spell or guess spelling), so I can't even pause and write it down (and I speak 5 languages but not French or German). So in that regard it's quite useless if you know what I mean. The narrator is FANTASTIC. I enjoyed him so much I want to listen to all of his book regardless of the genre : ).

AMAZON, PLEASE GIVE US A PAPER COPY.

Superior Audiobook!

Don't let anyone dissuade you from purchasing this book based on the fact that it has a lot of information to absorb. Of course it does, isn't that what we are paying for? I have read at least 4 books on wine from the Dummy series to the more complex resources, and I must say that this audiobook can hold its own next to them all. If you are finding that there is too much to remember, read a few books about wine before you listen. I like to take this along with me on my dog walks. It is brilliantly read and wildly entertaining. This book is a wonderful resource for those who would like to learn about wine as well as those who know a fair amount and just want a relaxing review. Nice job, Julian Curry!!

A great aperitif

This isn't the end-all guide to everything wine. It isn't going to improve your pallate and heighten your senses.

It is a funny book that gives a great overview of the world of wine, from production, to tasting, food pairing, and a little information on some of the popular varietals and wine regions. For anyone who is new to wine, it is a great launching off point. And it is fun to listen to. He has a fun style of writing, and is easy to listen to. I highly recommend it.

TOO much Information for Audio Format

This book was a lot of fun to listen to, but there was way too much information for an audiobook. The charisma of the author is unbeatable and creates a fabulous energy for most listeners to be enthusiastic about. Although I did take up a few pointers and really enjoyed the book, there was WAY too much information to be absorbed and would probably benefit the audience as a physical reference book instead of an audio book.

If I had the hard copy of this book, I may give it 4.5-5 stars.

This one is Fine

Like fine wine this book was informative... I would reccomend this book.

Needs chapter titles

I am studying wine and am listening to and reading several books on the subject. The main issue that I have with this is that the audible version doesn’t list the chapter titles/topics. The first chapter talks about the specifics of growing/picking wine grapes, weather, and specific winery technology. I have no interest in what to wear while picking grapes. I’m not interested in this aspect of wine at the moment so I’d like to move on to the aspects of different wines and parts of the world. Not having chapter titles makes this difficult to do because I don’t know which to listen to without randomly choosing one.

Way too much valuable info for just one volume

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Without any doubt for us -wine lovers, any guide to learn more about wine is always to be read or listened to; however this book has a tremendous amount of info that does not give you time to digest, rather keeps pounding and pounding. It got to a point which I decided to stop listening to it.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

Very interesting information about grapes variety, regions, wine reports and so on.

Do you think A Guide to Wine needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

More than a follow-up book, it needs to be divided into 3 or 4 volumes in order to appreciate it

Any additional comments?

Even though I am not an expert on the matter, is is DEFINITELY not for begginers. Needs more basic information to guide the listener step by step.