A Year of Wine: Perfect Pairings, Great Buys, and What to Sip for Each Season

by Tyler Colman

Book Overview

A lively and informative guide to a year of wine enjoyment and appreciation from acclaimed wine expert and blogger Tyler Colman, a.k.a. "Dr. Vino." In A Year of Wine, award-winning educator Tyler "Dr.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416948155
• ISBN13: 9781416948155
• Release Date: November 2008
• Publisher: Simon Spotlight Entertainment
• Length: 250 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.4" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Well rounded view of wine through a year - interesting and light read

Tyler Colman, aka "Dr. Vino", does a very nice job of covering the major types of varietals and key wine regions in the world in this book. The book takes the point of view of matching up wines with the seasons which makes sense as people tend to like certain styles and flavors based on the season. The style of writing is easy reading but does have plenty of useful content for a wide range of people's wine knowledge. Each seasons/months entries include recommended wines, wineries, regions and some useful trips to enjoying wine such as how to chill a bottle of wine in 5 minutes. He also has entries from various sommeliers for each season/month so you have several points of view on the topics being discussed for the season. He includes most of the latest topics in the wine world -- retail, production and collecting. The books makes me want to read "Dr. Vino" blog regularly and I make wine for a living! The organization of the book is well thought out and visually appealing to read. If you are interesting in get a well-rounded overview of the wine world and what varietals are hot right now, I would strongly suggest that you read this book with bottle of your favorite wine! Who knows you might get inspired to try some new wines!

Make some room on the shelf, this book is a keeper!

For all the wine books I've read or flipped thought this one resonates with me. It's not a book for the absolute beginner and it's not a book for the wine sommelier but if like most people you drink a couple of bottles of wine a month this is aimed at you. It's a good book if you are interested in learning a bit more about the array of bottles on the shelf in your favorite wine store. The book is organized to take you through a year of wine drinking. It's set up by month and season with a push toward drinking what makes sense for the time of year, the meal, the occasion and the crowd. It's not a book to answer XYZ fish = ABC White Wine but helps you through thinking about what would you like to serve, who's drinking it, what time of year, day, are you eating inside or outside and makes it seem easy. The book reads like a collection of articles or blogs and as such it isn't a book that I think most folks will read in one sitting. I think you pick it up flip though, read a couple of the things that catch you eye and put it down. I did appreciate the list of wine terms in the back and some of the lists of what wines are good in certain regions cheat sheet Dr. Vino provides. Overall I found it to be a good book and have added it to the stack of reference cookbooks in the kitchen, I'm sure it won't disappoint!

An excellent and entertaining primer on wine

Whatever the time of year, wine is the perfect beverage. In A YEAR OF WINE, Tyler Coleman aka Dr. Vino of the wine blog[...] , lays claim to that statement by taking the reader through the months of the year and what would be the perfect wine to serve both through the seasons and it's events. For example, use Prosecco or Reisling for the superbowl party as an alternative to beer with the chips and dip. Port and cognac for winter warmth, Chenin Blanc or Austrian Gruner Veltliner in the spring, Loire reds or a rose in the summer and in the fall, pinot noirs. The choices and varieties vary greatly. All of them are justified. In addition, the author reviews some basic topics in drinking and enjoying wine. Interspersed with the seasonal wine selections are sections on tasting wine, how to buy and store wine, what to do with an opened bottle that you do not want to finish, even how to open a bottle of wine without a corkscrew. All of the information is told in an entertaining and humorous manner. This is a book to pick up and read again and again for advice, information and sheer enjoyment. Highly recommended.

Approachable, yet informative

Before receiving this book I was not familiar with the author's blog so I found myself pleasantly surprised with this book. It takes you through a year of wine with suggestions about what to drink throughout the year. His recommendations are rooted in the idea that so much of what affects the wine drinking experience is the circumstances around it. He makes the point that a fine bottle of wine drank on vacation say in Italy will never taste the same at home in the US so it's about pairing wine with the circumstances and company. I thought this was an interesting take. However, it doesn't mean he throws all conventional lessons out the door. Despite sharing his unique take, he still manages to share more conventional basic knowledge that I appreciated. Even though I really enjoy drinking wine and going to wine tastings I admit I don't know as much as I would like and this book helped to fill in the gaps. Although the approach mentioned above of recommending wine for the circumstances and time of year is unique, it was his tone of voice that really sold me. He does a good job of making learning about wine approachable, and yet still coming off as credible. This is a tough balancing act and he masters it well. I didn't realize how much I appreciated this until I found myself WANTING to read it while on the stationary bike at the gym. So many reference books about wine, cheese, or other culinary topics are very dry and encyclopedic. That is, the kind of book you would reference if you had a specific question, but that you wouldn't want to read for fun. As you might have guessed from my taking it to the gym, this is not true with A Year of Wine: Perfect Pairings, Great Buys, and What to Sip for Each Season. It felt more like having a conversation with a close friend who is also really knowledgeable about wine. Overall this is an excellent read and one I really enjoyed. I would highly recommend it for someone who wants to learn about wine and prefers a book they would actually pick up off the shelf and refer to rather than simply keeping around for a reference.

A different slant

The major appeal of this book is Tyler Colman's focus on context. He exhorts us to think about the who, what, when, where, and why of our wine-quaffing experience. With whom were we when tasting that lovely Rhone? (Not to mention, whom were we? A college Freshman trying Blue Nun for the first time? A new parent toasting the birth of our first child? A retiree uncorking a celebratory bottle of champagne?) What was going on when we opened Dad's bottle of Vintage port? When did we have that delightful Prosecco? Where was that forgettable resort where we wasted a fabulous chianti with some lukewarm pizza? And, last but not least, how were we feeling? Did we just get sacked from our job, buy our first home, or lose half our retirement fund in an economic crisis? To Colman, context is everything; and, I agree with him. The greatest bottle will be remembered as swill if it's downed in unpleasant circumstances. There are a number of very reader-friendly aspects to this book: an enjoyable and elucidating "Sommelier Survey" at the end of each chapter where Dr. Vino (his alias) interviews a well respected sommelier, and side bars where Colman educates us about: Riedel stemware vs. Tritan Force, decanters, spotting fraudulent wines, sulphur allergies, and what wine goes well with chocolate (a particular favorite of mine; see chocolateratings.wordpress.com for more on that topic). As a holistically oriented soul I was entranced by his synopsis of biodynamic wine-making inspired by Rudolph Steiner (the founder of Waldorf Schools). A large subtext of the book is his focus on seasonality. A topic worthy of all the attention he lavishes on it, as it can make or break our experience. Who really wants a heavy Bordeaux on a hot August day? Each of the 12 chapters homes in on the unique requirements of every month, its weather, holidays, or associations. I enjoyed reading Tyler's accessible prose, as well as his friendly tone. His grasp of the subject is keen, and his approach refreshing. A great book for someone new to the subject.