Testimonials
You asked me for a testimonial – you‘ve got it! Secrets of Wine was exactly what I was looking for. I’ve tried a number of times to get my head around wine but never followed it through. Exactly like you said, the books I tried buried me in detail and my attention span isn’t great at the best of times.
I found your book easy to read and finished it on one plane trip. It was a real sense of achievement – something I’d meant to do for a long time! I have never felt more confident talking about wine. I already had some of the knowledge your book covers but it gave me more and the confidence to use it. I’ve had 3 bottles of red from your recommendations list and they were awesome – I spent about $30 each time (2 of them were around $5 more than the price you listed). I keep the book on my laptop and use it most weeks.
Secrets of Wine has definitely worked for me.
Roy Kennedy, Austin, Texas.
Thanks for the email. I’m happy to recommend Secrets of Wine.
Having read it, I got together with 2 friends and we started trying inverse tasting, as you suggested. It was really interesting and we were amazed at how much this taught us about wine. We are now confidently buying wines that we really enjoy. It has also encouraged us to experiment more and try different wines. We’ve chosen 9 of your recommendations so far and every one of them has been fantastic – although we seem to pay around 20% more than the price you put next to them!
We still meet twice a month and each of us buys a different bottle of wine to try. Your book is often used on these evenings.
We have no hesitation in recommending Secrets of Wine.
Ray Hardy, Birmingham.
Greetings from Moscow! I thought I’d drop you a line having read Secrets of Wine. I‘m working out here as an expat and as a result I have quite a bit of time on my hands at the weekends and decided to learn a bit more about wine.
Your book proved to be exactly what I wanted. I read it in an afternoon and was surprised at how much information I retained. It’s easy to read because there’s no waffle – a classic case of “less is more”. I then decided to read it again the following day and I am now confident that I can stand my corner in any discussion on wine. This is particularly useful out here, as I now get involved in a lot of business entertaining and in the past I have never been confident in choosing wine for the meal. Now I really look forward to it and it always starts a conversation around wine, which I used to dread. I am starting to develop a modest wine cellar (well cupboard) and have already stocked it with some of your recommendations. Now I have the time I am also completing one of the tasting forms for most of the bottles I try. It’s surprising how quickly you start to understand the different styles of wine and which ones you really like. I use your book all the time as a reference point and have also recommended it to a number of friends.
Thought I’d let you know of my experience and you’re welcome to use this as a recommendation if it helps.
Best wishes
Chris Lavender, Moscow
Anyone wishing to get to grips with the sometimes arcane world of wine will appreciate this concise and very informative guide. ‘Secrets of Wine’ covers everything you need to know about the wine industry and is guaranteed to enhance both your enjoyment of wine and your overall knowledge of the subject. Covering all the main and emerging wine producing areas, this book guides the reader through the most popular types of wine and grape varieties, and explains the various methods used in modern (and not so modern) wine production.
In addition to listing out the best vintage years, it covers such things as official label classifications and suggested food pairings. A tasting guide and advice on the storage and decanting of wine is also provided. An added bonus is the special section on sake, which I found particularly helpful. The book is structured in such a way that you will often find yourself returning to it as a ready reference. ‘Secrets of Wine’ has certainly strengthened my knowledge and appreciation of wine, and I would highly recommend this very readable guide.
Alasdair Watson, Hong Kong
