Comments for Lovin Grapes

Comment on 101 Recipes for Making Wild Wines at Home: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Herbs, Fruits, and Flowers by R. Zemanski

R. Zemanski — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:32:44 +0000

Being a wine lover, I just had to read this book and I wasn’t disappointed. Packed full of fascinating tales and advice from amateur wine makers, it answered just about any question I had (or didn’t even know I had) about winemaking. The book carefully guides the reader through the winemaking process from the equipment you need (and why you need it) to 10 troubleshooting tips in case things go awry (“my wine smells like dirt or “my white wine is turning red”).

After reading this book, the most surprising point to me is that you really don’t need a ton of equipment or huge barrels in your basement to make a excellent bottle of wine. You can even use buckets (just make sure they are sanitized).

Selecting the ingredients is where the fun starts. The author, John Peragine, provides recipes using everything from frozen concentrate grape juice and sugar to rice and raisins. Just as the title eludes to, there are some wild wines to be made — made from fruits, vegetables, grains and even flowers. Some of the recipes are surprisingly simple and others are more complex, but they all give you precise step-by-step instructions.

I feel like I’ve become friends with Peragine and if I knew his phone number, I wouldn’t even hesitate to call him for advice in the middle of the process! But, I probably wouldn’t need to, because I’m sure the answer is in this book.
Rating: 5 / 5

Comment on Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy by C. Schrey

C. Schrey — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:09:25 +0000

We are now living in Italy for the next 3 years and I wanted to find a comprehensive book about wine to guide our travels & tastings. Although I have a professional wine background (and thought I knew a lot about Italian wine) and have read many wine books, this stands out as one of the best. It is extremely well-written and organized — very comprehensive, logical and substantive in approach, but also a bit of the whimsical thrown in for simple reading.

As other reviewers have mentioned, it breaks down all the major regions, discusses the wines (red, white, sparkling and dessert), shares anecdotes and a recipe. I did not appreciate the self-promotion of wines tied to the authors, but other than that — I learned a fantastic deal about Italian wine, and it helps us olan trips, do tastings and with buys.

This is really an incredible wine book for the price.
Rating: 5 / 5

Comment on Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy by Jonathan Appleseed

Jonathan Appleseed — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:11:00 +0000

While “the book includes historial wine information and regional maps as well as Italian travel information and recipes”, it also includes invaluable information on winemakers and producers. It also takes the mess that is Italy and cleans it up for us so that we can decipher and know it. In that it is similar to Clive Coates “Cote d’Or”.
Rating: 5 / 5

Comment on Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy by Mark Wagstaff

Mark Wagstaff — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:24:53 +0000

This is a very thourough, well written book about Italian Wine. It is an brilliant resource.

Mark Wagstaff
Rating: 5 / 5

Comment on Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy by Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:00:37 +0000

A book that tells you everything you need to know about Italian wine. Once you have read the book, you will also have recepies to serve with your wine, and where to eat while traveling through Italy. I cant wait for there next book. Don’t forget to try the wines in Joe’s restaurants for fantastic food and wine values.
Rating: 5 / 5

Comment on Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy by C. Fornasier

C. Fornasier — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:31:26 +0000

this book is a very nice read. the anecdotes showed excellent referance to the italian lifestyle. showed through knowledge of Italian wines. also had very fascinating recipes throughout.
Rating: 4 / 5

Comment on The Wine Maker’s Answer Book by R. Bitters

R. Bitters — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:26:06 +0000

A very excellent book with fantastic information if your looking for wine making answers to your questions.
Rating: 5 / 5

Comment on The Wine Maker’s Answer Book by Budang N Amoo

Budang N Amoo — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:33:14 +0000

I was expecting more of a “how to deal with this type of problem” book and was surprised and dissapointed at the format and small size.

This is a compilation of Q’s and answers from the “Wine Wizard” of the Winemakers magazine.

This is not new or original material and I don’t reckon I would have bought this book had I been aware of the the format.

But… having read it through, it is absolutely filled chock full of excellent stuff. Lots of commonsensical advice and insights. I thoroughly loved reading it and it offers a real refreshing way of approaching winemaking.

I highly recommend it as the 3rd or 4th book on winemaking on your shelf.

My only request to the author- please write a real book on the subject ! Your style and substance is much appreciated and a new book will be much anticipated by the wine making public !
Rating: 4 / 5

Comment on The Wine Maker’s Answer Book by DK

DK — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:21:54 +0000

If you make your own wine, or have a small winery you should probably own this book. It is a wealth of information on just about everything there is to know or do with winemaking.

Even though it is like a reference on issues and answers, you can read through it to get a perspective on where everything is. This will be a go to book for me when I’m not sure what’s going on and I’m glad I have it.
Rating: 4 / 5

Comment on The Wine Maker’s Answer Book by John L. Davella

John L. Davella — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:17:39 +0000

I am a commercial wine maker. She has collected a ton of information that we take for granted every day and written it all down. Excellent Job!
Rating: 4 / 5