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Consume with Confidence

New book makes wine more approachable

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By Neal D. Hulkower

The last thing I want when learning something new is to feel insulted. And, yet, the seventh (!!) edition of Wine for Dummies (released in 2018) continues selling well. Gluttons for self-abuse were apparently not numerous enough to sustain The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Wine Basics, the second– and most recent edition– released ten years earlier. As Mark Twain noted, “We are all ignorant; just about different things.” The wine curious deserve a more nurturing place to turn.

In her foreword to Kelli White’s Wine Confident, Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible, observes: “... psychologically speaking, I think a good share of wine primers have everything in common with self-help books– that is, they make you feel rotten about yourself, all the while purporting to ‘help’ you. Not Kelli. She doesn’t preach, doesn’t dumb stuff down to 'wine baby talk’ (her fantastic phrase), doesn’t hold herself loftily above her readers.”

White has accumulated an impressive list of accomplishments bolstering her credentials. She is a wine writer with pieces published in some of the most celebrated publications and author of Napa Valley, Then & Now. White also worked the floor as a sommelier. Most compellingly, she has been director of education for the last five years at Napa Valley’s The Wine Center at Meadowood.

In the introduction, White emphasizes: “I will endeavour to explain wine’s fundamentals and its greater mysteries in a friendly, unpretentious and non-condescending way.” She successfully does so in nine chapters. “Furthering Reading” lists wine books White found useful; many I also recommend. (Not surprisingly, the two mentioned above are not included.) The book concludes with a guide to the more popular white and red grape varieties, a comprehensive index and acknowledgments.

The text, illustrated with color photos, drawings, charts and sidebars labeled “Inside Track” or “Pro Tip,” focuses on single topics. The book is an easy-to-digest read further enhanced by White’s conversational style.

There are several possible points of entry into the subject of wine for the beginner. White first chooses to take glass in hand: “When organizing this book, my original thought was to start with the history of wine. But my editor smartly pointed out that we ought to get right to the heart of the matter. Which is drinking it!”

I was particularly impressed by her excellent discussion of wine legs or tears in one “Pro Tip,” describing the phenomenon without scientific terms. She also deftly explains the impact of wine on all five senses, infusing the discussion with wine terms, grape varieties and regions. However, in doing so, she risks losing readers unfamiliar with them. In these situations, the index is valuable. Also, directing the reader to descriptions later in the text or reordering the book so basic information is introduced first would help.

The section on flaws is useful. In particular, learning to identify cork taint should help prevent negative impressions of otherwise perfectly good wines. Suggestions for how to handle a corked bottle at a restaurant reflect her insider perspective.

“Talking Wine” addresses accurately describing what you taste. While White takes great pains to explain the difficulty, she nevertheless attempts to help her readers learn to communicate more effectively. “I’m not saying it’s pointless to try and describe wine. On the contrary, articulating what a wine tastes like and how much you enjoy it are essential parts of connoisseurship” she writes.

During my first decade studying wine, I kept detailed notes in four small binders. These days, I am less concerned about recording my impressions, instead preferring to simply enjoy the varied sensations I’m experiencing. When I do take tasting notes, it is to support my writing, not to demonstrate connoisseurship. In fact, I am more in agreement with what White writes later: “Learning to trust my own judgement, to examine what truly excited me about a given wine, and to express that in my own way, was life changing.”

In the ingeniously oxymoronic chapter title “Describing Aromas: Achieving Clarity Through Vagueness,” White wisely suggests “...should you need to describe a wine to someone you don’t know, being less specific can often bring better results.” Yet, some of her comments, such as “I do not recommend using ‘spicy’ as a generic term,” were somewhat too authoritarian.

What makes White’s book not only useful to the tyro taster but an enjoyable read are her personal stories. For example, the chapter on buying wine describes what happened when she deferred to a date to order the wine, despite her superior knowledge. The outcome was amusing. Those anxious about ordering wine in a restaurant or choosing a bottle in a wine shop will find her practical tips and answers to frequently asked questions armed with the confidence to make a sound selection. It ends with an insightful thought: “I think of wine as a branch of the humanities, and its humanity is divine.”

“Handling Wine” guides the reader through everything to consume the divine drink, explaining all manner of wine paraphernalia, along with tips on opening and decanting. There is also a quick tutorial on pairing wine with food.

White’s view on collecting wine includes all the basics practiced by collectors. Some recommendations may not be useful for newbies grabbing a bottle from the local supermarket for tonight’s dinner. On the other hand, if interest grows along with the number of bottles, her sage advice feels relevant. For example, on what to lay down, she notes: “High-alcohol table wines that are the result of excessively late picking might have oxidized flavours or diminished acidities and won’t typically age well.” Conversely, her comment “There are also a couple of relatively lo-fi devices that will suck the air out of an open bottle while sealing it” runs counter to advice given to me by a winemaker, explaining this would extract dissolved gases, causing the wine to taste flat.

“Understanding Wine” includes a once-over, light history of wine and an “Inside Track” sidebar on bottle shapes. The chapter concludes with White’s opinion on the term terroir.

White does an admirable job presenting a wide range of material in the chapters on winemaking and growing wine without delving too deep into arcana. Given the breadth of her coverage, a novice will likely have most questions answered at more than a cursory level.

The final chapter, “Take the List!” exhorts the reader who, upon completing the book, has acquired sufficient knowledge and confidence to do exactly that. White concludes with a series of anecdotes on how wine impacts social and professional activities.

The subject of wine is complex; many questions are answered with “it depends.” Terminology is one area with plenty of ambiguity. White tackles my favorite vinous verbal bête noire, “minerality,” recognizing it “is a contentious term... with naysayers arguing you cannot smell minerals. Nonetheless, it has become a relatively accepted descriptor for aromas including chalk, oyster shell and wet stone.” But without specificity, she states fermentation vessels “...concrete and clay can enhance minerality.” I wonder if she would consider the pervasive use of this archetypically vague term evidence of connoisseurship?

This book is not meant for everyone. White focuses on the most basic information, in some cases touching on topics somewhat superficially. She acknowledges from the outset “What this book will not do is detail the hundreds of grape varieties and wine regions found around the world. Those seeking that level of information will have to look elsewhere.” If, on the other hand, you are vinously insecure and seeking pointers from a seasoned insider disparagement-free, Wine Confident is for you.

Acknowledging there is always so much more to learn, White advises: “Please use this book as a stepping stone to a greater appreciation of wine... So go forth! Read, drink, travel, take notes, break bread and break corks.”

To which I say, Amen.

 

Neal D. Hulkower is an applied mathematician and freelance writer living in McMinnville. His first contributions to a wine publication appeared in the early 1970s. Since 2009, he has been writing regularly about wine-related topics for academic, trade and popular publications including Journal of Wine Research, Journal of Wine Economics, American Wine Society Wine Journal, Oregon Wine Press, Practical Winery & Vineyard, Wine Press Northwest, Slow Wine Guide USA and The World of Fine Wine as well as wine-searcher.com, trinkmag.com, and guildsomm.com. Neal is a member of the Circle of Wine Writers. His first book, Grape Explications, will be released in 2025.

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