For The Wine Lover

This handsome, embossed, hardcover journal from Hugh Johnson, allows wine lovers to record favourite – and least favourite – wines.  Easy to complete charts and boxes for tasting notes are combined with subjects such as choosing wine for particular occasions and rules of thumb for quantities –handy for the holidays–the best vintages for particular wines, and what other wines to try if you are especially fond a particular grape variety.

The Journal addresses choosing, buying, and judging wine, and also covers such topics as:

• Opening –corkscrew basics, knowing if it’s corked, and how to deal with a cork that won’t budge
• Serving  - glassware, optimal temperatures,  and decanting
• Storing  - cellaring, stacks and racks, and how long will it keep

 It is divided into sections on White wines, Sparkling wines, Rose wines, Red wines and Fortified wine.  Each section offers general and sub-category descriptions.  It also contains quick-reference vintage charts, sections on grape varietals, and wine & food pairing, plus a very useful  “Winespeak” glossary.

 Hugh’s thoughts on the what, when, and how of wine drinking form the framework of this journal.  The rest is up to you: your own favourites, tasting notes, experiments, food pairing, even notes and recommendations from friends.