Reddit reviews Kevin Zraly's Complete Wine Course

You dont need the language, but you will need to know geography and industry jargon.

THE book to start is, as repeated over and over in r/wine, is kevin zraly's windows on the world. i and a shitload of people vouch for it.

jancis robinson "instant expert" is free and a must too. do NOT buy the atlas because it is outdated (2007), either get it at your public library or subscribe to jancis' purple pages which gives access to an updated online version of it. same advice applies to her Oxford companion. it is difficult not to like her, she is not just extremely knowledgeable but, an most importantly, a great, concise communicator.



bookwise it is all you need really, the rest is to start drinking up.

in addition i would recommend jennifer simonetti bryant's videos as it complements zraly's book.

In that case I suggest you look up Complete Wine Course by Kevin Zraly.

If I were you, I would pick up this book and then read about the different areas and then buy wines you've read about while making tasting notes in a journal.

I think you'll star tot understand which types of wine you like, and why. Grapes grown in different areas of the world develop differently, and their wine makers make the wine differently which has a major influence on taste.

Most guys (I'm assuming you're a guy) tend to skip white wines which I think is a major mistake. Give some quality produced whites a chance, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. There is a major difference between a mass marketed Sutter Home Chardonnay and a premier cru meursault.

As far as basic wine knowledge, pick up Kevin Zraly's Complete Wine Course. It's an awesome introduction into the basics of wine and wine geography. From there, as the top comment says, you should move into the World Atlas of Wine, once you have a basic understanding of the main varietals and styles of each of the main wine producing regions around the world. Zraly's book really helped me grasp the pretty complex concept of wine, and allowed me to start talking about it intelligently when I first started out. It also has little quizzes and tasting guides at the end of each 'course' to really help you integrate what you read into your daily work. You won't be disappointed with it.

Two recs:

• This book.
  
  
• Are there any bottle shops or wine bars near you? If so, check out their social media. They frequently have free (or at least affordable) tastings on a regular basis where you can try a wide variety of wines and chat with someone who knows their stuff without committing tons of money.