Reddit reviews The World Atlas of Wine, 7th Edition

For your next gift holiday (birthday or xmas) ask for Johnson and Robinson's World Atlas of Wine and a rechargeable flashlight so you can read it under the covers when you should be sleeping.

https://www.amazon.com/World-Atlas-Wine-7th/dp/1845336895/

If you totally want to nerd out about it, The World Atlas of Wine is a good thing to have around. It's a great coffee table book. It's also large enough that you could use it as a defensive weapon in the case of a home invasion.

But seriously, Google is your friend.

• Red wine varietal basics from Wine Enthusiast
  
  
• Very brief comparison list of red and white varietals
  
  
• Or if an infographic is more your style...
  
  My rule of thumb is to buy something if I've never seen it before and it's a reasonable price. That way, it is either a positive new experience or a cheap lesson.
  
  Wikipedia is very helpful in learning about what you just bought or drank. In truth, Wikipedia is probably one of the best wine resources out there.

Drink This - Wine Made Simple - Great book for beginners

The Wine Bible

The Essential Scratch and Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert - Seems like it's a joke, and it sooort of is, but there's some good information there, and the scratch and sniff thing is actually quite useful.

The World Atlas of Wine - Pretty much the ultimate wine book. If you don't want to spend that much on it, consider buying a used copy of the older edition. You can get it for just a few bucks. Obviously it won't be as up to date, but it's still extremely useful.

Pairing Food and Wine for Dummies - John Szabo is legit

Great Wine Made Simple

Up until recently I worked at a book store, these were the books I recommended most frequently to people. If you want ones about specific regions, there are some good ones out there too. These are all more general.

Here's a few books I've found useful:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0520276892/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1404722183&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0198609906/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1404722276&sr=8-3&pi=SY200_QL40

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1845336895/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1404722276&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40

Absolutely! I would definitely recommend The Wine Bible and The World Atlas of Wine (7th edition)

To help put a perspective on wine and it's place in the human experience I'd recommend Tom Standage's "History of the World in 6 Glasses". Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson's "The World Atlas of Wine"

Edit: Correction to add Hugh Johnson as Author

Wine:

Windows on the World - Kevin Zraly

The Wine Bible - Karen MacNeil

The World Atlas of Wine - Hugh Johnson & Jancis Robinson

Cooking:

The Professional Chef - The Culinary Institute of America

The Culinary Institute of America book page on Amazon

The Flavor Bible - Karen Page

I've been looking for something similar. I have read Tasting Beer and am currently reading Tasting Whiskey. I love the format of both of them.

Most wine books I've found are much easier to read by section as a reference than to read straight through. If you've looked at the Oxford Companion to Beer, a lot of them are kind of like that (and not just the Oxford Companion to Wine).

In order of most narrative to most reference I recommend:

Wine for Dummies (not kidding, nor to be confused with An Idiot's Guide to Wine)

Kevin Zraly's Windows on the World Complete Wine Course (reminds me of Bernstein's Complete Beer Course)

The Wine Bible

The World Atlas of Wine

The Oxford Companion to Wine

I once tried to read A Beer Drinker's Guide to Knowing and Enjoying Fine Wine. I couldn't read much of it because its tone seemed a little too... forced conversational.

Surround yourself with people that are as enthusiastic about it as you. It will make it so much easier to study and retain information if you have people around you that you can talk to about it. As far as books go, I use 3.

Exploring Wine for extensive base knowledge of laws and history.

The World Atlas of Wine for maps of every wine producing area in the world.

Wine Lovers Companion for glossary terms and definitions.

If you can afford to, a subscription to Guild Somm will be so incredibly helpful. Wine law is updated as it comes out, news and podcasts about latest trends in the industry, lots of like minded folks to discuss stuff with. It's a fantastic tool.

Lastly, don't get intimidated. It's a big BIG BIG world of wine, larger than most people assume, but it's beautiful once you're immersed in it.