I could not wait to review Michael Schuster’s new book on wine tasting and knew intuitively that I would not be disappointed. After all, he is the one of the world’s leading wine gurus and winner of a multitude of prestigious prizes and accolades. With book in hand, I curled up in my favourite chair with an appropriate glass in tow and plunged into that beguiling world of wine, inspired and encouraged by Michael’s excellent handbook. Going through all his very easily explained and user-friendly notes and thanks to his matter-of-fact, no nonsense style, I was spellbound and, a few hours later – and a few glasses down the line - emerged convinced that this is the modern day bible in wine tasting and the must-have book on everybody’s wish list for Christmas 2009. Try though I did to catch him out – said she modestly – I scored no brownie points there but certainly gained many on my own personal list of wine tasting skills.

This is a book for both the novice and the more erudite of wine lovers. The book has three main sections starting with Before the Bottle where Michael entices us to delve more into our senses, to analyse what actually happens when you quaff a glass of wine and all of this on an easy to understand level. The many myths of the wine world are aired for all and sundry thanks to Michael’s way of rejecting the media hype and consumer blurb so that we can really get down to the grass roots of taste. First and foremost, he wisely helps the reader to be more confident in recognizing and understanding his own tastes in order to expand and appreciate other wines. Amongst many others, I particularly liked his section on oak, the everything-you-always-wanted to-know-but-never-dared-to-ask subject, frightfully a la mode but a technique not always so successfully implemented. I love the way Michael always puts the specific topic in question in a today context. Hence his idea, for example, that oak is rather like the use of a condiment with food, it is easily overdone. Too true. Or that a winemaker is like a cook, one or two excel, many are good but some are definitely mediocre. And so it is with wine. This first section is filled with fact while whetting our appetite by appealing to our senses and to our intelligence. It’s a clever approach leaving the reader not only very knowledgeable at the end of this section but also well equipped to tackle the next, In the bottle.

In the Bottle succinctly describes the many grape varieties on the world stage of wine. Thanks to Michael’s way of drawing the reader in - he’s very much on our side – we read this section with avid interest and the glee on understanding is rather like finishing a Suduko or a crossword – it all makes sense as the penny drops. He starts off by talking about names and labels, the basics before purchasing a wine but often overlooked and not analysed correctly. Marketing prevails on the back of a wine bottle where labels should be usefully informative but are often just sales puff and brand imaging reigns. We then tackle the heart of the subject and what pleasure I had browsing through the imaginary vineyards of chardonnay, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, syrah and so on. I was mentally inebriated by now and on a definite high for the final section, In the Glass.

In the Glass is the bouquet, the cherry on the cake. Here the reader can confidently engage in a course of wine tastings thanks to the acquired knowledge in the two preceding chapters. Armed with Michael’s very comprehensive introduction to basic tastes and wine structure, the different tasting sessions that follow embrace dry whites, sparkling wines, the world of reds, medium dry and sweet wines and lastly, sherry, port and Madeira. I loved the way Michael offers advice on both old and new world wines helping us through a potential minefield of prejudices and misunderstanding. His very last section on wine and food hits the right note too. Matching the weight and the intensity of flavours must be the most simple and useful of rules, albeit tricky! First and foremost, his approach is so practical with little anecdotes everywhere in his book and his use of cross reference at the bottom of most pages keeps the reader on his toes as a reminder (if necessary) of where and why that same term appeared earlier in the book - rather like a private coach.

Michael Schuster’s Essential Winetasting is an invitation to anyone who enjoys wine. He beckons you to come on board and holds your hand through the fads and fashions, the myths and realities of the complex but fascinating world of wine. Wisdom and common sense prevail and Michael really has the edge with his bullet points at the beginning of each subject that hit the spot and inspire confidence. At the end of the day no wine is standard, every wine is unique. Recognizing why is an art of which Michael Schuster is truly the master.

Essentail Winetasting by Michael Schuster

photography copyrighted to Octopus Publishing Group

published by Mitchell Beazley, GBP 16.99