Synopsis

Hailed by Decanter as the "Wine Book of the Millennium," and described by critics worldwide as "extraordinary" and "irreplaceable," there are few volumes that have had as monumental impact in their field as Hugh Johnson's The World Atlas of Wine: sales have exceeded four million copies, and it is now published in thirteen languages.

For this fifth edition, world-renowned authors Johnson and Jancis Robinson have combined their unrivalled talents. Together, they gave this masterpiece its most thorough and expansive revision ever, gathering the best maps and prose from the frontline of the expanding wine world. In keeping with the Atlas's reputation for cartographic excellence, all 148 maps from the fourth edition have been completely revised and modernized, and thirty new ones have been created to cover the world's most dynamic regions, including the southern Rhône, Languedoc-Roussillon, southern Italy, northern Spain, central Portugal, South America, Canada, and Hawke's Bay in New Zealand.

A truly incomparable book, and an essential addition to every wine lover's or professional's library.

Library Journal

Johnson and Robinson's newest edition of what has become a classic in oenology is listed as "Completely Revised and Updated." And it would have to be in order to keep up with the explosion in the popularity of wine and winemaking and the changes that have taken place in the science of wine production since the 2001 edition of this book. Beautifully illustrated and colorfully formatted, the volume is chock-full of information about wine production that is not easily found in most libraries. The introductory section includes 20 articles, most consisting of a two-page spread, on such topics as wine production and consumption; wine in ancient and medieval times; and winemaking, bottling, storing, serving, and tasting. The bulk of the volume covers geographical areas, with detailed maps showing wine-producing areas and some named vineyards. Labels of the authors' choices for the best wines of the area are included. The photographs that accompany each article give the reader a sense of the character of the region, complementing the descriptions of the geography, the climate, the wines, and the region's place in the worldwide market. BOTTOM LINE Well worth the price, this reference book is highly recommended for all public libraries, academic libraries supporting the culinary arts, anthropology, or popular culture programs, and all individuals who love wine.-Rosanne M. Cordell, Schurz Lib., Indiana Univ. South Bend