Red Wine: The Comprehensive Guide to the 50 Essential Varieties & Styles

Winner of the Gourmand International Award for Best Drinks Book!

The definitive compendium for all lovers of red wine, written by bestselling authors Kevin Zraly and the World Wine Guys.

Award-winning authors Kevin Zraly and the World Wine Guys tell the story of red wine, grape by grape, revealing the vast world of the 50 essential varieties and styles—from Agiorgitiko to Zinfandel—that you should know. All your favorites are here: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, and Syrah, covered in fascinating, eye-opening detail. You’ll also discover little-known gems, such as Amarone, Baco Noir, Xinomavro, and Zweigelt. The helpful introduction explains how red wine grapes evolved and spread, how red wine is made, and how the winemaking process influences the taste of the final wine. Peppered with engaging facts and figures, each chapter profiles one variety or style, featuring comprehensive at-a-glance information that provides color and tasting notes, what to expect in the glass, suggested food pairings, and recommended wines at a variety of price points from bargain to splurge. In-depth essays offer capsule histories of each grape or style, including their origins, typical characteristics, popularity, and other notable countries that produce them. Winemakers and other industry experts appear in their own words alongside gorgeous photography that brings the regions, vineyards, grapes, and wines to vivid life.

Kevin Zraly is the founder and teacher of the Windows on the World Wine School which ran for over 40 years, graduating 25,000 happy students. He still teaches wine classes both live and virtual.  Zraly is the youngest person to be honored with a James Beard Lifetime Award; his other honors include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the European Wine Council and the James Beard Award for Wine and Spirits Professional of the Year. He has been featured in The New York Times, People, The Wall Street Journal and Newsweek, and many other publications. He is also the editor of the highly acclaimed The Ultimate Wine Companion.

Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen, the World Wine Guys, are wine, spirits, food, and travel writers, educators, and hosts. They are the entertaining and lifestyle editors at Wine Enthusiast magazine, and their articles and photographs have appeared in numerous publications. They are the authors of Wines of the Southern Hemisphere: The Complete Guide (Sterling), which won the Gourmand International Award for Best Wine Book, and Wines of California (Sterling). The duo are members of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association, the Society of Wine Educators, and the James Beard Foundation. They have received the prestigious Golden Pen Award for food, wine, and travel journalism and have been inducted into the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin at the Château du Clos de Vougeot in Burgundy. Visit them at worldwineguys.com.