Book Review - Good, Better, Best Wines

I hate, hate, hate going to the wine store – sure it’s nice to enjoy some wine in the evening, especially now that the weather is nice & the mosquitoes have not yet succeeded in conquering our yard (they are working on it), and it’s great to discover a hidden gem to share with friends, but finding that hidden gem (and not paying as much as you would for an actual gemstone) is almost impossible. I stand there in the store, looking at pictures on labels and price tags and places of origin and pretentious little cards proclaiming that such-and-such bottle has “hints of apricot” and I feel like I’m stuck in an exam that I forgot to study for. I dither and ponder, until finally, out of desperation, I grab the bottle with the cute logo. (We drink a lot of wine with penguins on the label.) Then I wonder if I’ve paid too much just for the logo.

But now, I have a secret weapon. I won a copy of Good, Better, Best Wines by Carolyn Evans Hammond in a blog contest, and it has changed my wine store experience for the better. The book lists only nationally available wines, all under $15, and ranks them as good, better and best in their price range. At last! Something that tells me whether the penguin is better than the black cat. (Turns out the penguin was not a bad choice at all). I gave it a try last weekend when we had a few friends over for a barbeque, and followed the book’s recommendation for a sangria that turned out to be perfect for a summer evening. The book is simple to use, written in clear, easy to understand language, with none of that “notes of apricots and hints of cherry mixed with oak” stuff that is so confusing about other wine books. It’s a convenient size to carry along to the store, too, and I didn’t feel like a complete idiot thumbing through the pages while wandering through the aisles. Even though I’m really a beer person at heart (and stomach), now I feel like I can choose a wine that doesn’t have to be cute.

Want a copy for yourself? It’s available at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Good-Better-Best-Wines-No-Nonsense/dp/1592579779 . You can like them on facebook, too http://www.facebook.com/goodbetterbestwines?v=wall .