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Thursday, December 13, 2012

The Art and Science of Wine by James Halliday and Hugh Johnson

I am currently reading this book called The Art and Science of Wine written by James Halliday and Hugh Johnson published in 2007. The book is divided into three sections:
          1. In the Vineyard
          2. In the Winery
          3. In the Bottle
I knew that one of the countries that was phylloxera-free was Chile, but this book also mentions that the entire island of Cyprus, part of Hungary, sandy seaside vineyard at Colares in Portugal and the Midi are also phylloxera-free.
The beauty of this book is that it provides generalized diagrams of the processes as well as equipment required in the making of either a white or red wine or champagne. This is followed by the choices that can be made at each step of the process, such as in the vineyard, crushing and pressing, fermenting and finishing. The varieties that are used for example in white wine making are also detailed and includes areas where that variety's expression has gained notoriety. Chardonnay is given it's own two page account of all the choices that can be made in it's vinification. The art of making wine can truly be a multi-factorial challenge.
For me, this will be a book to pour over during the upcoming winter months in order to understand how we will proceed when it comes time to making our wines.

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