Best Wine Books for Beginners
The mysterious and beautiful world of wine can take ages to explore. While undoubtedly one of the most delightful adventures, it is an almost impossible undertaking to venture alone. That is why we present you with this selection of the best books to learn about wine.
Written by acclaimed experts, these books will be your best guides through the wonderful world of wine. You will learn everything from history and how wine is made and served, to wine tasting and the best wine and food combinations.
First, we should make sure you need a beginner wine book. You can take our fun "could you be a sommelier" quiz and find out where your wine knowledge ranks.
1. The Wine Bible
Behind a short and sonorous title, The Wine Bible hides over 1,000 pages of tips, anecdotes, photos, definitions, and recommendations.
Dubbed “America’s missionary of the vine” by Time magazine, Karen MacNeil leads the reader through the world of wine in a fun and engaging manner. Prominent stops include Italy, Spain, France, Slovenia, Mexico, United States, Japan, and China.
The Wine Bible is a best-seller in the United States and one of the best wine books for beginners. If you’re looking for the perfect gift for a friend or partner who loves wine, you can’t go wrong with this fascinating book.
Click here to read more about The Wine Bible.
2. Wine Folly: Magnum Edition: The Master Guide
Oft-featured among the best books to learn about wine, Wine Folly by Justin Hammack is a winery tour like no other. It explores the top wine regions, both traditional and emergent, complete with detailed maps. It also has a wide and highly informative section on the best wine and food combinations.
Other cool takes include wine classification and labeling explanations for the top wine countries, expert tips on how to taste wine, and convenient color codes for over 100 species of grapes.
Click here to find out more about Wine Folly: Magnum edition.
3. Wine for Normal People
We'd all like to think we are "normal" people. When it comes to wine, the author and popular podcaster Elizabeth Schneider assumes that means people who enjoy wine and not all the snobbery that floats around it. This is the perfect book for people who are new to the study of wine. Even if you've been enjoying wine for years, there is a shift when you decide to truly understand what is going on in your glass.
This book communicates the basics of wine enjoyment in a straightforward manner. The author appreciates that some of us just want a better understanding of the drink we love. We don't feel the need to become sommeliers.
Click here to learn more about this great wine book for beginners.
You can find the popular podcast Wine for Normal People by clicking here.
4. Windows on the World Complete Wine Course
If you need a wine book for beginners, Windows on the World Complete Wine Course by Kevin Zraly is an all-in-one package. Find out how to taste wines, how to combine them with food, and how to find the ones that suit your taste.
Windows on the World offers expert guides to the world’s top wine regions, along with maps, stunning photographs, detailed infographics, and more. Hundreds of wines from all over the world are introduced, tasted, and evaluated in this book.
Click here for more info on Windows on the World.
5. The New Wine Rules: A Genuinely Helpful Guide to Everything You Need to Know
The New Wine Rules by Jon Bonne ranks as one of the best-written wine guides in existence. It is simple, fun, and engaging. In The New Rules, Bonne dismisses the old and overly complicated and tedious rules subscribed by the “experts”. Instead, Bonne reminds the reader that drinking wine should be a joy and not a chore.
A bottle of wine is rarely worth its price, claims Bonne in The New Wine Rules. Great bottles shouldn’t be saved, they should be enjoyed, is one of his top tips for beginners.
Click here to read more about The New Wine Rules.
6. The Oxford Companion to Wine
The Oxford Companion to Wine quickly became an instant classic after its debut back 1994. This landmark guide by Jancis Robinson has won pretty much every major award a wine book can win. It is rightfully considered one of the best wine guidebooks ever published.
The Oxford Companion to Wine contains around 4,000 entries on all things wine. In its pages, you will learn everything you need to know about how to taste wine and how to combine it with food. The book also includes reviews of every major wine region in the world, accompanied by detailed maps and breathtaking photos.
Click here for more info on the Oxford Companion to Wine.
7. 2021 Certified Specialist of Wine Workbook
This extensive guide was written for students preparing to take the Certified Specialist of Wine exam. It was published in December of 2020 by the Society of Wine Educators as the official companion to the organization’s Study Guide.
The book focuses on exercises designed to help students better understand the material presented in the Study Guide. However, it is also a great book for beginners who want a deeper understanding of their favorite drink.
Click here to find out more about the 2021 Certified Specialist of Wine Workbook.
8. Exploring Wine
Though primarily aimed at sommeliers and chefs, this fantastic book is also a must-have for beginners intent on learning the basics of wine. Exploring Wine explains in great detail everything from wine production to wine marketing, wine lists, and wine services.
This glorious guide is unique in that it explores both the consumer and professional’s perspectives and approaches to wine. The 800+ pages are filled with expert tips, in-depth info, detailed maps & charts, and amazing photos.
Click here to read more about Exploring Wine.
9. Wine: A Tasting Course: Every Class in a Glass
Detailed, well-researched, and fun to read, Wine: A Tasting Course is one of the best books to learn about wine. Marnie Old writes in a way that’s refreshing, easy to read, devoid of unnecessary jargon and overcomplicated descriptions.
Get ready to find out all about the winemaking process, how to taste wine, and how to combine it with food. This book would also make a thoughtful gift for a friend who’s into wine.
Click here for more info on Wine: A Tasting Course.
10. The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert
The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert by Richard Betts covers everything a beginner needs to know about wine. A great deal of attention is given to the basic components of wine – the wood, the fruits, and the earth.
With this book, you will be able to find your favorite wine in no time. Nicely illustrated, easy to read, and very informative, this could be one of the best gifts for wine enthusiasts.
Click here to read more on The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide.
11. The History of Wine in 100 Bottles: From Bacchus to Buena Vista and Beyond
This unique history book examines the 100 bottles that have had the biggest impact on the evolution of wine. If you want to know about the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold, the first entity to start selling wine by the bottle, the introduction of the cylindrical bottle, and the like, this book is for you.
From Bacchus to Buena Vista and Beyond also contains photos of some of the most famous bottles in existence, as well as in-depth info on how some significant vintages came to be.
Click here for more info on The History of Wine in 100 Bottles.
Final Words
The history of winemaking is as long as the history of civilization itself. From the dawn of mankind to modern times, wine has had an important cultural role, alternately or simultaneously considered the drink of love, passion, and wisdom. If you know someone who loves wine, there are few gifts that can compare to a good wine guide.
If you love learning about different kinds of adult beverages, check out these lists on the best beer books and best books about whiskey.
