CN TowerTorontoWine.ComTorontoWine.Com

your guide to wine in the city
 
  Home
a
  About Us
a
  Accessories
a
  Books
a
  Buying Wine
a
  Clubsa
a
  Education
a
  Events
a
  Food & Wine
a a
  Massage & Health
 a
  People
a
  Publications
a
  Restaurants & Bars
 a
  Storing
a
  Tasting
a
  Tours & Travel a
a
  Wild Cards
a
  Wine Guide
a
  Wine Regions
  


Wine Books

This page has five sections:

Toronto Bookstores

See below for some ideas on where to shop in Toronto for books on wine.  If however, you are looking for information on magazines, newsletters or Toronto newspapers, follow the Publications link: 

  • Indigo and Chapters various stores or shop online 
  • The Cookbook Store at 850 Yonge St has a good assortment of wine books 
  • The World's Biggest Bookstore at 20 Edward Street - upstairs in the Beer
     & Wine section next to the cookery section

Online Purchase

If you can't find what you are looking for in the store, try online at Indigo or  Amazon.com for general browsing, and type in the name of the book or the author in the search box if you want to drill down.
   


Mitchell Beazley, a UK publisher, is another good source.  They have been publishing wine titles for over twenty years and have 156 titles from 24 authors listed as of December 2004. 

Book Starter Kit

The books listed below below are what I consider to be the classics, particularly those by Jancis Robinson, the first lady of wine, and Hugh Johnson, the doyen of wine writers.  My top three are "The Oxford Companion To Wine" as the ultimate reference guide, The World Atlas of Wine" for geographical information, and Wine Tasting as the best description of the process.  Titles are linked to Indigo Online if they have it otherwise to Amazon.com.
   
First Name
Last
Name
Bio
Title
Publisher
Year
Michael Broadbent MB Winetasting Mitchell Beazley 2003
Oz Clarke OC Encyclopedia of Grapes Harcourt Brace  2001
Hugh Johnson* HJ World Atlas of Wine 5th Edition Mitchell Beazley 2001
Hugh Johnson   Wine Companion 5th edition Mitchel Beazley 2003
Jancis Robinson JR Concise Wine Companion Oxford University Press 2001
Jancis Robinson   How To Taste: A Guide to Enjoying Wine Simon & Schuster 2001
Jancis Robinson   The Oxford Companion To Wine Oxford University Press 2006
Jancis Robinson   Vines, Grapes & Wines Mitchell Beazley 1992
    Follow the link under the "Bio" heading for a biography of an author.
* Co-edited with Jancis Robinson.

Canadian Reading

Here are some Canadian publications are worth considering:

Wild Cards & Movies 

If you are in the market for gifts, here's three books and two DVDs as possibilities:

Ralph Steadman's Untrodden Grapes
Ralph Steadman: Untrodden Grapes.  Steadman is an English graphic artist with a wicked sense of wit.  He used to feature regularly in Private Eye, the English satirical magazine, and he has done work for Hunter S. Thompson (books), Pink Floyd (album covers), and illustrated a number of wine bottles.  This book features commentary  and sketches of the people and places he's visited in his pursuit of great wine.

 

A Life UncorkedHugh Johnson: A Life Uncorked.  Hugh Johnson never wanted to write a standard autobiography, so instead, we get his personalized tour based on almost fifty years of tasting, through the world of wine.

 

 

 

The Emperor of Wine: The Rise of Robert M. Parker, Jr. and the Reign of American Taste, by Elin McCoy.

Robert Parker is commonly regarded as the USA's leading wine authority.  His ratings are extremely influential and are quoted world wide.  His supporters claim that he is responsible for improving winemaking standards.  His critics fear that his influence leads to a homogeneous approach in wine making.  Read the book and make your own decision

 

MondovinoMondovino by Jonathan Nossiter - DVD

Mondovino takes a hard look at the world wine business, and the tension between the internationalists with their globalized approach and the craft wine makers.  Nossiter's movie has been characterized as the Fahrenheit 9/11 of the wine world in so far as he takes potshots at well known figures including Robert Parker, the wine critic, Michel Rolland, the "flying wine maker" and Wine Spectator's James Suckling.

 

SidewaysSideways by Alexander Payne - DVD

A wine tasting road trip to salute Jack’s (Thomas Haden Church) final days as a bachelor careens woefully sideways as he and Miles (Paul Giamatti) hit the gas en route to mid-life crises. The comically mismatched pair, who share little more than their history and a heady blend of failed potential and fading youth, soon find themselves drowning in wine and women (Sandra Oh and Virginia Madsen). Emerging from a haze of pinot noir, wistful yearnings and trepidation about the future, the two inevitably collide with reality.  Review courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes.  Visit Fox Searchlight to see the trailer.

This movie was the sleeper of the year in 2004 and was up for several Oscars.  it is essential viewing for any wine lover.

 


Home  About Us   Accessories   Books  Buying Wine  Clubs  Education  Events  Food & Wine  Massage & Health   People  Publications  Restaurants & Bars  Storing  Tasting  Tours & Travel  Wild Cards  Wine Guide  Wine Regions
CONTACT US
 

                                                                    Last Updated:    May 3, 2008