The Wine Guy: Everything You Want to Know about Buying and Enjoying Wine from Someone Who Sells It

After 35 years working in television, Besch turned an Upper West Side, Manhattan, ""wreck of a liquor store"" into his own wine-purveying paradise with ""aisles wide enough for baby strollers and a tub of treats for the local canine population."" In this book, co-written by his wife, Besch distills his love for, and knowledge of, wine into a neat companion for readers who want to know more about wine and the finer points of its appreciation. However, his opening gambit, ""Learning about wine simply means figuring out what you like"" doesn't quite jive with the subsequent user-friendly, yet lengthy, guides to grapes, wine varieties, tasting, ""finding your own wine guy"" and so on. In the chapter on how to talk about wine, he wisely notes, ""There are no descriptors unique to the wine world. Wine flavor is described only in terms of other things, most often fruit..."" This and other helpful advice gives readers a comfort zone when trying a new bottle. Also notable is a chapter on ""The Breakaways,"" or wines Besch suggests for those ready to try something different. Even with the ballooning number of wine books available, this opinionated and informed guide fits a nice niche; it's neither too encyclopedic nor too cursory in its treatment, and offers wine newbies keen tasting and buying advice.