cover image Liquid Gold: Dessert Wines of the World

Liquid Gold: Dessert Wines of the World

Stephen Brook. Beech Tree Paperback Book, $18.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-688-07461-6

Sweet wines have all too often received short shrift from wine drinkers who are familiar with only those mediocre beverages hiding behind doses of sugar or, at the other extreme, the great sauternes and Trockenbeerenauslesen. This lucid, highly enjoyable volume discusses an array of wines of varying characteristics and qualities from France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Australia, South Africa and California. Weaving geography, history and chemistry with personal anecdotes, Brook is informative without being pedantic in prose that describes without waxing florid. His wine assessments are more explorations than assertions; for example, Brook finds Saussignacs unimpressive, but his discussion of them is thoughtful, leaving room for further experience to influence that opinion. Oenophiles intrigued by the sweeter end of the spectrum, or who simply enjoy reading about their favorite subject, will find this an enticing volume. Brook (New York Days, New York Nights, etc.) is the wine correspondent of the New Statesman. Illustrations. (September 30)