Australian Wine

Book excerpt: Australian Wine: styles and tastes, people and places is a key to understanding and enjoying Australian wine. Absorbing text and stunning photography take the reader on a journey through the story of Australian wine from the vineyard to the winery to the cellar and to the wine in the glass. The contents include topics such as, the history of Australian wine, how to taste wine, a guide to cellaring wine, wine and food, wine and health, vine growth, berry ripening, organic and biodynamic grapegrowing and winemaking, sustainability, how the different styles of wine ? dry white wines, semi-sweet and sweet white wines, sparkling wines, dry red wines and fortified wines ? are made and how they taste, how climate, soils and vineyard management and winemaking practices impact on the taste of a wine, wine regions of Australia, regionality, terroir and provenance. It introduces the reader to many of the people who grow grapes and make wine across the Australian wine scene. It tells stories of places where vines grow and the importance of place in the taste of a wine. Overall it is an interesting and educational read of the story of Australian wine from its beginnings to the present day. The concise, easy to follow educational format contains 290 pages of informative text, maps, wine style guides and over 300 photographs to illustrate the diversity and richness of Australian wine. The four co-authors are experienced educators, winemakers, wine journalists and commentators.The book can be used in wine training courses, by cellar door personnel and by the wine consumer who enjoys a good read and who would like to know a little more about Australian wine.