Wine Guy or Questions of Taste

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

Author: Andy Besch

Everybody loves to drink wine, but when it comes to buying it, so many of us are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of choices, and intimidated because we don't think we "know" enough about wine to take a chance. Too often we end up buying the same Merlot, Cabernet, or Chardonnay because we don't have the confidence to try something different. Enter Andy Besch -- the Wine Guy.

Andy, owner of Manhattan's popular West Side Wine, wants you to take control of the wine-buying process and start looking at each experience as an opportunity to find something new, whether it's an unfamiliar label, grape, or region. The Wine Guy encourages wine drinkers to break free of old habits and start enjoying the thousands of affordable treasures available in today's wine world.

The Wine Guy offers simple advice on how to get in touch with your own tastes by identifying the flavors and styles that appeal to you. You'll taste your way through the eight "everyday" grapes and will learn how to match their qualities to sixteen "breakaways" that will open the door to countless new options. Andy will show you how to find a good wine guy of your own, and how to effectively communicate to get the most out of your shopping experience. With your new knowledge and skill, you will be able to base your wine-buying decisions on your own preferences instead of being sucked in by brand names, arty labels, someone else's opinions, or the common practice of equating price with quality.

In The Wine Guy, Andy shares his personal experiences from behind the counter to help you become a savvy wine shopper. You'll find answers to the questions he is most commonly asked, alongwith tips on making the most of the wine experience in restaurants, wineries, wine bars, and while entertaining in your own home.

Take advantage of the methods that have turned so many of Andy's customers at West Side Wine into self-assured and adventuresome wine enthusiasts. Get ready to uncork a truly special experience, and let The Wine Guy show you how.

Library Journal

In 1999, Besch, a former marketing executive, opened West Side Wine in New York City and earned a loyal customer base with his ability to ease novices through the sometimes intimidating world of oenophilic appreciation. With wife Kaye, a freelance writer, he commits his philosophy of accessibility to print. In straightforward prose infused with years of experience, the authors demystify the language and practices surrounding wine tasting, buying, and enjoyment. Their delineation of grape types and associated flavors is useful for a broad range of consumers, as are the chapters "Ask the Wine Guy" and "Becoming Your Own Wine Guy," which address common wine topics like food and wine pairings. The authors also empower readers by providing guidelines for hosting tastings and reading labels. In markets where specialty shops are rare, this information may be superfluous, but Besch's relaxed approach and encouraging tone will be appreciated. Recommended for public libraries lacking coverage in this subject area.-Meagan Storey, Virginia Beach, VA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

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Questions of Taste: The Philosophy of Wine

Author: Barry Smith

Interest in wine has steadily increased in recent years, with people far more sophisticated about wine than they used to be, and with more and more books being written about it, not to mention the success of films like Sideways. And, inevitably, those who take a serious interest in wine find themselves asking questions about it that are at heart philosophical.
Questions of Taste is the first book to tackle these questions, illuminating the philosophical issues surrounding our love of wine. Featuring lucid essays by top philosophers, a linguist, a biochemist, and a winemaker and wine critic, this book applies their critical and analytical skills to answer--or at least understand--many thorny questions. Does the experience of wine lie in the glass or in our minds? Does the elaborate language we use to describe wine--alluding to the flavors of cheese or fruit, or to a wines suppleness or brawniness--really mean anything at all? Can two people taste one wine in the same way? Does a wine expert enjoy wine more than a novice? How much should we care about what experts say about wine'These questions and others are not just the concern of the wine lover, but go to the heart of how we think about the world around us--and are the province of the philosopher.
With a foreword by leading wine authority Jancis Robinson (editor of the Oxford Companion to Wine), this volume will be of interest to anyone who thinks seriously about the experience of enjoying wine, as well as those interested in seeing philosophy applied to the world of the everyday.