I have no plans for an early death. In fact, my doctor just told me to plan on another decade. Which is good news because I plan on drinking wine every darn day. Lots of wine: red, white, rose, sparkling. Ah, but when you walk into today’s mega wine stores, the choices can be overwhelming.
Enter Margaret Rand. She is a distinguished writer with a solid, well liquid, pedigree. She is a past editor of Wine Magazine, Wine & Spirit International, and Whiskey Magazine. With decades of experience and a most refined palate, she graces us with 101 Wines to Try Before You Die. These are not the 101 most expensive wines or the most prestigious. These are the 101 wines that Margaret has enjoyed and believes we should experience. It’s her vision for the pinnacles of the wine world, a vision that is surely one you can trust.
The wines presented here span the planet with all the key grape varietals offered for your consideration. There’s a page long description of each wine with emphasis on the vineyard’s history and its specific terroir, plus a tight description of the flavor notes you can expect. The grape or grape varietals are of course mentioned along with a relative star-ranking for the price. Some of the wines here will dent your billfold a tad, but many won’t. And, for each wine there is a Pauper Substitute: something of fine quality but a significantly lower price point. I plan on purchasing both and using this book to refine my wine tasting skills. How do you tell the difference between quite good and exceptional?
Details for each wine include the best age to drink, best vintages, whether to decant or to chill. With winemaking now global and conducted by true wine scientists in almost every vineyard, we have a world of wine surprises. Margaret delights in presenting those pleasant bubbles before us. She offers a Lambrusco, which might raise the eyes of a purist. And Riesling comes from Germany, but Oregon? Yes, today’s wine world presents a complex mix and match of countries, regions and grape varietals that can keep your head spinning.
Margaret cannot stop the spin. In fact, she relishes it. She notes that if she had written this book five years ago, it would be quite different, and she cannot imagine what it might be in another five. But, today is today. We are lucky to have this little book to carry around as we shop. It’s going to sit on my backseat and, when I go to my mega store [Bottle King in New Jersey] I will confidently consult it one aisle after another.
I’m not a wine expert and I do get confused. I am thankful to Margaret for offering a helping hand in such a lovely package.