The Wine Club: A Month-by-Month Guide to Learning About Wine with Friends
Product Description
Everything you need to know about starting a wine club. This sassy handbook teaches you and your girlfriends the art of selecting, sampling, and sipping the fruit of the vine (while you indulge in the latest gossip, of course).pA foolproof month-by-month plan by sommelier, Maureen Petrosky, highlights all the pesky details, so you and your girlfriends can sit back and sip. pFrom still to sparkling and delicate whites to rich reds, each month’s chapter singles out a grape for study and enjoyment-school was never like this! This course with class includes easy-does-it entertaining tips, taste-testing know-how, and tantalizing wine facts.pExpert recommendations for brilliant wines at killer prices! What woman doesn’t love a bargain? pWine-laden tidbits such as how to collect bottles for a personal wine stash.pOutrageously scrumptious recipes that teach you simply to pair wine and food-it’s a no-brainer.pThe latest on the snazziest wine gizmos and gadgets. Shoppers, start your engines.pDemystified terminology: a short course in “wine speak” makes any wine novice comfortable when shopping for and serving wine.
Average Customer Rating
Reviewed by :-
C. Nilsen (WV)
As Expected
The book is what I expected it to be, a helpful guide to get a club going or just to help educate yourself. Great gift for a friend who likes wine and wants to learn more.
Reviewed by :-
Terry Stinnett (Louisville KY)
Wine tasting as a hobby
Have only skimmed the book but have found great ideas for girl’s night. Can open the book to any page and find new and different ideas as well as great information about wines and wine parties.
Reviewed by :-
kiwanissandy (Heart of Ohio)
One of the best books, print hard to read, no pictures.
I rated this book 4 stars rather than 5 because it lacks any pictures whatsoever and the print is hard to read. Otherwise, it is a must have. The print is dark purple on recycled paper and then the headings are written in a bold font with every other letter being regular font. It was distracting and almost seemed childish to have been typeset this way. There are also no actual pictures, just drawings.br /br /The book is divided into each month featuring a different varietal. The months are: January, champagne; February, cabernet; March, syrah; April, merlot; May, viognier; June, riesling; July, chardonnay; August, sauvignon blanc; September, dessert wines; October, Zinfandel; November Pinot; December, pick your poison. So basically all the big grape types are covered.br /br /So far I have done the June and August tastings. For June the chapter explains all the different types of Rieslings. The author suggests having a tasting with a German Mosel wine, both Kabinett (dry) and Spatlese (less dry), an Alsace, France Riesling, upstate New York, California and then adding a ringer of a Gewurztraminer. The chapter goes on to explain what to look for in a Riesling, its typical characteristics, body, and finish. The food pairings are coconut frozen yogurt, sushi rice, salmon nigiri, spicy tuna sushi rolls, california sushi rolls, and vegetable sushi rolls. All recipes are provided. It was absolutely awesome. I invited 8 friends to share in the tasting and everyone loved it. We’re now committing to doing it every month and we’re using this book as a guide. It went over so well that friends over Christmas wanted to have the sushi and rieslings all over again.br /br /The next month we did the Sauvignon Blanc wines. I didn’t follow the order of the book and you don’t have to. For the S.B. I purchased a Pouilly-Fume, New Zealand, oaked and unoaked S.B. from California, and then a Chile and South African S.B. for the tastings. What I like particularly about this book is that you don’t have to buy specific wines. It has suggested “regions,” which makes it easy to find wines. So many wine tasting books have specific wines listed and you can no longer find those wines. This book is superb along those lines.br /br /For the food, the recipes provided were fresh corn soup, blueberry ginger sorbet, grilled shrimp with tarragon dipping sauce, lemon meringue, spicy chicken and chile quesadillas, and juicy tomatoes. I loved the grilled shrimp and we’ve since had that again. They were delish.br /br /I would definitely recommend this book. I also tried Wine Food Friends by Karen MacNeil and it was too high brow. The recipes were too upscale for a casual gathering and the wines suggested were specific and high dollar. This book is geared more for the beginner who just wants to have some friends over and sample some wines. Your price point is whatever you want it to be. This book would be a great gift given with a bottle wine. br /br /The book seems geared for women showing all women on the cover and even comparing it to a book club. I think the book did itself a disservice by focusing on only women. This book is for everyone. br /br /I also purchased Wine Mondays: Simple Wine Pairings with Seasonal Menus and those recipes were not simple and not everyday. Skip that book altogether. br /br /I also tried Everyday Dining with Wine by Andrea Immer and it was broken down in similar categories as The Wine Club: A Month-by-Month Guide to Learning About Wine with Friends but the recipes were more complicated. It had similiar wine descriptions but the recipes for the Sauvignon Blancs were seared shrimp and chorizo bites, coconut milk curry shrimp soup, tarragon and mustard crusted scallops, and mussel salad with seared avocado dressing. So as you can see a completely different style of food. It would be up to you to decide which is more your style.br /br /Both books are excellent. The Everyday Dining book also had print that was hard to read, it was red and green on white paper. It’s paper is high gloss so it was a little harder to read because of the glare. The Everyday Dining book also had specific wine suggestions rather than general regional suggestions and it also had different price points which was nice. br /br /Overall, The Wine Club, is a great book. br /
Reviewed by :-
Sueellen I. Hathaway (kennebunkport, maine United States)
excellent resource – informative ENTERTAINING
i found this book to be extremely helpful as an introduction to becoming a more knowledgeable wine drinker and conversationist…br /most importantly, i found this book to be a great read! organized in an creative manner it answered all my questions i had – and more that i wouldn’t have even considered prior to becoming the connoisseur i am today.br /another great resource i’ve found in my search – a good first step to the wine life – check out: br /http://www.halogenguides.com/living/guide/club-vinobr /br /
Reviewed by :-
FLkeys girl (Marathon, FL)
Thank you Maureen
I love this book. It makes wine easy to understand and the recipes look awesome. I haven’t tried any yet but am looking forward to trying the pairings. Thanks for a fun, easy to understand book!
New Prices From :- $4.70 (last updated 25/08/2010@16:08:15)
Reviewed by :-
C. Nilsen( WV )
As Expected
The book is what I expected it to be, a helpful guide to get a club going or just to help educate yourself. Great gift for a friend who likes wine and wants to learn more.
Reviewed by :-
Terry Stinnett( Louisville KY )
Wine tasting as a hobby
Have only skimmed the book but have found great ideas for girl’s night. Can open the book to any page and find new and different ideas as well as great information about wines and wine parties.
Reviewed by :-
kiwanissandy( Heart of Ohio )
One of the best books, print hard to read, no pictures.
I rated this book 4 stars rather than 5 because it lacks any pictures whatsoever and the print is hard to read. Otherwise, it is a must have. The print is dark purple on recycled paper and then the headings are written in a bold font with every other letter being regular font. It was distracting and almost seemed childish to have been typeset this way. There are also no actual pictures, just drawings.br /br /The book is divided into each month featuring a different varietal. The months are: January, champagne; February, cabernet; March, syrah; April, merlot; May, viognier; June, riesling; July, chardonnay; August, sauvignon blanc; September, dessert wines; October, Zinfandel; November Pinot; December, pick your poison. So basically all the big grape types are covered.br /br /So far I have done the June and August tastings. For June the chapter explains all the different types of Rieslings. The author suggests having a tasting with a German Mosel wine, both Kabinett (dry) and Spatlese (less dry), an Alsace, France Riesling, upstate New York, California and then adding a ringer of a Gewurztraminer. The chapter goes on to explain what to look for in a Riesling, its typical characteristics, body, and finish. The food pairings are coconut frozen yogurt, sushi rice, salmon nigiri, spicy tuna sushi rolls, california sushi rolls, and vegetable sushi rolls. All recipes are provided. It was absolutely awesome. I invited 8 friends to share in the tasting and everyone loved it. We’re now committing to doing it every month and we’re using this book as a guide. It went over so well that friends over Christmas wanted to have the sushi and rieslings all over again.br /br /The next month we did the Sauvignon Blanc wines. I didn’t follow the order of the book and you don’t have to. For the S.B. I purchased a Pouilly-Fume, New Zealand, oaked and unoaked S.B. from California, and then a Chile and South African S.B. for the tastings. What I like particularly about this book is that you don’t have to buy specific wines. It has suggested “regions,” which makes it easy to find wines. So many wine tasting books have specific wines listed and you can no longer find those wines. This book is superb along those lines.br /br /For the food, the recipes provided were fresh corn soup, blueberry ginger sorbet, grilled shrimp with tarragon dipping sauce, lemon meringue, spicy chicken and chile quesadillas, and juicy tomatoes. I loved the grilled shrimp and we’ve since had that again. They were delish.br /br /I would definitely recommend this book. I also tried Wine Food Friends by Karen MacNeil and it was too high brow. The recipes were too upscale for a casual gathering and the wines suggested were specific and high dollar. This book is geared more for the beginner who just wants to have some friends over and sample some wines. Your price point is whatever you want it to be. This book would be a great gift given with a bottle wine. br /br /The book seems geared for women showing all women on the cover and even comparing it to a book club. I think the book did itself a disservice by focusing on only women. This book is for everyone. br /br /I also purchased Wine Mondays: Simple Wine Pairings with Seasonal Menus and those recipes were not simple and not everyday. Skip that book altogether. br /br /I also tried Everyday Dining with Wine by Andrea Immer and it was broken down in similar categories as The Wine Club: A Month-by-Month Guide to Learning About Wine with Friends but the recipes were more complicated. It had similiar wine descriptions but the recipes for the Sauvignon Blancs were seared shrimp and chorizo bites, coconut milk curry shrimp soup, tarragon and mustard crusted scallops, and mussel salad with seared avocado dressing. So as you can see a completely different style of food. It would be up to you to decide which is more your style.br /br /Both books are excellent. The Everyday Dining book also had print that was hard to read, it was red and green on white paper. It’s paper is high gloss so it was a little harder to read because of the glare. The Everyday Dining book also had specific wine suggestions rather than general regional suggestions and it also had different price points which was nice. br /br /Overall, The Wine Club, is a great book. br /
Reviewed by :-
Sueellen I. Hathaway( kennebunkport, maine United States )
excellent resource – informative ENTERTAINING
i found this book to be extremely helpful as an introduction to becoming a more knowledgeable wine drinker and conversationist…br /most importantly, i found this book to be a great read! organized in an creative manner it answered all my questions i had – and more that i wouldn’t have even considered prior to becoming the connoisseur i am today.br /another great resource i’ve found in my search – a good first step to the wine life – check out: br /http://www.halogenguides.com/living/guide/club-vinobr /br /
Reviewed by :-
FLkeys girl( Marathon, FL )
Thank you Maureen
I love this book. It makes wine easy to understand and the recipes look awesome. I haven’t tried any yet but am looking forward to trying the pairings. Thanks for a fun, easy to understand book!
Reviewed by :-
C. Nilsen( WV )
As Expected
The book is what I expected it to be, a helpful guide to get a club going or just to help educate yourself. Great gift for a friend who likes wine and wants to learn more.
Reviewed by :-
Terry Stinnett( Louisville KY )
Wine tasting as a hobby
Have only skimmed the book but have found great ideas for girl’s night. Can open the book to any page and find new and different ideas as well as great information about wines and wine parties.
Reviewed by :-
kiwanissandy( Heart of Ohio )
One of the best books, print hard to read, no pictures.
I rated this book 4 stars rather than 5 because it lacks any pictures whatsoever and the print is hard to read. Otherwise, it is a must have. The print is dark purple on recycled paper and then the headings are written in a bold font with every other letter being regular font. It was distracting and almost seemed childish to have been typeset this way. There are also no actual pictures, just drawings.br /br /The book is divided into each month featuring a different varietal. The months are: January, champagne; February, cabernet; March, syrah; April, merlot; May, viognier; June, riesling; July, chardonnay; August, sauvignon blanc; September, dessert wines; October, Zinfandel; November Pinot; December, pick your poison. So basically all the big grape types are covered.br /br /So far I have done the June and August tastings. For June the chapter explains all the different types of Rieslings. The author suggests having a tasting with a German Mosel wine, both Kabinett (dry) and Spatlese (less dry), an Alsace, France Riesling, upstate New York, California and then adding a ringer of a Gewurztraminer. The chapter goes on to explain what to look for in a Riesling, its typical characteristics, body, and finish. The food pairings are coconut frozen yogurt, sushi rice, salmon nigiri, spicy tuna sushi rolls, california sushi rolls, and vegetable sushi rolls. All recipes are provided. It was absolutely awesome. I invited 8 friends to share in the tasting and everyone loved it. We’re now committing to doing it every month and we’re using this book as a guide. It went over so well that friends over Christmas wanted to have the sushi and rieslings all over again.br /br /The next month we did the Sauvignon Blanc wines. I didn’t follow the order of the book and you don’t have to. For the S.B. I purchased a Pouilly-Fume, New Zealand, oaked and unoaked S.B. from California, and then a Chile and South African S.B. for the tastings. What I like particularly about this book is that you don’t have to buy specific wines. It has suggested “regions,” which makes it easy to find wines. So many wine tasting books have specific wines listed and you can no longer find those wines. This book is superb along those lines.br /br /For the food, the recipes provided were fresh corn soup, blueberry ginger sorbet, grilled shrimp with tarragon dipping sauce, lemon meringue, spicy chicken and chile quesadillas, and juicy tomatoes. I loved the grilled shrimp and we’ve since had that again. They were delish.br /br /I would definitely recommend this book. I also tried Wine Food Friends by Karen MacNeil and it was too high brow. The recipes were too upscale for a casual gathering and the wines suggested were specific and high dollar. This book is geared more for the beginner who just wants to have some friends over and sample some wines. Your price point is whatever you want it to be. This book would be a great gift given with a bottle wine. br /br /The book seems geared for women showing all women on the cover and even comparing it to a book club. I think the book did itself a disservice by focusing on only women. This book is for everyone. br /br /I also purchased Wine Mondays: Simple Wine Pairings with Seasonal Menus and those recipes were not simple and not everyday. Skip that book altogether. br /br /I also tried Everyday Dining with Wine by Andrea Immer and it was broken down in similar categories as The Wine Club: A Month-by-Month Guide to Learning About Wine with Friends but the recipes were more complicated. It had similiar wine descriptions but the recipes for the Sauvignon Blancs were seared shrimp and chorizo bites, coconut milk curry shrimp soup, tarragon and mustard crusted scallops, and mussel salad with seared avocado dressing. So as you can see a completely different style of food. It would be up to you to decide which is more your style.br /br /Both books are excellent. The Everyday Dining book also had print that was hard to read, it was red and green on white paper. It’s paper is high gloss so it was a little harder to read because of the glare. The Everyday Dining book also had specific wine suggestions rather than general regional suggestions and it also had different price points which was nice. br /br /Overall, The Wine Club, is a great book. br /
Reviewed by :-
Sueellen I. Hathaway( kennebunkport, maine United States )
excellent resource – informative ENTERTAINING
i found this book to be extremely helpful as an introduction to becoming a more knowledgeable wine drinker and conversationist…br /most importantly, i found this book to be a great read! organized in an creative manner it answered all my questions i had – and more that i wouldn’t have even considered prior to becoming the connoisseur i am today.br /another great resource i’ve found in my search – a good first step to the wine life – check out: br /http://www.halogenguides.com/living/guide/club-vinobr /br /
Reviewed by :-
FLkeys girl( Marathon, FL )
Thank you Maureen
I love this book. It makes wine easy to understand and the recipes look awesome. I haven’t tried any yet but am looking forward to trying the pairings. Thanks for a fun, easy to understand book!