Wine Tasting - A Professional Handbook by Ronald S. Jackson

Wine Tasting for the Professional Wine Taster

Jul 9, 2009

This book is a comprehensive guide to the world of wine tasting for the wine professional, student and wine connoisseur.

With Wine Tasting: A Professinal Handbook, wine connoisseurs and students of the wine industry will have a reference book to guide them through the professional world of wine tasting. This academic book is informative and a good entry into the world of professional tasting. Someone new to the world of wine would most likely prefer to purchase a book on the basics of wine tasting before approaching this text.

Wine Tasting

Chapter one deals extensively with what a professional tasting is about and how it should be accomplished. Concepts include appearance, odor, mouth sensations and finish. Diagrams and charts are included for the reader. As a postscript, Jackson writes, “Despite the clear advantages of a systematic approach to wine assessment, permitted by the technique described in the preceding text, few professional tasters appear to utilize such a disciplined approach (Brochet and Dubourdieu, 2001).”

Wine Aromas and Appearance

In chapters two, three and four, Jackson explains in detail with scientific terms what to look for in appearance and aromas in wine tasting. This is excellent information for the professional student, winemaker or sommelier but may be too detailed for many wine enthusiasts. However, it is presented in an interesting manner with many charts and diagrams to help explain the concepts. Chapters 5 and 6 deal with the assessment of wine with Chapter 5 focusing on quantitative qualities and Chapter 6 discussing qualitative wine assessment.

Still, Sparkling and Fortified Wines

Chapter seven is titled “Styles and Types of Wine.” In this chapter, Jackson includes still table wines, sparkling wines, fortified wines (sherry, port, Madeira and vermouth) and brandy. In chapter eight, Jackson reflects on the relationship between the vineyard and the quality of the wine produced. He also discusses the influence the winemaker has on the quality of the finished product.

Wine and Food

The final chapter entitled “Wine and Food Combination” includes food/wine pairing and wine presentation. The last section provides hints on removing wine labels from wine bottles. The text ends with a glossary and index.

Jackson is knowledgeable and writes about his field of expertise without being pretentious. Wine professionals and serious wine connoisseurs should enjoy this detailed book about wine.

Ronald S. Jackson, Author

Ronald S. Jackson is experienced and knowledgeable and has written a text that is informative and interesting. He received his doctorate from the University of Toronto and was at Cornell University for his sabbatical. In addition to this text, Jackson has written Wine Science: Principles and Applications, Conserve Water Drink Wine and contributed articles to “The Wine Report.”

Wine Tasting: A Professional Handbook is a part of the Food Science and Technology, International Series.

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