Oz Clarke’s Pocket Wine Guide

The word ‘pocket’ in the book’s title seems to get smaller and smaller as the guide grows and grows. It now contains over 1,600 items.

The A-Z format makes the book very simple to use for quick reference purposes and it is particularly strong on its winery entries. Take, for instance, Fonseca Port. Oz writes, ‘Fonseca Vintage*** is magnificent, the aged tawnies** uniformly superb and Bin No. 27* one of the top premium rubies’.


Hogue Cellars Washington State is praised for its really splendid ripe, brambly Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon** and a supple, elegant Reserve Merlot**, ‘that has hit*** on occasion.’ For the Niebaum-Coppola Estate at Rutherford in the Napa Valley, the author offers only one* for its Rubicon and advises correctly that it still needs 5 – 6 years ageing.

One omission that surprised me was the developing star Syrah from the infant Bridlewood winery in southern California. Oz also appears to have completely overlooked the finest value in US sparkling wine, Gruet Brut, made by winemakers from the Champagne region of France in New Mexico, and listed by such distinguished venues as the Waldorf Astoria in New York and The Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas.

But no one writer can be expected to cover the entire wine world in 300 pages and Oz Clarke does match Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Guide in many ways, and, if anything, is slightly easier to read.