Think of the world’s greatest wine regions and Champagne, Burgundy, Napa and perhaps Chile come to mind. But hidden in the Mid-West is a lesser known, but equally fruitful gem: Missouri. Yes, Missouri. Replete with over 30 wineries, many of them award winning, Missouri is producing some world-class vintages. But whether from lack of marketing or elegant-sounding names, Missouri wines remain virtually unknown to “outsiders”. This was not always the case, however. Prior to prohibition, Missouri was second only to New York in wine production. Settled by German immigrants, the Missouri River Valley with its lush, rolling hills reminded them of their homeland. Therefore, it was there that they put down roots…of the viney kind.
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Celebrated British wine journalist Oz Clarke, famed for his complicated wine descriptions, has turned over a new leaf, in fact 416 of them, in his helpful and straightforward new hardback OZ CLARKE’S NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WINE, published by Harcourt Brace at $40 ($60 Canada).

In the first 29 pages common-sense advice is offered on topics from winemaking to keeping and serving wine, as well as tasting. This is followed by basic facts about the main wine growing countries of the world before, at page 56, the bulk of the book becomes an A-Z of Wines, Wine Regions, Producers and Grape Varieties.
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5th Edition
If you want to see the wine regions of the world in a super-detailed mapped form, then this is the best 352-page book you can ever think of laying down in front of you. As you might have thought by the word Atlas in the title this powerhouse wine reference book is all about wine regions and detailed maps that cartographers will drool over. 178 maps to be exact, and they are detailed like no other.

This is the style of The World Atlas of Wine. 30 maps have been added to this edition and the 148 maps from the 4th edition of The World Atlas of Wine have been modernized and revised. If you think you know French wine regions then dive into the detailed 100 pages devoted to France and see how much you have forgotten, overlooked or just plain ignored.
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