Awards and reviews

AWARDS

Best Wine, Beer and Spirits Book and winner of the Jane Grigson award, IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) Awards 2014

A wine book of the year, 2013, The Times, London

Faiveley International Wine Book of the Year 2013,  Roederer Awards

Best Viticulture Book 2013, OIV Awards

Best Drink Book 2012, Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards

Best Beverage Book 2012, James Beard Awards

Best Drink Book 2012, André Simon Awards

Hall of Fame for Best Wine Book 2012, Gourmand World Cookbook Awards

Best Drinks Book 2012, Wine & Spirits magazine

REVIEWS

James Romanow, Regina Leader-Post: ‘… every smart wino should have a copy of Wine Grapes by Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding and Jose Vouillamoz. When it came out three years ago it instantly made most wine books obsolete’.

Anthony Gismondi, Vancouver Sun: ‘There’s really only one book for the grape lover who reads and at three kilograms, Wine Grapes, $164.08, is as weighty they come. From Abbuoto to Zweigelt, and quite literally everything in between, this is a book for life.’

Treve Ring, Gismondionwine.com: ‘Even in this accessible age of the internets, there is one hard copy, hefty, tactile tome that I use more than any other resource out there. Wine Grapes is worth its 3kg weight in gold to me, a complete guide to 1368 vine varieties… As expected from a project headed by the world’s leading wine authority, Jancis Robinson, the detail is outstanding. Together with co-contributors Julia Harding MW and botanist José Vouillamoz, Robinson has created a crucially important alphabetic dictionary for each grape’.

Ellen Wallace, Genevalunch.com: ‘The biggest and best book around for a serious fan of wine … published last year and now out as an e-book.’ ‘the definitive guide to the fruit behind the wine’. 

Tim Gaiser MS: ‘Weighing in at a hefty six-plus pounds and over 1,400 pages, it could be the most profound book on wine ever written—and sure to satisfy any and all wine geeks on your gift list.  Suggestion: given the heft and lack of portability of the book you might consider a gift download to your lucky recipient.’

Michelle Richards, Nooga.com: ‘This is one of my favorite books of 2013… Hands down, this is the book to have if you are in the wine industry. “Wine Grapes” is a complete compendium of all of the grape varieties in the world. Honestly, I don’t know what I would do without this book.’

Lalani & Co: ‘Wine Grapes is a seminal work, setting the bar in the wine world, put together with great love and attention to detail. The book will certainly progress wine making and appreciation, giving experts and enthusiasts the chance to explore the world of wine to new heights.’

Christopher Fielden, Wayward Tendrils Quarterly: ‘It is one of the rare classics in the world of wine writing.’

Jeremy Parzen, www.dobianchi.com: ‘a new Torah unto the nascent flock of youthful wine lovers in the English-speaking world’.

Christopher Waters, www.canoe.ca: ‘If you have a hardcore wino in your life, this investment is likely the greatest possible gift of the year.’

Kym Anderson, Journal of Wine Economics:‘this book is likely to be, for the foreseeable future, the ultimate guide to understanding the grape vines that contribute so much to our enjoyment of wine. Further DNA profiling undoubtedly will add to our knowledge stock over time, but for non-specialists there is more than could ever be hoped for in this single volume.’

José Moreno-Lacalle, blogwine.riversrunby.net: ‘This is not only a supreme work of scholarship, scientific research, and historiography, it is a remarkable accomplishment and an essential addition to the English world’s library of wine books.  If you can afford it, buy it.  You can’t afford not to.’

Ellen Wallace, genevalunch.com: ‘I didn’t expect to find myself sitting down and simply reading pages in the book for the pleasure of it, but that is in fact the case.’ ‘I can recommend it as a gift for any real wine-lover, without reservation.’

Nina Caplan, New Statesman: ‘The eminent wine writer Jancis Robinson, with Julia Harding and José Vouillamoz, has just brought out a 1,300-page book called Wine Grapes, a work of such scholarship it uses cutting-edge DNA analysis to teach me, for example, that Primitivo-Zinfandel is actually from Croatia, where it rejoices in the name Tribidrag. This is a very serious book indeed, yet appropriately – given that wine has been known to provide a bit of entertainment on occasion, some of it inadvertent – Wine Grapes made me laugh aloud.’

Chris Shanahan, Canberra Times and goodfood.com.au: ‘Wine Grapes is a towering and original work, a reference book for the world’s wine industry. And for wine drinkers it reveals so much about the vines that give us such drinking pleasure.’ ‘The book’s many revelations (like the pinot-shiraz relationship) rely on DNA profiling, recently developed probabilistic analysis (capable of finding more distant relationships even in the absence of known parents), and cross-referencing with historical cultivation records.’

Dr Richard Smart, Daily Wine News: ‘one of the most significant books ever published about grapes and wine, in any language’
‘breathtaking in its scope’ ‘contains the best explanation of the origin of grape varieties that I have ever read, and should be compulsory reading for any student of grapes or wine’
‘The book presentation is also outstanding.’
‘This compilation of so much data on a single variety is the greatest achievement of this impressive book. I do not know of any other grape variety book with this level of well-researched information.’
‘The icing on the cake, should it be needed, is the new information offered in this book. Vouillamoz has chosen to present new discoveries with around 300 previously unpublished relationships between grape varieties, and 14 pedigree diagrams, or family trees.’
‘This book is a seminal masterpiece, and it will come to be regarded as such in both popular and scientific grape and wine literature. The concept of combining commercial wine experience over an extensive geographical scale, with traditional ampelography and recent genetic studies is so truly comprehensive that it beggars comparison with any other.’
‘I cannot imagine that professionally-minded people associated with grape and wine production would not want a copy on their bookshelf’
‘one of the most comprehensive and authoritative grape and wine books ever published’

Observer Food Monthly, 50 Top Foodie Picks: ‘Wine Grapes is the vinous equivalent of the human genome project, profiling the history, geography, genealogy and foibles of the 1,386 grape varieties used in wine production. Authoritative, without ever feeling dusty or dry.’

Philippe BarretiDealwine.com: ‘the new bible of grape varieties’ ‘head and shoulders above all other published books on this subject’ ‘The result of their work is absolutely remarkable, showing incredible precision and depth.’

André Deyrieux, www.winetourisminfrance.com:  ‘a worldwide ampelographic journey that can safely be described as comprehensive’.

Felix Milner, HillRag.com:  ‘more than comprehensive enough, even for a serious wine nerd like me’.

Tom Cannavan, www.wine-pages.com: ‘The most magnum of magna opera‘ ‘The book is above all an academic work, with the authoritative text and lovely illustrations reminiscent of a great, scholarly botanical book of the 19th century with its full colour plates. It’s true that 21st century ampelographic techniques might lie behind the clarity with which the grape varieties are identified and described, but the overall effect is of a timeless classic.’

Thomas Vaterlaus, Vinum:Wine Grapes is the first popular-science reference book that gives winelovers the most up to date information on grape-variety research’ ‘For “wine freaks”, Wine Grapes is as exciting as a thriller’

Christine Austin, Yorkshire Post‘It is a book to dip into, to fascinate and to trigger a hunt for more information. This work is so groundbreaking that it will stand as a reference for a considerable time.’

Jack Keller, winemaking.jackkeller.net: ‘My wife bought me this astounding book for my birthday. If you’ve used any of Jancis Robinson’s (OBE and Master of Wine) previous references, you know the quality of her writing. Joined here with Julia Harding and José Vouillamoz, this 1,280-page hardcover book with slip case is the latest word in grape identification and description. Extensive use of DNA analysis reveals the parentage and relationships of nearly 1,400 grape varieties. I treasure it and handle it reverently.’ ‘the book is worth every penny asked and the content is excellent. I love it.’

Konrad Ejbich, winefox.ca: ‘My top choice is British master of wine Jancis Robinson’s magnum opus, Wine Grapes, A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours (Harper Collins, boxed hardcover, $185). It’s the biggest, most comprehensive record of the world’s wine grapes. The writing team took six years to research the grapes, using DNA testing to confirm the uniqueness of each. Entries include local names for common grapes, details of origin and precise flavour characteristics. This is the ultimate gift for the ultimate geek or the wine professional.’

Beppi Crosariol, Globe and Mail‘The detail is impressive and the writing is clear and accessible.’

Rod Phillips, Ottawa Citizen‘The most important wine book published last year was Wine Grapes, by the highly respected English wine-writer, Jancis Robinson and two colleagues, Julia Harding and José Vouillamoz. The book weighs in at 2.5 kg and 1,242 pages, and provides detailed information on 1,368 grape varieties used to make commercial wines. Yes, 1,368. If your drinking range covers only about half a dozen, you can see you have work to do.’

Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator: ‘the depth and scope of this book are mind-boggling’ ‘It is beautifully presented as a boxed, cloth-bound edition, featuring high quality paper and 80 colour reproductions of paintings from Pierre Viala and Victor Vermorel’s Ampélographie.’ ‘The reference for more grape varieties than one can imagine, Wine Grapes deserves a space on any serious wine-lover’s bookshelf.’

Mischa Moselle, South China Morning Post‘a beautifully illustrated work likely to be the definitive word for many years to come’ ‘lean, elegant and informative writing’

Wes Marshall, The Austin Chronicle‘Astonishing and encyclopedic, a necessity for wine lovers’. ‘Back to Birds of America. A copy recently sold for $12 million. I’m not sure a copy of Wine Grapes will ever fetch that kind of money, but I have no doubt, for those of us who love wine, this will end up at a similar level of importance.’

www.vinovino.sk: ‘the new “bible” for wine lovers’.

John Schreiner, johnschreiner.blogspot.ch: ‘the best source on grapes I have ever read’.

Mike Veseth, wineeconomist.com: ‘Best wine gift to receive? It’s gotta be Wine Grapes by Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding and José Vouillamoz — the brilliant 1242 page survey of 1368 wine grape varieties. So many grapes, so much information, such beautiful illustrations. This jeroboam-sized book will provide years of detailed research use (including very cool DNA analysis of wine grape origins!) and hours and hours of simple browsing pleasure for any curious wine geek.’

Beppi Crosariol, Globe and Mail: ‘The detail is impressive and the writing is clear and accessible.’ ‘the ultimate geek’s gift this season’

Jon Bonné, San Francisco Chronicle: ‘It might take years to fully absorb this enormous new tome from Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding and José Vouillamoz. But its practical use over the past couple of months reveals some particular gems.’

S. Irene Virbila, Los Angeles Times: ‘The definitive guide to wine grapes’ ‘its 1,280 pages includes everything any wine lover will need to stump opponents in wine trivia games, ace the Master Sommelier test and exponentially increase his or her knowledge of ampelography (the field of botany concerned with the identification and classification of grapevines)’ ‘the really juicy bits are the histories and definitions of obscure grapes’ ‘A delightful reference to set alongside the New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary and the World Atlas of Wine.’

Harold Hamersma, NRC Handelsblad: ‘Impressive’.

Nicolaas Klei, de Volkskrant, Holland: ‘If Robinson writes it, it’s true. And it is very readable as well.’

Christopher Waters, QMI Press Agency, Canada: ‘If you have a hardcore wino in your life, this investment is likely the greatest possible gift of the year.’

Gavin Quinney, Bauduc blog: ‘It’s hard to think of a more important or thoroughly researched opus on wine.’

Steve Jelbert, Independent on Sunday Books of the Year 2012: ‘In a non-vintage year for booze books, the standout has to be Wine Grapes (Allen Lane, £120), the mighty attempt by Jancis Robinson and ampelographic colleagues to cover every single variety ever turned into wine, from abbuoto (no idea) to zweigelt (a delicious Austrian red). True, you can buy a decent case for what it costs (or, for its target audience, a bottle or two), but for a certain sort of geek, it’s indispensable. Beautifully presented and written, its learning is worn lightly in offhand references to “Muscat somethings”.’

Harry George, wine-plus.eu: ‘The book is a milestone and a masterpiece.’

Gourmand Awards 2012, Hall of Fame for wine books of historical importance: ‘The treasure all wine book libraries need to have.’

John Lanchester, Wall Street Journal: ‘This astounding work of scholarship brings the new science off DNA typing to the ancient world of the grapevines and will advance anybody’s wine education by huge, passionately nerdy leaps.’

Matthew Jukes, matthewjukes.com: ‘an insanely grand piece of vinous publishing and it could only have been assembled and delivered with such pomp and ceremony by our very own Jancis Robinson OBE MW’ ‘everything that has ever been discovered about grape varieties and their inter-relationships’ ‘no less than 1242 pages of wonder’ ‘the most phenomenal tour de force ever covering this complex and oft-confused subject’

Bill St John, Chicago Tribune: ‘It’s such a joy to have a book back in hand; something on one page forces a finger flip, furiously, to another page. Like every American, I wanted to know who’s zinfandel’s daddy, but the entry tells me to “See Tribidrag.” Instant adventure.’
‘The destiny of this hefty text is as a permanent resident on your wine reference shelf, alongside such indispensables as Robinson’s own editorship of “The Oxford Companion to Wine.” But if that’s its rightful place, and at nearly 1,300 pages and costing close to two benjamins, it had better deliver.’
‘So I put it to a test. I had a “random integer generator” cough up five numbers between 1 and 1,200 and turned to that page of the book, just to see what lay there. What I found was, by turns, valuable, fascinating, new and, most important, a goad to further learning.’
‘Dozens of gorgeous, Audubon-like illustrations of grapes from “Ampelographie,” by Pierre Viala and Victor Vermorel.’

Jeremy Parzen, Top 5 Wine Gifts for the Holidays, blogs.houstonpress.com: ‘remarkable insights into the origins of some of the world’s most commonly vinified wine grapes. At $175 a pop, this gorgeous cloth-bound tome is not exactly something you contribute to your office Kris Kringle. But a quick search reveals that you can find it for as low as $110 on bargain book sites.’

Jasper Morris MW, World of Fine Wine: ‘You can play with this book for hours discovering things you never knew.’ ‘this is a very special book. Wine Grapes is beautifully designed, encyclopedic to an almost alarming degree, and remarkably accurate and up to date; it also brings a host of new information to light for the first time. In a single word, magisterial.’

Arne Ronold MW, Vinforum.no: ‘This is a phenomenal performance by the authors.’ ‘It will stand as a monument, a reference work and an indispensable encyclopedia for several decades ahead.’ ‘I am deeply impressed!’

Olly Smith, Mail on Sunday‘A sumptuous cloth-bound volume, it’d make a sensational Christmas present for any serious wine fan’

Andrew Neather, Evening Standard: ‘For anyone serious about wine, this is an endlessly fascinating volume — and a beautifully designed one too.’

Tim James, Grape.co.za: ‘Just as a national language demands a great dictionary – both for its use value and as a tribute to its subject – so the noble subject of wine has long needed a magisterial work about the meaning, as it were, of grape varieties. Here we have it, in a substantial book with a wonderfully simple title: Wine Grapes.’ ‘a magnificent achievement that the wine world should be grateful for’

Patrick Comiskey, blogs.laweekly.com: ‘The data are fantastically technical – a project this comprehensive should be – but the reason to own this impressive volume is far more practical. You will learn about a given grape’s origin and parentage, as well as how it’s grown, where it’s grown and why and, most importantly, what it tastes like – all plainly and helpfully subdivided. In that sense, the volume is wonderfully pragmatic.’

Dave McIntyre, dmwineline.com: ‘a book wine lovers will buy for themselves, without asking permission from the spouse or the bank. And they will be proud to own it.’ ‘Jancis writes about wine with authority but without a trace of pretension – in fact, often humor – and with a grace that makes it look easy despite all the effort that obviously goes into her work.’ ‘a book of biblical scale’ ‘a must-have for anyone working toward any type of wine certification, or simply obsessed with the grape. And it is great for studying up for your next dinner party encounter with a wine know-it-all.’ ‘I can’t resist just opening it at random and learning something new. It’s sitting here on my desk, calling to me, making deadlines fade away …’

James Halliday, Winecompanion.com: ‘an astonishing book’ ‘the ultimate wine grape book’

Stuart Pigott, Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung: ‘There hasn’t been such an important new wine book since Hugh Johnson’s Wine Atlas first appeared.’

Eric Asimov, New York Times: ‘a masterly work that I know I will return to again and again’ ‘even at full price, it’s a must-have for those who would plunge deeply into every aspect of wine’ ‘timely’

Alder Yarrow, Vinography.com: ‘Wine Grapes instantly joins books such as the Oxford Companion to Wine and the World Atlas of Wine as a definitive reference work of the highest caliber. While it is not the kind of book most will want to curl up with and read for extended periods of time (at least not without some sort of supporting structure to avoid cutting off the circulation in the thighs), like the Oxford Companion, it will yield answers to many a question an adventurous wine lover might ask in her exploration the world of wine.’

Rémy Charest, Palatepress.com: ‘at once full of surprises and unsurprising. It is full of surprises because it is full of information about the secret life of grapes and the largely unknown (up to now) family histories of grape varieties and their travels around the world. It is unsurprising because, like pretty much anything that Jancis Robinson has been associated with over the years, it is as thorough, nuanced, and bursting with information as you’d expect.’
Wine Grapes is a stunning piece of multidisciplinary scholarship. And one with a sense of humour, too’
‘Everyone and anyone interested in wine, from the neophytes to the most expert, will learn a lot from reading it.’

David Lincoln Ross, Saveur: ‘History buffs, like your reviewer, will absolutely love how the book examines the earliest written references to their favorite grapes‘ 

Anthony Gismondi, The Vancouver Sun: ‘a book for a lifetime’ ‘Seriously, they have thought of everything’

Professor Kym Anderson, University of Adelaide: ‘This is an extraordinary addition to the literature on varieties in several dimensions: size (1,280 pages and 7lbs/3kgs!), beauty (it includes full-page color reproductions of 80 of the 500 paintings produced for the 7-volume, 3,200 page book, Ampélographie, by Pierre Viala and Vitor Vermorel published between 1901 and 1910), accessibility (because it’s senior writer is an exceptional journalist), originality (e.g., their vine family of 14 pedigree diagrams and their ancestors), and respect for the scientific literature (a 20-page bibliography up to mid-2011).’
‘Thus this book is likely to be, for the foreseeable future, the ultimate guide to understanding the grape varieties that contribute so much to our enjoyment of wine. Further DNA profiling undoubtedly will add to our knowledge stock over time, but for non-specialists there is more than could ever be hoped for in this single volume.’

John Lanchester, Books of the Year, The Guardian: ‘This thousand-plus-page monument combines 21st-century science with the ambition, scale and authority of 19th-century scholarship. It may be the nerdiest wine book ever published (and, trust me, that’s a competitive title) but it’s also a work of astounding scholarship, and as a piece of book-making, is an outright masterpiece.’

Anthony Rose, AnthonyRose.com: ‘a seamless work in which it’s not easy to tell who’s written what….It certainly has the stamp of Robinson’s authority.’ ‘Wine Grapes is an invaluable resource destined to find a fascinated, albeit niche, audience.’

Randall Grahm, Bonny Doon Vineyard:‘[the] book is for me a sine qua Doon’

Robert Slotover, Slotovino: ”The most important event of the wine century so far’ ‘In its way this book is the equivalent to Diderot’s Encyclopedie, Johnson’s Dictionary or Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Music’.

Henry Jeffreys, The Lady: ‘a beautiful object and a work of scholarship’ ‘an essential Christmas present for wine lovers’

Joanna Simon, House & Garden: ‘the grape book to end all grape books’

Stuart Pigott: ‘the only important new standard work of recent times; revolutionary!’

Talia Baiocchi, Eater.com: ‘despite its density, a page-turner’ ‘An epic book’

Mark Greenaway, Vinodiversity.com: ‘In short, if  you are only going to have one wine grape book, then this is it!’

Tara Q. Thomas, Wine & Spirits: BEST BOOK OF 2012.’The upholstered slipcover is rather beside the point, as this is the sort of book you’ll want to leave out and open somewhere, to dip into at leisure.’
‘Setting aside the book’s beauty and reference value, there’s a lot of good reading here.’
‘Pithy observations and, occasionally, opinions enliven the book rather than hamper it.’
‘In other words, Wine Grapes is awesome, a reference that anyone interested in wine, botany, culture and history should have on hand.’

S. Irene Virbila, Los Angeles Times: ‘this has got to be the wine reference book to top all such guides’

Elliott Mackey, Wine Appreciation Guild, San Francisco: ‘Definitely the WINE BOOK of the decade, if not the century!’

Michel Jamais, LivetsGoda.se: ‘Even for the already knowledgeable and deeply well versed, the book offers countless new discoveries, surprises about grapes’ true origins and kinships, and a plethora of varieties you’ve never even heard of.’

Steve Slatcher, Winenous.co.uk: ‘It is almost bible-like, which is perhaps quite fitting. I found the overall appearance quite beautiful.’ ‘I was especially pleased to see many varieties have a description of the taste of their wines. From a drinker’s perspective this must be the most important information’  

Joelle Thomson, Dominion Post and Christchurch Press: ‘Wine Grapes sets a new standard; it is a seminal new work’.

Victor Franco, Polakia.com: ‘Oenophiles, you have here the ideal book to give others (and yourself!) this Christmas.’

René Langdahl Jørgensen, Gastro.dk:‘Every wine lover MUST have this on their shelves’

Elin McCoy, Business Week/Bloomberg.com: ‘amazingly informative and insightful’ ‘Wine Grapes is an essential reference that belongs on every wine lover’s bookshelf, right up there next to The World Atlas of Wine.’
‘One of the biggest pleasures of wine is its diversity. Wine Grapes will inspire you to stick your nose and tongue into new aromas and flavors.’

Wink Lorch, Winetravelmedia.com: ”There have been books on grapes before, but we were badly in need of a bang up-to-date properly researched book, and we indeed have it in the new Wine Grapes. To me it is already indispensable.’ ‘I can already see that this big fat book is a fabulous resource and essential for all serious wine lovers to own.’

Jon Bonné, San Francisco Chronicle: ‘What seemed at first like a prim reference tome to crack when I needed to sort out the 13 different varieties of Lambrusco has a more compelling mystery underneath’.
‘The thoroughness (Listán Negro and Listán Prieto? Not the same thing, Canary Island fans) is matched by a sense of purpose, mostly because equal space is devoted to the esoteric (Grillo, Menu Pineau, Parellada) as to the obvious.’
‘Along the way, it nullifies most simple homilies that litter the world of wine, instead offering a more complicated and interesting tale, one that reinforces wine as one of history’s great culturing forces.’

Jim Budd, editor, Circle [of Wine Writers] Update: ‘It is very rare for me to buy a wine book but I had no hesitation in buying it from Amazon for £78, and cheap for this amount of scholarship and research.’

LeVinPerdu.be: ‘The ultimate reference work on wine grapes’

John Bindels, Wijnwijs.eu: ‘I am impressed by the depth of scientifically justified and clearly formulated answers to a wide range of origin-related questions.’
‘Wine Grapes gains an extra dimension for its attention to the diversity of grape-names.’ ‘
With this book Jancis Robinson and her team have not only enriched our genetic knowledge of grape varieties, but also made it accessible to all wine enthusiasts who would like to know more about their names, ancestors and characteristics.’
‘The most important wine book since The Oxford Companion to Wine has arrived, and with it Jancis Robinson has universally established her name as wine educator.’

Sally Easton MW, Winewisdom.com: ‘It will undoubtedly race to its place ahead of the few other ‘must stock’ books in any serious winey-person’s library….The book genuinely breaks new ground, which is (a) quite rare for wine books, and (b) always a joy to fact-nerds like myself. Its main premise is to genetically trace the origins and ancestors of these grape varieties, and there are some surprises here.‘ 

Tom Wark, Fermentation: ‘the most important wine book in years’, ‘I am presented with a tome that will garner my attention for the rest of my life, make me smarter and give me pause to reconsider every time I imagine I might have done something of significance’, ‘this book could easily pass for any writer’s proudest moment, the culmination of a life’s work’

Rose Murray Brown, The Scotsman: ‘a phenomenal book in its detail and research’.

Ronan Sayburn MS: ‘Wine Grapes – the new book from the @JancisRobinson team – incredible! Staggered by the detail. Seminal work, am speechless, thank you.’

Andrew Jefford, Decanter.com: ‘a magnificent achievement: colossally informative, illuminating and intriguing. No one but Jancis Robinson could have marshalled such a project, galvanizing and coordinating the efforts of the international wine community. The genetic researches of Dr Vouillamoz and his colleagues provide the book’s wow factor, while the painstaking scrupulousness of Julia Harding surely lies behind its seamless grafting of scholarship and academic rigour to informative, descriptive prose.’ 

Fiona Beckett, The Guardian in ‘Abbuoto to Zweigelt’ describes the book as one ‘that I think any wine-lover would want to own’.

Eric Asimov, New York Times: ‘an extraordinary new book’ and ‘impressive new encyclopedic doorstop’

Actor Sam Neill @ TwoPaddocks: ‘Some things you know you just have to have … What a book!’

Henry Jeffreys, Henry’s World of Booze: ‘According to Wine Grapes, the Pinot family, Noir, Meunier, Gris and Blanc, are genetically identical. In fact more than one type of Pinot has been found in the same vine. It’s one of the things I love most about wine is that just when you think you’ve grasped something, it slips out of your grasp. Buy this amazing work of scholarship and you’ll realise quite how little you know.’

Max Allen, The Australian: ‘Exciting news for wine geeks. If, like me, you have a well-thumbed copy of Jancis Robinson’s seminal 1986 book Vines, Grapes and Wines sitting on your bookshelf, then you’ll be thrilled to learn that a new Robinson magnum opus called Wine Grapes is due for release later this year. Essentially a completely updated and massively enlarged version of her 25 year-old classic, this new book features extraordinarily detailed profiles of close to 1,400 vine varieties employed in the production of wine around the world … To help her complete the herculean task of cataloguing the world’s grapes, Robinson brought in two co-authors: Master of Wine and long-time collaborator Julia Harding, and grape geneticist Dr José Vouillamoz.’

Nick Stephens, Bordeaux-Undiscovered:’Wine Grapes … will be a point of reference for decades to come.’

Bernard Burtschy, Le Figaro ‘Le livre de Robinson, Harding et Vouillamoz, le premier du genre, fait le point sur les dernières connaissances sur le sujet. De nombreux graphiques permettent de comprendre les origines de la vigne. Les magnifiques (et introuvables) planches de l’encyclopédie des cépages de Viala et Vermorel (de 1901 à 1910), tombées récemment dans le domaine public, ont aussi été intégrées dans cet ouvrage de près de 3 kg et de 1 242 pages, qui n’existe pour le moment qu’en anglais. Mais une traduction française est prévue’.

Anthocyanes ‘Pour le prix d’une bouteille de Grand Cru, dont le bénéfice reste trop subjectif ou hasardeux, je suis heureux de dépenser cette somme d’argent dans un tel opus ! […] malheureusement ce formidable livre est en anglais….’

Angelique de Lencquesaing, IdealWine ‘Ceux qui adorent les études complètes et fouillées seront donc comblés, même si dans quelques années on s’apercevra certainement que ce livre est passé à côté d’un cépage indien utilisé dans une vallée de l’Himalaya par un seul vigneron qui produit 200 bouteilles ! Et encore, ce n’est pas sûr ! Mais autant vous le dire tout de suite : il vaut mieux maîtriser la langue de Shakespeare pour pénétrer dans cet univers car ce livre monumental (1250 pages !) est en anglais et il est peu probable qu’une édition française voie le jour…’

La Feuille de Vigne ‘Outre sa quasi-exhaustivité (l’ensemble des cépages donnant un vin commercialisé quelque part dans le monde y est listé – si vous en connaissez un absent du livre, vous gagnez une bouteille), l’avantage principal de l’ouvrage est sa fiabilité. Publié pour l’instant uniquement en anglais.’