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Good, Better, Best Wines: Review (April 27, 2010)

I received a copy of A No-Nonsense Guide to Popular Wines a week or two ago, and finally had some time to look through it last night. The book by Carolyn Evans Hammond ia a compact soft cover geared toward those who enjoy wine, but seem to have difficulty finding quality bottles at a reasonable price. As Hammond points out, most wines featured in publications like The Wine Spectator, focus on “super luxury” wines typically costing over $40 a bottle. I can attest to the truth of this statement, as I was a subscriber of the magazine for many years. While a glass of Chateau Latour, may be heavenly, most consumers are looking for a good a flavorful wine, in the under $20 range.

There are many good wines to be had in this price range, and Hammond takes the challenge a little further, by placing her price cap at $15. The wines are broken into 4 general catagories:

• White
• Red
• Rose & Sparkling
• Bargain, Dessert & Party Wines

They are further arranged according to varietal and price.

Although some of my personal favorites were not included on the list, many wonderful and reasonably priced wines were. The book also contains a picture of each bottle, which can be very helpful, when trying to locate it in a larger wine shop. This book would be especially useful for those who are seeking an affordable wine to offer at a large event, such as a wedding, as there is a small section at the back of the book dedicated to just this issue. This pocket size book would also make a nice choice for someone newly interested in learning about and tasting wines.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book, for the purpose of review. All opinions presented here are my own, and no monetary compensation was given.

To see the review on the source website please click here.