Imagine yourself at a fine, upscale restaurant with a client or date you want to impress. As the host, you graciously accept the wine list … but then your gaze begins to blur as you skim across dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of unfamiliar wines. Whatever happened to the basic Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon? And also, what prices! How much better can a $600 dollar wine be than a $60 wine?

Ordering a more expensive wine, you’ll learn in this remarkable book, will not necessarily make your meal more enjoyable. In fact, many expensive wines are not yet ready to drink, so you would be doing yourself and your guest a disservice by ordering them. In virtually every way possible, this 377-page book is a dynamic resource when it comes to understanding the characteristics of wine and how to find and order delicious, well-made, value-priced wines at restaurants and at home.

Why read this book, you might wonder, instead of the hundreds of other books on the market?

Many reasons, but perhaps the most persuasive is that Daniel Johnnes is a top sommelier who served at the best restaurants in Manhattan (and now Las Vegas) and is also an importer of wines. As such, he has keen “insider information” into the world of wine and how you, the consumer, may get the best value at restaurants and wine shops.

Johnnes’s excellent desktop resource begins with a brief description of the characteristics of various types of grapes as well as wine-making techniques. Next, you’ll learn a bit about the wine-making process and insider trade secrets that will help you figure out if a wine is priced because of “hype” or because it really is exceptional and rare. Following this, Johnnes gives you a valuable lesson in how important glassware and temperature are with regard to enhancing your enjoyment of wine.

With this foundation, get comfortable, because Johnnes now takes you on a tour of the world’s finest growing areas, highlighting regions and even specific wineries where you can still find exceptional value.