Professionals like myself who have completed many wine-related diploma courses, will appreciate this book for its focus on specific regions and vineyards, including the “rising stars” of specific appellations. This aspect of the book comes in very handy if, for example, you are being questioned by a Master of Wine for an exam and he or she asks you to recommend a wine to pair with a specific dish, and then asks you to name a specific winery.

A key strength of this book is the way Johnnes expertly offers pairing notes for wine varietals and even specific wines from top wineries. This element of the book helps the burgeoning wine connoisseur mentally “taste” the richly-described but yet untasted wine with a familiar, everyday dish. Below is an example of how Johnnes describes Bruno Giacosca Dolcetto D’Alba “Faletto” 1999, to be paired with the appropriate pairing for grilled salmon:

Bruno Giacosa is one of the grand names of Piedmont. He is best known for his Barbaresco. Dolcetto is an early drinking grape variety, and this one is a perfect example of the purple, simple joy a wine can deliver. All pretenses are left behind. The wine is gushing with blackberry anise aromas. On the palate it is lush with medium body and ripe fruit flavors.

So, what is the best way to use this book? Turn it into your personalized wine course, reading about the wines of various countries region by region until you become the go-to expert about wine at work or among friends. Sneak a peek before entertaining guests at fancy restaurants so you can speak intelligently about the wine you do order. Win friends and impress strangers with your seeming magical ability to perfectly match wine to whatever is ordered.

And be sure to look scout out several new celebrity-chef restaurants in New York, Las Vegas, and Miami where the much in demand Daniel Johnnes has designed the wine list.