In this candid and beautifully written memoir, New Zealand Tall Black John Saker tells of his lifetime love affair with basketball, how it changed his life, and the head-spinning moments when the sport became the talk of the nation. From his early teens, when shooting hoops was a way of dealing with family tragedy, through to his scholarship to an American university, career in France as New Zealand's first professional player, and selection to the New Zealand Tall Blacks, Saker canvasses ...

This comprehensive overview reveals the secrets of one of the most enduring and soothing spirits—from the miraculous process of turning grapes into wine and how the shape of a glass affects its taste, to who decides if a wine is a winner and what makes it healthy to drink.

Read Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune's posts on the Penguin Blog.Move over, Merlot. Craft beer has finally found a place at the fine dining table.Renowned beer sommeliers Hallie Beaune and Christina Perozzi offer a down-to-earth guide to craft and artisanal brews that celebrates beer for what it truly is: sophisticated, complex, and flavorful.Beaune and Perozzi cover everything from beer basics to the science behind beer, food a...

Whether as wine, beer, or spirits, alcohol has had a constant and often controversial role in social life. In his innovative book on the attitudes toward and consumption of alcohol, Rod Phillips surveys a 9,000-year cultural and economic history, uncovering the tensions between alcoholic drinks as healthy staples of daily diets and as objects of social, political, and religious anxiety. In the urban centers of Europe and America, where it was seen as healthier than untreated water, alcohol...

Jonathan Nossiter, acclaimed filmmaker and former sommelier, had his first taste of wine at the age of three in Paris, from his father's fingertip. For him, wine is "memory in its most liquid and dynamic form," as essential an expression of culture as cinema, books, baseball, painting, even sex. With great wit and passion, he celebrates wine and its enthusiasts—and defends both from those who tell us what to drink and how to think about it.In Liquid Memory, the American exp...

**JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNER • SPIRITED AWARD WINNER • “This indispensable book is the definitive volume on one of the cocktail world’s most fascinating and complex genres.”—Jordan Mackay, co-author of Secrets of the SommeliersWINNER: 2017 JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION BOOK AWARD, BEVERAGEWINNER: 2017 SPIRITED AWARDS (TALES OF THE COCKTAIL): BEST NEW COCKTAIL & BARTENDING BOOKA colorful journey into the lore and legend of tiki, from its birth in Depression-era Americ...

"This sharp critique of French winemakers, and Bordeaux's Saint Emilion region in particular, caused quite a stir when it was published in France in 2014" ( Publishers Weekly).Already provoking debate and garnering significant attention across France and within the wine world, Vino Business is a "truly eye-opening exposé" of the dark side of French wine by acclaimed investigative journalist Isabelle Saporta ( Booklist).In recent d...

'On Wine-which brings together dozens of "articles, reviews, and introductions," from titles as various as Vogue, Decanter, The Sunday Times Wine Club newsletter Wine Times, and the journal you have in your hands, as well as snippets from Johnson's bestselling books-has many moments where the writing transcends the ostensible subject matter.'The World of Fine WineOne of the world's great authorities on wine, Hugh Johnson has been writing on the subj...

A handsome and comprehensive bartending guide for professional and home bartenders that includes history, lore, and 115 recipes.The Essential Bar Book is full of indispensable information about everything boozy that’s good to drink. This easy-to-navigate A-to-Z guide covers it all, from the tools of the trade to the history and mythology behind classic and modern drinks, and features 115 recipes for the world’s most important cocktails.

Choosing a bottle of wine should be fun, not frightening. After all, one of the most important elements of enjoying wine is not so much the vintage or the vineyard but the occasion on which it is enjoyed.In their new book, Wine for Every Day and Every Occasion, Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, authors of the popular weekly "Tastings" column in the Wall Street Journal, give you the kind of honest, accessible wine information that is hard to find.In W...

Region by region, award-winning writer, Peter Richards takes us through all of Chile's many winemaking areas. Starting with the history of Chile and its wine industry, the work includes details on the country's diversity of terroirs, the range of wine styles available, and the variety of winemaking techniques in use, plus a topical discussion of recent developments. Full details of all the leading producers and their top wines form the core of this book.

Wine Tasting: A Professional Handbook is an essential guide for any professional or serious connoisseur seeking to understand both the theory and practice of wine tasting. From techniques for assessing wine properties and quality, including physiological, psychological, and physicochemical sensory evaluation, to the latest information on types of wine, the author guides the reader to a clear and applicable understanding of the wine tasting process. Including illustrative data and testing t...