Eating Between the Lines

Great Wine Made Simple: Straight Talk From a Master Sommelier

Broadway Books, 310 pp., $25

Food Network junkies will know Andrea Immer from her frequent guest spots on Sarah Moulton's Cooking Live Primetime. In one of the bastions of absolute male domination, the world of the sommelier, Ms. Immer stands tall as the 1997 winner of Best Sommelier in America. One of only seven women in the U.S. to be certified as a Master Sommelier, at the ripe old age of 33 she currently manages the $235 million-a-year beverage operation for Starwood Hotels (Westin, Sheraton, St. Regis). Crain's New York Business calls her "the most powerful woman in the world of wine and spirits.'' OK, but can she write?

Absolutely yes. She has a crusader's zeal, but the crusading is for simplicity and lucidity. She has flawlessly organized Great Wine Made Simple to bring wine knowledge, entertainment, and passion to the newcomer. For instance, in what she refers to as "the Wine Buyer's Toolbox," she proposes learning about wine through focusing on three body styles (light, medium, and full), four flavors (dry, crisp, oaky, and tannic) and six varietals (Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon). She has no place for the elaborate adjectives that fluster and confuse recreational drinkers. Her single-minded goal is to attract new people to the joys of wine. To that end, she proselytizes, not only for unfussiness, but also for wines under $10.

Even if you are an experienced wine aficionado, there is still a lot to learn from Immer's book. She writes, "Whether your passion is pottery or baseball or wine, learning some of the specialized lingo is part of the pleasure." For those who develop the passion, she gives some advanced information and specialized lingo that you can either study or skip. As you make your way through the book, she introduces increasingly complex concepts, one building on the other so that, by the end, you will know more about the alluring world of wine than 95% of drinkers. In my experience, this is now the best beginner's book on wine available. In fact, it is one of the best wine books, period.