Here’s a book that’s an essential Christmas present for wine lovers: Wine Grapes by Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding and José Vouillamoz (Allen Lane, £120). It is rather expensive and very heavy. So heavy it feels more like something handed down on Mount Sinai than produced by a publisher. But the authors have attempted the exhausting task of cataloguing every grape in existence and working out how they are related to each other. It’s a beautiful object and a work of scholarship that will prove itself useful in clearing up late-night debates about whether Petite Sirah is related to Syrah. My favourite fact is that Pinot Noir, the grape that in Burgundy makes some of the world’s most prized reds, is genetically identical to Pinot Grigio, the fuel of a thousand hen nights. If you’re looking for more of a stocking filler, however, Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book 2013 (Mitchell Beazley, £11.99) is a comprehensive snapshot of wine around the world written with authority, while never being pompous.
This week: an A-Z of wines picked from ‘Wine Grapes’.
D’Angelo Aglianico del Vulture, 2008, £12.99: www.majestic.co.uk Aglianico is a muscular red grape that thrives in the volcanic soils of Southern Italy.
Tesco Finest Teroldego, 2011, £7.99: www.tesco.com Made from a very juicy North Italian grape that’s related to Pinot Noir.
J&F Lurton Les Salices Viognier, 2011, £8.95: www.robersonwine.com In the mid-1980s Viognier was almost extinct. Since then it’s gone on to conquer the world.
Ravenswood Sonoma Zinfandel, 2009, £9.99: www.tesco.com Zinfandel is the same as Primitivo from Italy and Croatian variety, Crljenak Kaštelanski. Ravenswood is the world’s biggest producer and while its entrylevel wines can be a bit jammy, the better ones like this have a nice vein of acidity.