About the Book
The production of wine is described in detail from the creation of a vineyard, through the production of grapes and their subsequent processing and quality control, to the bottling of the finished wine. It explains why the choice of land is important in establishing a new vineyard, and how vines and soil interact and thus create the traditional links between region and grape variety. The main part of the book is devoted to the incredibly complex series of operations that constitute the transformation of grape juice into wine. All of this is done without recourse to the knowledge of advanced chemistry. Chemical formulae and equations are kept to the basic minimum that is necessary to explain the changes that occur during these processes. This third edition includes extended chapters on the production of the main categories of wine: red, pink, white, sparkling, sweet and fortified. This section of the book is of particular interest for those who are not studying for exams, but are merely dedicated amateurs who want to know more about how their favourite wine is produced.
There is a chapter devoted to the faults and problems that can occur with wine, giving an explanation of the causes and remedies for each. With quality assurance playing a large role in modern food production, this chapter has been extended to include a large section on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) in the production of wine. This process is poorly understood, so the author has included a model HACCP system that can be applied to any winery in the world. The chapter on European wine regulations has been brought up-to-date and the final chapter gives a brief but pertinent description of the correct way to taste wine, thus enabling the drinker to get the maximum enjoyment from each bottle. As Hugh Johnson states in the Foreword: "David's first edition has been my stand-by for years. I have my Peynaud, my Amerine & Joslyn, my Michael Schuster for going deeper where necessary, but it is always good to have Bird in the hand.
This third edition adds a valuable insight into the production of the principal styles of the wines of the world, making it equally interesting for those who are simply lovers of wine and for those who are serious students of the Master of Wine examination. The detailed explanation of the mysteries of Hazard Analysis make this book particularly useful for wineries that are faced with the problems of modern food safety legislation. Essentially, though, it updates the second and makes it available once more to ease the pangs of students young and old." Re-printed in 2012 and 2014.
Table of Contents:
1 The Gift of Nature; 2 In the vineyard; 3 Inside the grape; 4 The role of oxygen; 5 Producing the must; 6 Adjusting the must; 7 Fermentations; 8 Red and pink wine production; 9 White wine and sweet wine production; 10 Sparkling and fortified processes; 11 Wood and maturation; 12 Principal components of wine; 13 Clarification and fining; 14 Tartrate stabilisation; 15 Additives; 16 Filtration; 17 Packaging materials; 18 Storage and bottling; 19 Quality control and analysis; 20 Wine faults; 21 The taste test; 22 Quality assurance; 23 Legislation and regulations.
About the Author :
DAVID BIRD trained as an analytical chemist and entered the food manufacturing business as an analyst working with baby foods, mustard and fruit squashes. He moved into the wine trade in 1973 almost by chance, but in reality because a passion for wine was already developing. 1981 was his vintage year, becoming a Master of Wine and a Chartered Chemist. He specialises in quality assurance techniques, such as ISO 9000 and HACCP, and has been involved with wine activities and education in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, China, Algeria, Australia, Scotland, Ireland and England. He has been on the panel of judges for the Mercian Vineyards Association, the national panel for the English and Welsh Wine Awards, the Decanter World Wine Awards and the Hungarian Balaton Awards. He plays the organ and is Musical Director of the Cantate choir. His garden is open to the public once a year for charity under the National Gardens Scheme of the UK.
Review :
"This is a reference book that I can be truly enthusiastic about. David Bird puts the science of wine into layman's language. It is comprehensive, interesting, well organised and the language is accessible. As the Wife, the Number Two at Eglantine Vineyard, I am often called upon to lead tour groups, write publicity leaflets, answer media and student enquiries and the like, but am not very heavily involved in the winemaking processes, some of which have remained a mystery to me for the thirty two years that we have been open to the Great British Public. The public can be quite intimidating to the tour guide with just a little knowledge and no easy access to the 'fount of all knowledge' - the winemaker. From now on I will have this book close at hand for every tour. It would have been invaluable thirty odd years ago when we were planning to start our vineyard - we had so many questions to ask, so few places to turn to for support. It would have been invaluable again when I took the WSET course, because this book compliments and extends the course work material. And why? The book is so easy to use and so clearly written. It moves at a cracking pace - no need to wade through pages of exemplification, because author David Bird sticks to the point. A brief glance at the Contents pages demonstrates this admirably: each chapter clearly headed and the sub-sections 'sign-posted' too. It takes only moments to find the answer to that question which has you stumped before the difficult customer loses interest and wanders off. Chemical formulae, mind-boggling for the non-specialist, are kept to the minimum, and labelled where they do occur. Diagrams, flow charts and photographs abound and are always timely and relevant. I have learned a lot. As for the Winemaker? I am currently battling with the all new and bewildering legislation coming at us. With a background in wine quality control, David Bird is undoubtedly a leading authority on the subject, able to guide us in setting the highest standards for our production processes. What a relief! In chapter 23 he has listed the up to date legislation relating to all that we need to be aware of and comply with, from the growing of the grapes to sending out the wine in bottle. He has even included the dreaded HACCP, for which he has provided a flow diagram and table. We have no hesitation in recommending this book (third edition) unreservedly: to the student of oenology, to the amateur and professional wine grower/maker, to the tour guide, to the wine enthusiast and to the correspondent." - Veronica and Tony Skuriat, Eglantine Vineyard. "This book is ideally suited to those who require more detailed explanations than can be obtained from the vast array of coffee-table wine books." - Kym Milne MW.
