Free Downloads

Barolo To Valpolicella: The Wines Of Northern Italy (Classic Wine Library)

Along with its companion volume, the highly successful Brunello to Zibibbo, this is a benchmark title on Italian wines. Nicolas Belfrage,a regular contributor to Decanter magazine, explores the mysteries of Northern Italian viniculture, focusing on dozens of wines ranging from the normale to the highest-quality single-vineyard masterpieces. Using many local and international grape varieties as signposts, he guides the reader through such magical areas as Valpolicella, South Tyrol, and Trentino as well as the hills of Bologna and the Po Valley plain, where Lambrusco wines really did once hang from trees. Enhancing his text with an extensive listing of producers, a helpful glossary of Italian terms, and even a guide to pronouncing Italian words, Belfrage has written one of the most complete and accessible guides to today's Italian wines yet to be published.

Series: Classic Wine Library

Hardcover: 356 pages

Publisher: Mitchell Beazley; Rev Upd edition (July 28, 2006)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1840009012

ISBN-13: 978-1840009019

Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 1.5 x 8.8 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds

Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #1,661,431 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #208 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Beverages & Wine > Wine & Spirits > Buying Guides #870 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Beverages & Wine > Cocktails & Mixed Drinks #1174 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Beverages & Wine > Wine & Spirits > Spirits

Those who have read the Faber & Faber guides to wine regions such as Burgundy, Alsace and the Rhône valley and expect something similar, may be disappointed, but of course you can't squeeze that much into about 350 pages. What we get instead is a kind of long essay which covers Italy north of Tuscany. Belfrage still manages, almost miraculously, to cover quite a number of producers (including some that are not included in the Slow Food/Gambero Rosso annual guide to Italian wines), and, what's more, he gives you an idea of what's going on. A very useful update ten years after Burton Andreson's groundbreaking atlas. If you want to know more, you need to read Italian (and get the regional guides published by Slow Food).

Nicolas Belfrage has used his extensive wine knowledge and more importantly his excellent understanding of Italy to write a book for the serious wine lover. Belfrage takes you completely across northern Italy and describes the wines of each area. While he doesn't give vintage charts for the wines, he does discuss the recognized better producers which allows the reader to find the wines and make his own decisions. More maps and some color pictures would have made the book more visually appealing, but would have increased the cost and made the book less travel friendly. It's definitely a condensed source of information that will prove very useful to the Italian tourist/wine traveler. I've been fortunate enough to have seen many of the wine areas in northern Italy. I wish I would have had this book with me. On my next trip, Belfrage's book will be packed in my carry-on.

This book is a disappointment ! Having bought other Faber books (publisher) I had expected a well-written walk-through of Northern Italy with extensive descriptions of many producers, many tasting notes and vintage charts.Verdict ? There are absolutely no vintage charts, the description of the vineries are superficial, the book is badly organised (no headers to indicate where you are in the book, for quick look-ups) and generally no specifications to the producers individual Wines. To me, this is a 'blah-blah' book... Conclusion: NOT recommendable, neither to the amateur nor the 'pro'

Together with "Brunello to Zibbibo" by same author, these books offer an excellent and thorough overview of Italian wine regions, their particularities with several in-depth lists if top suppliers in each sub-regions. Absolutely recommended to learn about Italy and its wines.

Barolo to Valpolicella: The Wines of Northern Italy (Classic Wine Library) WINE: Wine Lifestyle - Beginner to Expert Guide on: Wine Tasting, Wine Pairing, & Wine Selecting (Wine History, Spirits, World Wine, Vino, Wine Bible, Wine Making, Grape, Wine Grapes Book 1) Wine Tasting: Secrets of Wine Tasting - The Ultimate Guide To Learn Everything About Wine Tasting & Wine Pairing (Wine Selecting, Wine Variety, Wine Making, Wine Education) Wine Making: Beginner Wine Making! The Ultimate Guide to Making Delicious Wine at Home (Home Brew, Wine Making, Red Wine, White Wine, Wine Tasting, Cocktails, ... Vodka recipes, Jello Shots Beer Brewing) The Finest Wines of Burgundy: A Guide to the Best Producers of the Côte D'Or and Their Wines (The World's Finest Wines) Wine: Everything You Need to Know About Wine From Beginner to Expert (Wine Tasting, Wine Pairing, Wine Lifestyle) Wine: The Best Guide To Wine Tasting, Wine Pairing And Wine Selecting To Find Your Personal Palate And Tips On Choosing The Perfect Wine For Every Occasion. How To Make Wine: 20 Tasty Homemade Wine Recipes Made Of Fruits And Vegetables From Your Garden!: (Dandelion Wine, Plum Wine, Wine Bottle Crafts) Wine Guide: Learn everything you need to know about wine tasting & wine selecting - Includes tips and tricks (Wine Making and Tasting Books Book 1) Wine: The Ultimate Educational Resource Of Red Wine, Types And Origin, Red Wine Selecting & Food Pairing And Tips On Wine Occasion Matching Wine Making: 14 Amazing Recipes for Beginners - The Ultimate Guide to Making Delicious and Organic Wine at Home! (Home Brew, Wine Making, Wine Recipes) Wine Pairing: 7 Wine Secrets You Wish You Knew: How to Translate a Restaurants Wine List (France, Australia, California, New Zealand, Napa, Red, Champagne, ... you need to know about wine Book 1) Beginner's Guide to Wine: Wine History, Grapes and Types, Pairing with Food and Other Wine Secrets Revealed (Wine Guide & Spirits) Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide: The Complete, Easy-to-Use Reference on Recent Vintages, Prices, and Ratings for More than 8,000 Wines from All the Major Wine Regions, 7th Edition Ways with Wine. The Paul Masson Wine Reader [On the Nature & Uses of Fine California Wines, Champagnes, Vermouths & Brandy]. A Drink Book & Cook Book Completely Revised 8th Edition With New Recipes The Finest Wines of Champagne: A Guide to the Best Cuvées, Houses, and Growers (The World's Finest Wines) Maridaje Vinos Y Comidas / Wines and Food: Vinos Argentinos Cocina Internacional / Argentine Wines Internatioanl Cooking (Spanish Edition) Brunello di Montalcino: Understanding and Appreciating One of Italy's Greatest Wines Florence Travel Guide: Florence and Tuscany, Italy: Travel Guide Book-A Comprehensive 5-Day Travel Guide to Florence + Tuscany, Italy & Unforgettable Italian ... Travel Guides to Europe Series Book 3) Celebrating Italy: the tastes and traditions of Italy revealed through its feasts, festivals and sumptuous foods (English and Italian Edition)