Walking into a wine shop or perusing a restaurant's wine menu can be an overwhelming event. With many stores and upscale eateries offering more than a thousand wines to choose from, the average consumer needs a guide like Anita LaRaia. As the founder and director of The Wine School of Atlanta, Georgia, Anita has taught thousands of wine classes over the past 26 years and graduated some of the country's top wine connoisseurs. Using her unique blend of wine expertise, practical advice, and easy-to-read conversational explanations, Pick a Perfect Wine In No Time covers everything you need to know about wines and their food partners. With full coverage of important topics like vintages, vineyards from around the world, wine types, and wine labels, even the most inexperienced wine drinker can impress the wine steward at a fancy, upscale restaurant. Anita includes valuable reference information on wine vintages, exciting food and wine combinations, menus and recipes for hosting wine events, how to start a wine collection on any budget, plus finding the perfect tour of the wine country in California, France, or Italy. Whether planning a romantic dinner for two or a party for 200 guests, Pick a Perfect Wine In No Time makes choosing the perfect wine fast, simple, and easy.    "Anita LaRaia has been at the forefront of wine education for well over two decades. Her new book is a comprehensive and invaluable learning tool for wine educators and consumers alike." Michael McNeill, Master Sommelier   Michael McNeill is Director of Wine Education for Quality Wine & Spirits and has worked as sommelier alongside numerous world renowned five-star chefs, including Grey Kunz at Lespinasse, Craig Shelton at Ryland Inn, and Guenther Seeger and Bruno Menard at Ritz-Carlton Atlanta's The Dining Room.   "Anita LaRaia's Pick a Perfect Wine in No Timemakes learning about wine easy and fun, and her colorful personality shines through. Perfect for readers whose interest in wine is casual -- or serious." Sharon Boorstin, Senior Vice President and Editorial Director,  Women & Wine (www.WomenWine.com) 

Table of Contents:
Introduction.     How I Learned What I Know About Wine     What Pick a Perfect Wine In No Time Can Do For You     Who Should Read This Book     How This Book Is Organized     Special Elements and Icons     Finding Your Way I. WINE BASICS. 1. Wine Is: History, Agriculture, Health, Food, and Joy.     Wine Is History: Ancient Dudes Thought Wine Was Cool     Wine's Ancient Roots     Wine in Classical Greece and Rome     Wine During the Time of Christ     The Role of Wine Through the Middle Ages: Those Jolly Old Monks     The Seventeenth Century: Corks Can Save Wine-And Can Kill It, Too     The Nineteenth Century to Today: Phylloxera Plague and the Development of Winemaking in the New World     Wine Is Good for You: The Role of Wine in Health and Diet     Red Wine-Good for Your Heart and Longevity     Wine May Increase Brain Power and Aid Relaxation     Wine Calories and Carbohydrates     Red Wine, Headaches, Sulfites, and Lead     Wine Is Food, Joy, Friendship, and Romance 2. How Grapes and Vineyards Determine Taste, Style, Value, and Food Affinities.     Learning to Taste Wine's Many Flavors     Grape Varieties and Varietal Wines     The Four Noble Grapes     Cabernet Sauvignon     Pinot Noir     Chardonnay     Riesling     The Bordeaux Grapes     Sauvignon Blanc     Sémillon     The Bordeaux Red Grapes     The Rhône Grapes     Viognier     Syrah     The Other Rhône Grapes     Petite Sirah and Zinfandel: Two Unique California Red Grapes     Gamay: The Other Burgundy Grape     Muscadet and Chenin Blanc: White Grapes of the Loire     Grapes of Germany, Alsace, and Austria     The Italian Grapes     The Great Grapes of Spain     The Red Grape South Africa Invented     Four Native Greek Grapes     North American Grape Varieties     Vineyards Determine a Wine's Style and Price 3. Winemaking-The Six Basic Types of Wine.     Winemaking Basics     Sulfites in Wine     Free Run Wine, Press Wine, Brandy, and Liqueurs     Making Dry Red Wines     Nouveau and Whole Cluster Reds     Aging Red Wine in Oak Barrels     Buying the Best Reds     Making Dry White Wines-To Oak or Not to Oak     Fermenting White Wines     Chilling the Wine and Removing Tartrate Crystals     Adjusting the Wine's Fruitiness and Sweetness     Making Rosé, Blush, and Blanc de Noir Wines     Putting the Bubbles in Champagne     Harvesting and Pressing the Grapes     Fermenting and Blending the Juice     Adjusting and Bottling for a Second Fermentation     Aging the Wine, Removing its Sediment, and Adjusting its Sweetness     Buying and Enjoying Bargain Champagne, Big Bottles, and Splits     Fortified Wines: Porto, Sherry, and Madeira     Porto From Portugal     Sherry From Spain     Madeira My Dear     Dessert Wines Made Eight Ways     Pressing Frozen Grapes: Eiswein or Ice Wine     How Botrytis and Late Harvesting Produce Dessert Wines     Making Vin Santo-Italy's Sweet Holy Wine     Stopping Fermentation to Determine Sweetness      "Reading" a Wine by its Bottle Color and Shape 4. Vintage Years/Vintage Wines.     Vintage Years-To Be or Not to Be     Defining "Vintage" Year     How Old Is Too Old?     Who Says It's A Great Vintage?     Using Expert Appraisals of Vintage Wines     Sampling and Comparing Vintage Wines     Vintage Tastings     Vintage Gifts     Charting Great Vintages 5. The Wine Label Decoder.     Understanding What a Wine's Label Says About the Wine Inside     Reading the Three Most Common Types of Wine Labels     Finding the Producer's Name     Reading the Wine's Vintage Year     Reading Other Descriptive Wine Label Information     Recognizing and Reading Varietal Wine Labels     American and New World Varietals     French Varietals     European Union Varietals     Recognizing and Reading Appellation of Origin Labels     Understanding French Geographic Indications on Wine Labels     Italy's Denominazione di Origine Controllata     Appellation of Origin Labels of Spain and Greece     American Viticultural Areas     Understanding What the Label Tells Us About the Wine's Level of Sweetness     Decoding Some Sample Wine Labels     Goats do Roam, Charles Back-South Africa     Côtes du Rhône-Perrin Reserve-France     Bethel Heights Vineyard Pinot Noir-Willamette Valley, Oregon     Moulin-à-Vent-Château des Jacques-Domaine Louis Jadot-Cru Beaujolais-France     Fifth Leg-Margaret River, Australia     C.G. di Arie-Zinfandel "Southern Exposure"-Shenandoah Valley, Sierra Foothills, California     Broquel-Malbec-Bodegas Trapiche-Mendoza, Argentina     Morandé-Carmenère-Terrarum Reserve-Maipo Valley, Chile     Chateau Ste. Michelle-Merlot-Columbia Valley, Washington     J. Lohr Estates-Cabernet Sauvignon "Seven Oaks"-Paso Robles, California     Banfi-Chianti Classico DOCG "Riserva"-Tuscany, Italy     Tommasi-Valpolicella Classico Superiore DOC-"Ripasso"-Veneto, Italy     Viña Alarba-Old Vines Grenache (Garnacha)-DO Calatayud, Spain-Bodegas del Jalón-Jorge Ordoñez     Boschendal-Sauvignon Blanc-South Africa     St. Supéry-Meritage (White) "Virtú"-Napa Valley, California     Beringer-Chardonnay "Private Reserve"-Napa Valley, California     Vionta-Albariño-DO Rías Baixas, Spain     Settesoli "MandraRossa"-Fiano-IGT Sicilia (Sicily) Italy     Domaine Gerovassiliou-Malagousia-Epanomi, Greece     Pfaffl "Goldjoch"-Grüner Veltliner-Austria     B&G (Barton & Guestier)-Vouvray-Loire, France     Selbach Oster-Riesling-Spätlese-Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany     Bodegas Hidalgo-"La Gitana"-Manzanilla Sherry-Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain     Ramos-Pinto-Porto Ruby-Portugal-Maison Marques & Domaines, USA     Mumm Napa-Blanc de Noirs-Napa Valley, California     Rumball-Sparkling Shiraz-Coonawarra, Australia II. WINE COUNTRIES. 6. Made in the USA-California and Beyond.     Mother Lode-California's Wine Gold     How California's Great Grapes Climate Produces Great Grapes     California AVAs and Wineries     Cult Wines and Collectibles: Wine Spectator's Top 100     Current California Favorites     California Cuisine     Crystal Ball-California's Future     Oregon Wines     Washington Wines     New York State Wines     From Our Founding Fathers-Wines of Virginia     The Wines of Canada and Baja California, Mexico 7. Down Under Wines Up in Quality-Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, and South Africa.     Winemakers and Winemaking in Australia     Australian Shiraz and Blended Wines     Australia's Sparkling and Dessert Wines     South Australia's Wine-Producing Zones and Wineries     New South Wales and Its Hunter Valley Zone     Victoria's Wine-Producing Zones     Western Australia and the Margaret River Zone     Wine-Producing Regions of the Island of Tasmania     Enjoying the Wines of New Zealand     Choosing Great Wines from South Africa-Where Two Oceans Meet     Wines and Wineries of the Paarl and Stellenbosch Wine Districts     South Africa's Overberg and Swartland Regions, and Their Pinotage Grapes 8. Latin Lovers-Chile, Argentina, and Spain.     Chile's Magnificent Climate, Wine, and Cuisine     Chile's Wine Regions     Chilean Wine Labeling and Vintages     Argentine Wines Tango For Your Tongue     Wonderful Wines of Spain     Spain's Wine Regions and Wine Label Designations     Spain's Great Grapes, Wines, and Wineries 9. French Me! Choosing Wines from the Great Wine Regions of France.     Great Wines of Bordeaux     Bordeaux Wine Districts and Their Blends     Bordeaux Châteaux and Their Classifications     The One and Only: French Champagne     Burgundy's Great Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Beaujolais Wines     Understanding Burgundy's AOC Designations     Choosing Wines from Burgundy's Wine Growing Regions     Loire Everyday Wines with Global Popularity     Alsace-White Wine Elegance     Fine Wines of the Rhône Valley     Languedoc-Mediterranean Varietals     Provence Is Pretty in Pink-And Red 10. All Greek to Me.     The Native Grapes of Greece     Salute to Greek Wineries     The Wines and Wineries of Macedonia     Wines of the Peloponnese Peninsula     Some Wines from the Islands of Santorini and Samos     Touring the Wineries of Greece 11. Sweet or Not Too Sweet-Wines of Germany and Austria.     Germany's Wine Designations     Qualitätswein: Germany's Quality Wine     Qualitätswein mit Prädikat: Germany's Finest Wines     New Classifications for Dry German Wines     German Wine Regions and Producers     Germany's 2004 Vintage     Austria's Wine Identity 12. Italy's Splendor in the Glass.     Italy's Updated Wine Laws-Bravo to the Best     Italy's IGT Varietal Wines     Italy's Top Wines-The DOCGs     Italy's Noble Grapes     Italy's Super-Tuscan and Venetian Wines     Italian Sparkling Wines     Pairing Italian Wines with Food III. BUYING, SERVING, AND CELLARING WINE. 13. Serving Wine Correctly (When There's No Butler to Do It).     Proper Wine Service-Rules of Engagement     Choosing Glasses and Wine Accessories     Finding the Perfect Glass     Setting the Table     To Chill or Not to Chill     Popping the Cork     Decanting, Pouring, and Serving     Storing Leftover Wine     Hosting a Wine Party 14. Being a Savvy Retail Shopper.     What Customers Want-Stores Who Provide It     Keeping Track of Preferences     Special Orders and Direct Shipping     Identifying the Best Wine Stores     Finding the Jewels-Everyday and Celebration Wines     Special Occasion Sparklers     Ruby Reds 15. Ordering Wine Like a Pro.     Restaurant Wine Lists and Service     Satisfying Everyone at the Table     Choosing Wines by Theme and Cuisine     Tasting the Wine     Subject to Change-Prices and Vintages     What Makes an Award-Winning Wine List 16. Collecting and Storing Wine.     Creating a Wine Cellar on Any Budget     Inexpensive Wine Storage Techniques     Storing Wine in Climate-controlled Cabinets     Tracking Your Wine Inventory     Smart Wine Collecting     Ten Rules of Wine Collecting     Putting Together a Beginner's Collection     Creating an Intermediate-level Collection     Advanced Collectors     Putting a Value on Your Wine Collection 17. Entertaining with Wine.     Hosting Wine and Food Tastings     Creating a Wine "Dinner Class"     Creating a Dinner Class Menu and Wine List     Making the Event Special IV. APPENDIXES. A. References and Resources.     Books     Websites     Wines and Accessories     Wine and Travel     Wine Clubs, Sommeliers, Wine Education B. Wine Dictionary A-Z. C. Wine Touring Tips.     Touring American Wine Regions     Napa Valley Wineries and Restaurants     Touring the Sierra Foothills and Livermore     Planning Tours in Europe     Attending a Cooking and Wine School in France and Beyond     Enjoying La Dolce Vita of Italy Wine Tours     Quick Tips for Touring Chile     Wine Spas, Working Winery Vacations, and Other Unique Touring Ideas D. Table of Varietal Wines. E. Bordeaux Classifications and Burgundy Vineyards.     Bordeaux Classifications     1855 Classification of the Haut-MéDoc     1855 Classification of Sauternes     1959 Classification of Graves     1996 Classification of St.-émilion     Top Cru Bourgeois of the Médoc     Pomerol     Burgundy Vineyards     Grand Cru Vineyards-Côte d'Or Burgundy Index.