The Cynic's Guide to Wine
Published on 2. April 2025
Book
Hardback
240 pages
978-1-917084-63-5 (ISBN)
Description
"The Cynic's Guide to Wine, by Sunny Hodge... is one of the best wine books I have read in a long while." - Yorkshire Post
"All in all it's a very useful and enjoyable read..." - Life
Much of what is written about wine, whether in wine books, on bottle labels or in the Sunday supplements uses language that gives wine an air of mystery. While compelling and enticing for the consumer this can also lead to confusion regarding the science of wine as well as fear on the part of the inexperienced wine drinker of 'getting wine wrong'. In The Cynic's Guide to Wine Sunny Hodge strips wine back to its basic science and unravels the facts behind wine flavours, showing readers a clear path through the verbiage. The text takes in elements of horticulture, soil science, botany and sensory science as well as oenology and is provided in bite-sized chunks aimed at the curious non-scientist. This is a straightforward and eye-opening book for anybody who has ever wanted to question the stories told around wine but was afraid to ask.
The wine book all novice wine drinkers need: strips away the pretension and explains what really matters when it comes to producing the flavours in your glass of wine.
Questions many of the things we take for granted when it comes to wine, from terroir to the science of wine making.
Author is the award-winning owner of two London wine bars who has earned a reputation as a disruptor in the wine trade.
"All in all it's a very useful and enjoyable read..." - Life
Much of what is written about wine, whether in wine books, on bottle labels or in the Sunday supplements uses language that gives wine an air of mystery. While compelling and enticing for the consumer this can also lead to confusion regarding the science of wine as well as fear on the part of the inexperienced wine drinker of 'getting wine wrong'. In The Cynic's Guide to Wine Sunny Hodge strips wine back to its basic science and unravels the facts behind wine flavours, showing readers a clear path through the verbiage. The text takes in elements of horticulture, soil science, botany and sensory science as well as oenology and is provided in bite-sized chunks aimed at the curious non-scientist. This is a straightforward and eye-opening book for anybody who has ever wanted to question the stories told around wine but was afraid to ask.
The wine book all novice wine drinkers need: strips away the pretension and explains what really matters when it comes to producing the flavours in your glass of wine.
Questions many of the things we take for granted when it comes to wine, from terroir to the science of wine making.
Author is the award-winning owner of two London wine bars who has earned a reputation as a disruptor in the wine trade.
Reviews / Votes
"The Cynic's Guide to Wine, by Sunny Hodge... is one of the best wine books I have read in a long while." - Yorkshire Post The Cynic's Guide to Wine is included on Good Housekeeping's Best Gifts for Wine Lovers list. - Good Housekeeping "All in all it's a very useful and enjoyable read, amply illustrated and with no attempt to cut corners or save on publishing costs." - LifeMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Illustrations
10 Illustrations, black and white; 10 Illustrations, color
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 195 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
898 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-917084-63-5 (9781917084635)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Sunny Hodge completed a degree in Mechanical Engineering before embarking on a career in hospitality. He worked his way up from fast food restaurants to become a founding team member at Paulo de Tarso and Nicholas Jaouen's London restaurant, Margot. His scientific training has always lead him to look for the how and why behind food and wine and he currently runs science-based wine tastings and is developing programmes to provide wine education based around science and functionality. Hodge is the founder and owner of two wine bars in south London, Diogenes the Dog and aspen & meursault, for which he was awarded Entrepreneur of the Year at the Southwark Business Awards. Both wine bars showcase unusual and lesser known wines and share a mission to educate customers about wine. Sunny is an annual wine judge for the IWSC awards and has commentated on wine for the Evening Standard, The Times and the Guardian.
Content
Introduction 6
1. Roots 11
2. Debunking 'terroir' 37
3. Natural law 67
4. The anatomy of a grape 101
5. Microbes 133
6. Manipulations at the winery 161
7. Flavour perception 193
Conclusion 220
Glossary 222
References 228
Index 236
1. Roots 11
2. Debunking 'terroir' 37
3. Natural law 67
4. The anatomy of a grape 101
5. Microbes 133
6. Manipulations at the winery 161
7. Flavour perception 193
Conclusion 220
Glossary 222
References 228
Index 236