Understanding Wine Technology: A Book for the Non-scientist That Explains the Science of Winemaking - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1934259608 ISBN 13: 9781934259603

Synopsis

Any student who s ever logged credits in a viticulture and enology class knows Bird s book. It s the most widely assigned wine science primer in the English speaking world. This completely revised and updated edition to Bird s classic textbook deciphers all the new scientific advances that have cropped up in the last several years, and conveys them in his typically clear and plainspoken style that renders even the densest subject matter freshman-friendly. New material includes: expanded section on the production of red, rosà ÂÂ, white, sweet, sparkling and fortified wines; information on histamine, flash detente, maceration, whole bunch and whole berry fermentation; expanded chapter on wine faults, including Brettanomyces; new section on HACCP analysis as applied to a winery; and much more.

About this title

Review

Call it technology. Call it science: these days we live with it. As a scientific illiterate I was not exactly the most willing participant (and never took an exam). But that is not a viable position any more: you would simply miss too much of the action. We all need a grounding in wine technology to understand what's going on, and those in wine professionally don't get to first base without it. I'm not sure whether to call this book a primer, a memory-jogger or a lifesaver. Which it is depends on the reader. For WSET students it is essentially the first, then the second. For people like me it is the third - than rather belatedly the first. What we all need is a crisp exposition of how wine is made and why, easy to refer to when a funny smell appears but going beyond Stinks (do they still call Chemistry that?) to cover the physics, natural history, legislation and finally the appreciation of wine. 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. --FOREWORD by Hugh Johnson

About the Author

David Bird started his working life as an analytical chemist, working for Colmans of Norwich analysing mustard, soft drinks and baby food. He was promoted to Quality Control Manager of their new wine department in 1973, which sparked a huge interest in wine leading to the achievement of Master of Wine with the Tim Derouet Award in 1981. He also became a Chartered Chemist in the same year. He was head-hunted for the position of Quality Assurance Manager for Stowells of Chelsea in 1984, working at their centre of bag-in-box production at Worksop in Nottinghamshire. In 1994 he set up his own consultancy business providing a service of quality management to ISO9001 and wine production audits around Europe. Understanding Wine Technology was first published in 2000.

Edition details

• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1934259608
• ISBN 13: 9781934259603
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English