The April 2012 issue of Decanter (the self-proclaimed “World’s Best Wine Magazine”) arrived yesterday and I was surprised and pleased to find Amy Wislocki’s review of Wine Wars on page 109 in an article that also includes reviews of Naked Wine, Authentic Wine and In Search of Pinot Noir. It’s a very positive review and I’m pleased to be included in this group of recent wine books.

Wislocki calls Wine Wars “a breakneck gallop along the wine shelves of the typical store.” Breakneck gallop? I kinda like the sound of that! “Despite his academic background,” she writes, “Veseth has an unpretentious, lively style, if often overdoing the puns. His arguments, though, are serious.”  Good! I wanted Wine Wars to be a lively read, but the questions it confronts are serious indeed.

Wislocki does a great job of capturing my argument in Wine Wars and my optimism about the future of wine. She understands and appreciates both the strengths and limitations of the book. She writes, for example, that “The section on terroir wines feels slightly thin, but it is natural that he would be more at  home talking about wine economics than soil composition.”

The bottom line? “There is much that will be familiar to those in the trade, but any consumer keen to understand how the wine world works — and will develop — will find this a highly readable, comprehensive account.” I can’t argue with that assessment! Thanks Amy Wislocki and Decanter!