Resources

One of our overall objectives for the RWAF is to increase our knowledge about wine, wine and food pairings and other related topics so that our own appreciation of good wine will be enhanced. Whether you are a wine novice or a wine expert, we all can and should learn more about our special interest.
 
We want to provide our membership with sources of references and resources that are readily accessible to most everyone. Our membership spans the world (70 countries at present), so we certainly need every member’s help and suggestions. We will begin a list of books, magazines, websites, instruction courses, etc., that I am familiar with, at the end of this note. This is by no means complete, just a start. We will post these lists on the website and add to them during the year as you submit them to us. You might add your comments about the resources as well, such as your recommendation regarding the value of the resource, the level of knowledge it addresses or how best to use it.
For example, we all would like to be able to select the right wine for each situation and know why it is the right wine. By that, I don’t necessarily mean the most expensive nor the best overall wine that you have in your storage but the wine that tastes the best to you in that particular setting. We learn from our successes and our failures, but we can increase the chances of success by learning more about the basics of wine, wine tasting and wine and food pairing.
 
Our membership includes wine advocates with all levels of expertise. We encourage members to share their knowledge and experiences. Submit articles, letters, stories, etc. that would be of interest to our membership, and we will post them on our website. Send us reports of wine events that you enjoyed, stories of your own personal wine experiences that were memorable and that might be reproduced by other members, wine courses you took that added to your knowledge and can possibly be accessed by other members, description of RWAF occurrences that provided special fellowship and memories, etc. Send us articles on how to properly taste wine, descriptions of what a Cabernet Sauvignon should taste like, how terroir influences different varietals in different parts of the world, anything that will enhance our collective wine knowledge and be of interest to a majority of our members.
 

Magazines:

  1. Wine Spectator                                               www.winespectator.com
PO Box 37367                                                $69.95 per year in the US
Boone, IA 50037-0367 USA                          14 or 15 issues per year
 
Perhaps the best overall wine magazine on the market in the US. Has many interesting and informative articles. They rate hundreds of wines in each issue, and they have a great website with extensive wine ratings available, weekly newsletters with the latest ratings, online wine courses, etc.
 
  1. The Wine Advocate                                        www.robertparker.com
PO Box 311                                                    $60 per year
Monkton, MD 21111
 
This is Robert Parker’s publication. This is the hard copy, which lists all the wines that their staff has recently tasted. The email version (Robert Parker, www.robertparker.com, $99 per year) is a resource publication where you find almost any wine or wine topic they have ever written with links to all sorts of resources.
 
  1. Wine Enthusiast                                              www.winemag.com
PO Box 420777                                              $29.95 per year
Palm Coast, FL 32142-8494                          
 
Similar to the “Wine Spectator” in format. Has interesting and informative articles in most issues, some are very good. Has a Buying Guide that rates hundreds of wines in each issue.
 
  1. Decanter                                                          www.decanter.com
Prices vary based on the type of subscription (print or online) and the source (discounts available)
 
  •  is Britain’s leading wine magazine, a magazine on wine and spirits, published in about 90 countries on a monthly basis. The magazine includes industry news, vintage guides and wine recommendations. Decanter also organizes the annual Decanter World Wine Awards.

Aps:

All of the above can be accessed online so you can use their research abilities from your smart phone and there are some good aps that can help, as well. For example, many of us use Vivino that will take a picture of your wine label in the store or restaurant and give you a rating of the wine and a retail price for most wines. You can also use it to scan a wine list in a restaurant and it will give ratings on all of the wines on the list.
 

Books:

 
  1. “Wine Folly Master Guide” has been highly recommended to me “as an excellent reference book with a wealth of information on wine for the beginner as well as the expert.” It can be purchased from the Wine Folly website: https://shop.winefolly.com/collections/books/products/the-master-guide-book or on Amazon.”
  2. “Windows on the World Complete Wine Course”, Kevin Zraly (Founder and teacher of the Windows on the World Wine School, formerly at the Windows on the World Restaurant in the World Trade Center twin towers in New York). A “must read” book; a simple, practical, easy to use wine course. Mr. Zraly describes the trends in wine over the past ten years and takes you on a country-by-country, region-by-region, “best buy” ratings tour of the latest vintages. Updated annually.
  3. “Great Wine Made Simple” - Andrea Immer (Master Sommelier). This book makes selecting and enjoying wine truly simple. It describes easy and fun tasting lessons to help you identify what you like and to learn how to spot in on a menu or shelf.
  4. “Wine For Dummies” – McCarthy & Ewing-Mulligan. Don’t let the title disturb you. If you will learn 80% of what is in this paperback book, you will probably know more than 90 % of all wine aficionados. Very easy to read. Updated on a regular basis.
  5. “Making Sense of Wine” – Alan Young (President of the International Wine Academy). This book describes how our senses of sight, smell, touch and taste respond to food and beverage (wine in particular) stimulation.
  6. “Australian Wine Annual” by Jeremy Oliver (one of the most widely read and influential wine critic in Australia). Provides a comprehensive guide to buying and cellaring Australian wine.
  7. “Australian Wine Companion” by James Halliday (has contributed to more than 56 books on wine since he began writing in 1979. His books have been translated into Japanese, French, German, Danish and Icelandic, and have been published in the UK, the US and Australia. He is also the author of James Halliday's Wine Atlas of Australia and The Australian Wine Encyclopedia.
  8. “For The Love of Port” by Roy Hersh (www.fortheloveofport.com). The recently revised book is a tremendous source of information on all aspect of Port. Also sign up for Roy Hersh's free monthly newsletter: For The Love Of Port. Have a look at Roy's exciting trips to Madeira and the Port region of Portugal. Find hundreds of Port and Madeira tasting notes.
 
 

Online Wine Buying Sources:

There are many online buying sources available in the United States and I am sure in many parts of the world that can provide us access to difficult to find wines and/or lower prices. These vary not only by country but also by state according to the local laws, so it would be impossible to give a comprehensive list, but I have used No Limit Fine Wines, WTSO (Wine ‘Til Sold Out), Zacky’s, Last Bottle, First Bottle, The Wine House, some of the magazines listed above can find & ship wine, wine storage facilities, the larger wine shops, etc. It seems that all you have to do is to subscribe to one or two of them and the rest find you!
 
We also want to suggest particular wines for our members to try in our newsletters. Our focus will be on good wine at reasonable prices that are readily available. We arbitrarily will define “reasonable price” as wines that cost $25 USD or less. This is going to be tough because all wines may not/will not be available to every member in every part of the world and prices vary, but we will include wines from as many places as we can. We will begin with a list of good wines that represent great value and that should be fairly easily found. Every month we will post a list of ten or more wines in this category. We also want to mention some great wines that we have enjoyed and that we highly recommend. These will be higher priced and perhaps more difficult to find but they represent good value for the money invested. Again, we need and encourage all members to submit wines that they know about that we can add to the list, in either category. Find these selections at the end of each newsletter.