Book Review: The World Atlas of Wine, Fifth Edition

Review

The World Atlas of Wine, Fifth Edition, by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson (Mitchell Beazley, 352 pages, 2001). $75.00

As I was reading Kermit Lynch’s book, I realized just how indispensible a wine atlas has become. It’s fine to know vaguely where Burgundy and Bordeaux are located, but when authors (and wine critics) start dropping the names of microscopic plots of land, you’ll need a solid reference book to find them. Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson’s beautiful volume, first published in 1971, is much more than just a collection of maps.

There are fine introductory sections on the history of wine, growing grapes, making wine, and even enjoying wine. Next follow the maps, with France taking up a hefty 100 pages. The maps are extremely useful, showing not only the location of leading producers, but details such as elevation lines and actual vineyard boundaries. The text accompanying the maps goes into admirable detail concerning the soil types, sun exposure and other aspects of terroir that are impossible to determine from a wine label.

Despite the hefty price, this is a book that will pay for itself over and over for the wine lover eager to move from Beaujolais to Beaujolais-Villages to Moulin-à-Vent, or who wants to know exactly where and what Chateau Pichon-Longueville de Baron is, and not just the price or what score Mr. Parker gave it.