Alison Crowe dedicates this book to her two grandmothers and all those who “taught her that a woman’s place is doing whatever she sets her mind to”. This reviewer found that sentiment to be typically Californian, conjuring up many images of what one might call the golden state’s “social terroir”. Regional mentalities notwithstanding, WAB is just a great book about wine, and packed full of useful information that will appeal to anyone interested in making great wine. Particularly appealing is the format and page layout which begs to be picked up, flipped through, and read anywhere and at anytime. A durable cover is also appreciated, as is the size of the book and the font’s ease on the eyes.

In the first part of the book one finds a simple, straightforward timeline of winemaking (for both red and white wines) that serves as an excellent “skeleton” of knowledge that, when assimilated, makes absorbing further information in the book easier- brilliant! Why aren’t more books like this? She goes on to answer hundreds of questions from there!

Alison’s talent as a writer comes through in clear and concise language, giving explanations that even a layman can understand with a little study. She does not overwhelm the reader with needless inundations of chemical jargon, but writes masterfully about the chemistry in simple terms.

All in all, a fantastic book!

Rating: 5 / 5

I enjoyed reading through this book when I was just making kit wines, and when I got my hands on some real grapes it was invaluable! Definitely a book every home winemaker should have in their library. Very nicely organized, easy to find your answers when you’re covered in grape juice and need them fast!
Rating: 5 / 5

Great book for amateurs wine makers. This book will answers many questions and problems you may have with making fine wines. I entered a international wine competition in 2007, I entered 4 different types of wine and won one gold medal. After buying this book and reading it from cover to cover, I entered 3 different types of wine and walked away with 3 medals in the 2008 comptition (one gold and 2 silvers).

This book is well worth the money,and I want to thank Alison Crowe for writeing this great book.

Rating: 5 / 5

This is a nice book that will answer questions for those interested in home winemaking as well small scale wineries.
Rating: 4 / 5

I am a commercial wine maker. She has collected a ton of information that we take for granted every day and written it all down. Good Job!
Rating: 4 / 5