

WINE WRITING AT ITS FINEST
Académie du Vin Library books are available for book trade customers from ACC Art Books worldwide.
Académie du Vin Library books are available for book trade customers from ACC Art Books worldwide.
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Welcome to the Académie du Vin Library. We were founded by Steven Spurrier and Hugh Johnson to publish the best wine writing and we hope you will find titles for every facet of your interest in wine in this catalogue.
We have recently acquired the award-winning Classic Wine Library and now offer over 80 titles, focusing on fascinating wine regions, hero winemakers and wines you will want to know more about. We are proud to number many of the world’s greatest wine writers and most respected experts on our list. We choose our books with care – above all for their readability, but also because we genuinely believe they have something important to say about the world of fine wine that will enhance your drinking pleasure.
Our books aim to bring you the best of modern wine writing and to provide the colour, the background and the essential understanding on which any true enjoyment of fine wine depends. We also publish beautiful new editions of old books that we firmly believe demand a new audience. Rather than simply republishing the books, we add updates and additional material that we think will appeal to a modern readership without in any way altering the charm or the essential wisdom of the originals. Fine wine writing, like wine itself, represents an accumulation of knowledge over the ages. Our aim is to pick the best and to let it breathe again.
Enjoy
FOREWORD BY
TIM MONDAVIBACK IN 1972 OUR FOUNDER, the late Steven Spurrier, founded the Académie du Vin – a series of classes that blended factual information with practical tasting experience, and which were structured so that students could build their knowledge in a gradual, orderly way without becoming ‘swamped’. In the 1980s his Académie du Vin Wine Course became a best-selling book. Now we are delighted to honour Steven’s legacy by publishing an-all new edition, handsomely bound in a linen slipcase, and fully revised and updated to reflect the wine world as it is today.
True to the spirit of the original, Steven Spurrier’s Académie du Vin Wine Course takes the reader logically through every aspect of wine appreciation: how to taste wine like the professionals; why the ways in which grapes are grown and wines are made have such a profound impact on the final taste; the characteristics of the most popular grape varieties and the world’s wine-growing regions; and last, but certainly not least, how to store and collect wine so that you can appreciate it in years to come.
Whether you’re a newcomer to fine wine or already an afficionado, there is no more enjoyable or concise way to take your learning to the next level.
EXCLUSIVE TO Académie du Vin Library, our collection of wine anthologies gathers together the words of the finest wine writers and specialists ever to put pen to paper. Each book focuses on one of the world’s major wine-growing regions and brings its flavours, its characters, its landscape and the story of its wines to life.
Curated by Susan Keevil, these fascinating books aim to illuminate, elucidate and entertain as you read. Let the journey unfold as you browse, or dip in and dip out as the fancy takes you… these books are the perfect accompaniment to your favourite glass, and the inspiration to try out vineyards new.
❝ Burgundy, moreover, is the Bach of wine regions – the inexhaustible urquell from which every other zone draws inspiration. It can feel like home, even for those who have never lived there; those grave, watchful hills always nourish and surprise. ❞
ANDREW JEFFORDFROM TEETH-GNASHING OUTRAGE to tonsil-tickling euphoria: burgundy can baffle with its unwillingness to charm in the glass, then dazzle and astound us when we catch it at its best. It is elusive yet addictive. Those who know burgundy frequently never love another wine – not least the authors and experts in this book, whose insights embrace the two grapes (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), the two slopes (the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune) and the hillsides that surround this region. They answer the questions everyone asks: Why do these wines taste as good as they do? Who makes them this way? And, how is it that this celestial terroir came to the world’s attention in the first place?
RRP $47.50 Format 10x7.5 in, 280pp hardback
ISBN 978-1-913141-53-0
RRP $47.50
Format 10x7.5 in 280pp hardback
ISBN 978-1-913141-35-6
RRP $47.50
Format 10x7.5 in 272pp hardback
ISBN 978-1-913141-20-2
RRP $47.50
Format 10x7.5 in 288pp hardback
ISBN 978-1-913141-05-9
★ HARDBACK EDITION
RRP $35
Format 225x170mm 348pp
ISBN 978-1-913141-32-5
‘Original
Writings on Wine
ANDREW JEFFORD★ Now in paperback!
POET, PHILOSOPHER, author, radio presenter and journalist, Andrew Jefford is the ideal companion for anyone wine-curious. In this collection of his essays and opinions he spans back through the mists of 80 or 90 centuries and forwards to the wine countries and cultures of today, sharing his fascinating observations from five decades of discovery. For Andrew, wine should be listened to and admired, wherever it comes from; old-school pretentions turned on their head; style-points disdained; stellar prices dismissed; questions asked... And his secret wine pleasure? Drinking port young, in its ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ stage ‘when it comes hurtling out of the glass and puts the screamers on you…’
❝ Words, in the hands of Andrew Jefford, are jewels, and he cuts, shapes and sets them with lapidary precision. They sparkle on the page. ❞
TAMLYN CURRIN, jancisrobinson.com
RRP $22.95 Format 8.5x6 in 272pp paperback ISBN 978-1-913141-51-6
Ebook available RRP $9.99
Diary of a Vintners’ Scholar
BEN HOWKINSBEN HOWKINS grew up in rural Northamptonshire and spent a year studying at the prestigious American college Amherst before returning home to start work at the local Phipps Brewery. But then, more by luck than judgement, he was awarded a coveted Scholarship by the Worshipful Company of Vintners — and so began a 60-year rollercoaster journey through the world of fine wine. Quickly discovering that a knowledge of wine opened doors that were closed to lesser mortals, Ben had a front row seat as the wine trade grew from an elitist and rather amateurish profession into a multimillion dollar global business. This is the story of how it happened, and of the many remarkable characters the author befriended along the way.
❝ A charming, entertaining, and illuminating read – not only for all those in or around the wine trade, but also for those outside who want to see in to what makes it so special. ❞
NEIL BECKETT, editor World of Fine WineRRP $16.95 Format 8.5x6 in, 224pp hardback ISBN 978-1-913141-45-5
academieduvinlibrary.com
The Reawakening of a Wine Legend
JEAN-MICHEL CAZES
THE LATE JEAN-MICHEL CAZES’ powerful description of the transformation not just of the Cazes family’s estate – the renowned classed growth Château Lynch-Bages – but of Bordeaux’s entire wine scene. Witnessing radical change in the vineyards over the last 50 years, breakthrough vinification technology, and a sequence of stellar vintages that reignited a global passion for the wines of Bordeaux, he charts the path of this wine to a new look that shook the world… literally, from provincial Pauillac to the fringes of outer-space!
The 75-Year Story of Great Wines and the Friends Who Shared Them
NEIL MCKENDRICK
A STORY OF 12 FRIENDS who gathered to share and celebrate the extraordinary wines of Bordeaux. Like-minded in their love of wine, they differed wildly (often alarmingly!) in their personal wealth, life and circumstances. Neil McKendrick, member and minute-taker for 57 of the Club’s 70 extraordinary years, weaves the tale of this convivial group with the rigour of a Cambridge academic (he is ex-Master of Gonville and Caius) and the humour of a born raconteur, serving up memories of vintages the like of which we will never see again.
Story of a Wine Icon
ed. SUSAN KEEVIL
WINEMAKING IS NEVER EASY, but in the case of Chateau Musar, the most famous wine to come out of Lebanon, there have been times when it has been almost impossibly difficult. This is the story of how the Hochar family carried on regardless, making wines of charisma and character with minimal interference. With contributions from Elizabeth Gilbert, Jancis Robinson MW, Edward Ragg MW, Fongyee Walker MW, Michael Broadbent and Andrew Jefford, it is the perfect read for those who want to learn more about this incredible wine.
Ebook available RRP £9.99
Your Global Wine Companion
OZ CLARKE
A fast-paced, informative and witty romp around the world of wine. Combining Oz’s encyclopaedic knowledge, spirit of adventure and very definite personal tastes, it unearths a trove of wine treasures just waiting to be discovered. Along the way Oz conjures up the wine world’s most beautiful landscapes, its zaniest characters and most elusive flavours. In his most personal book to date, Oz is equally passionate about sharing his thoughts on how wine can survive in a world of increasing climatic and technological changes. Unputdownable.
RRP $30 Format 9.4x6.7 in, 496pp fullflex ISBN 978-1-913141-18-9
Ebook available RRP $9.99 Audio book available $50
From Noah to Now
HUGH JOHNSONHUGH JOHNSON has led the literature of wine in many new directions over his 60-year career. His classic The Story of Wine, winner of countless awards in both the UK and USA, tells with wit, wisdom and scholarship how wine became the global phenomenon it is today, from mass-produced plonk to rare bottles that fetch thousands. This new edition includes Hugh’s views on the changes the industry has seen over the years, but remains at its heart, in the words of Andrew Roberts, an adventure story, full of mysteries, art and culture’.
RRP $45 Format 9.4x6.7 in, 496pp fullflex ISBN 978-1-913141-06-6
Ebook available RRP $9.99 Audio book available RRP $30
academieduvinlibrary.com
IN THIS UNIQUE APPROACH to understanding wine, the world’s best-loved wine author weaves the story of his own epic wine journey with an embracing view of everything he has discovered along the way. Hugh takes us from the teetering ledges of the Mosel and majestic châteaux of the Médoc to the sylvan slopes of Windsor Great Park with a spring in his step and a tasting glass at the ready. Almost without realising it, the reader is drawn into a fascinating world in which knowledge is gained and wine wisdom absorbed with each page turned.
RRP $45 Format 9.4x6.7 in, 360pp fullflex ISBN 978-1-913141-30-1
Ebook available RRP $9.99
THE MOMENT HE WAS HANDED a glass of Cockburn 1908 vintage port by his grandfather, Steven Spurrier knew he would make wine his life. He travelled Europe in his red sports car, worked the vintage in Burgundy, Bordeaux and Champagne, then embarked on the first of many extraordinary ventures by setting up shop in Paris to sell wine to the French. In 1976, he went on to mastermind the ‘Judgement of Paris’, the France vs California blind tasting that changed the wine world forever. This memoir looks back on his extraordinary life with tributes from Hugh Johnson, Miguel Torres, Oz Clarke, Jancis Robinson MW, Warren Winiarski and many more.
RRP $47.50 Format 8.9x7
Ebook available RRP $9.99 Audio book available RRP $30
PETER VINDING-DIERS is a Danish aristocrat turned roving winemaker who one summer found himself on Burgundy’s Côte de Beaune and was suddenly besotted. His first foray into wine took him to the Cape, where he learned vineyard ways and wine science. Next came a dazzling decade in Bordeaux, where his pioneering exploits began to catch the world’s attention. He then ventured to Bulgaria, Brazil, Spain, Chile and Hungary, earning himself the title ‘Flying Winemaker’ (he was one of the first). Now busily engaged in taming vineyards on the wilder side of Sicily, whether by accident or design Peter has always found himself at the forefront of vinous discovery.
RRP
Commemorative Edition
MICHAEL BROADBENT
THE BOOK THAT BEGAN IT ALL: Michael Broadbent’s definitive guide republished as a special Commemorative Edition with contributions from friends, colleagues and family, plus a unique insight into the author’s artistic and musical talents. Before the first publication of Wine Tasting in 1968, appreciating fine wine was a pastime enjoyed by the privileged few: there was no set methodology for comparing one wine with another, and no common vocabulary by which tasters could pass on their knowledge. Michael Broadbent’s detailed approach to tasting changed all that, bringing wine appreciation within everyone’s grasp and launching an industry that has never looked back.
RRP
Ebook available RRP $9.99
The Reawakening of a Wine Legend
ed. SUSAN KEEVIL
AN ELEGANTLY BOUND COLLECTION of wine writing past and present – the perfect gift for wine lovers everywhere (and the wine lovers in their life). With contributions from Michael Broadbent on good and bad vintages, Ian Maxwell Campbell on Bordeaux vs Burgundy, George Orwell and PG Wodehouse on the complementary pleasures of wine and tea, Randall Grahm on the search for California’s ‘magic grape’ and Andrew Caillard MW on the art of wine labels, In Vino Veritas brims with wit and wisdom from some of the most erudite wine writers ever to raise a glass.
RRP $47.50 Format 10x7.5 in, 224pp hardback ISBN 978-1-913141-03-5
FIONA MORRISON MW
AN UP-CLOSE AND PERSONAL insight into 10 of Europe’s most celebrated winemaking families that chronicles their triumphs, trials and tribulations through successive generations. Featuring famous names such as Frescobaldi, Gaja, Torres, Perrin, Niepoort, Knoll and Torres, the author was welcomed into their homes with her photographer to capture the ‘behind the scenes’ excitement of winemaking at the very highest level. A must-read for any wine lover, this book also contains insights into topical issues such as climate change, globalization, organic cultivation and the tricky business of inheritance tax.
RRP $35 Format 9.4x6.7 in, 296pp hardback ISBN 978-1-913141-01-1
Ebook available RRP $9.99
academieduvinlibrary.com
Maligned, Misunderstood, Magnificent!
BEN HOWKINS
THIS EVOCATIVELY ILLUSTRATED BOOK casts an expert and entertainingly readable eye over an old favourite – out of fashion in recent years, but now making a comeback in the world’s restaurants. Made in a unique way, matured in cellars dating back to the age of the Conquistadores, and bursting with a panoply of sun-drenched flavours, sherry has – due to a succession of scandals and bad luck during the 1970s –been maligned and misunderstood. But with new styles, new vineyards and a dynamic new crop of cellar masters, this wine is set to re-enter our lives with a magnificent flourish.
RRP $47.50 Format 9.4x6.7 in, 224pp hardback ISBN 978-1-913141-28-8
WE’RE DELIGHTED TO WELCOME an important new edition to our list of outstanding wine titles – The Classic Wine Library. This world-renowned series of books is synonymous with quality reference guides to many of the world’s top wine regions, as well as specialist titles on history, marketing and biodynamic practices. Its list of authors includes many MWs and leading wine writers. More than 30 titles are already in publication and there are more to come, including The wines of California, and The wines of Beaujolais in 2025.
All Classic Wine Library titles are priced at $44.95 except Spirits Distilled and Wine ($39.95), CWL Reader ($50) and Luxury Wine Marketing ($69.95).
All books measure 9x6 in and are in softback format, except CWL Reader and Luxury Wine Marketing, which are hardback.
All books contain colour plates except CWL Reader, The Wines of Australia and The Wines of Piemonte, which are colour throughout, and Biodynamic Wine, Spirits Distilled, Wine and Luxury Wine Marketing, which have black and white photos only.
The popularity of Australian wine has ebbed and flowed over the years but has recently undergone a quiet revolution as its winemakers seek to challenge preconceptions of what is possible. The current landscape is one of boutique producers, renowned premium wines, sustainable production and a notable natural wine movement. In The Wines of Australia, sommelier Mark Davidson helps readers chart a path through the complex and varied world of Australian wine with verve and infectious enthusiasm.
As the home of no fewer than 60 Italian wine denominations, along with numerous native grape varieties, navigating one’s way around the intricacies of Piemontese wine production is no easy task. With a precise and engaging writing style, author David Way not only rises admirably to the challenge, but sets his readers one of their own – namely, to step outside their comfort zone and explore the remarkable range of wines to be found beyond the familiar names of Barolo, Barbaresco, Moscato d’Asti and Gavi.
Richard Mayson’s award-winning Port and the Douro, first published in 1999, has become a classic over the years. In this comprehensively updated fifth edition he reminds us why port is a drink that continues to fascinate wine-lovers and win new fans. As well as charting the wine’s long history, he casts an expert eye over the latest developments over the port business, which has been invigorated over the last 20 years by changes in ownership and state-of-the art vinification techniques. Publishes June 2024.
❝ Authoritative, but never at the expense of readability, this book will enthral Rhône fans and enlighten those learning about the region for the first time. ❞
❝ The Classic Wine Library never lets us down … Fill your boots with these books. ❞
TAMLYN CURRIN, jancisrobinson.com
The Wines of Georgia: OIV Award 2021, Wines and Territories Category
The Wines of Germany: Domaine Faiveley International Wine Book of the Year 2020 (Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards)
The Wines of Bulgaria: OIV Award 2020, Wines and Territories Category
The Classic Wine Library is home to some of the most trusted experts writing on wine, including Julian Jeffs, Richard Mayson, Rosemary George MW, Rebecca Gibb MW and Anne Krebiehl MW. This anthology gathers together selected essays from the 30 tiles published over the last 10 years, giving a flavour of what makes the series so special. It covers a full range of topics essential to the understanding of wines from different regions, including their history, the way they are grown, variations in winemaking techniques and signature wines. The anthology is curated by Rebecca Clare, James Tidwell MS, Sarah Jane Evans MW and Richard Mayson.
ISBN 978-1-9131-4171-4
Leading wine business consultant Peter Yeung and Professor of Wine and Management Liz Thach MW explore how a wine brand can enter the special realm of ‘luxury’ wine. They present their own unique research examining the size of the market and the profile of the customer base. Every stage in the process of creating, launching and maintaining a luxury brand is explained, from crafting the product, though pricing and packaging to hiring the right people and managing client relationships. Ideal for marketing professionals, CEOs and other executives from wine and complementary luxury businesses, the book will also prove useful to wine business professors and students.
ISBN 978-1-9131-4157-8
academieduvinlibrary.com
In a fascinating new take on a favourite subject, Rod Phillips’ Wine looks at how this drink has been used to demarcate social groups and genders, how wine has shaped facets of society as diverse as medicine, religion and warfare, how vineyards have transformed landscapes, and how successive innovations in wine packaging have affected and been affected by both commerce and consumption. Broad in its vision, painstakingly detailed in it research, this is a book that will appeal not only to students of wine but to all those who have ever paused to think who intricately the fruit of the vine is bound up with our day-to-day lives.
ISBN 978-1-9131-4174-5
Edith Somerville & Martin Ross
Journeying through the Médoc in the autumn of 1891, Anglo-Irish cousins Edith Somerville and Martin Ross (aka Violet Florence Martin) bring their distinctive mélange of wry wit, acute observation and unabashed horror at the barefoot treading of Cabernet Sauvignon to this delightful account of vendangeurs lofty and low-born as they gather in the harvest in time-honoured fashion. Illustrated using Somerville’s equally delightful sketches, this is a story of two feisty ladies for whom anything remotely pretentious is fair game.
RRP $19.95 Format 8.5x6 in, paperback
ISBN 978-1-913141-14-1
Ebook available $5.99
Ian Maxwell Campbell
Writing in the immediate aftermath of World War II, wine merchant, soldier and cricketer Ian Maxwell Campbell casts an affectionate and occasionally wistful look back at the Golden Age of wine, when Bordeaux was affordable, Burgundy’s finest vintages tended towards cannibalism and other wines could be… well, surprisingly attractive. In the words of Neal Martin: ‘The title alone is a perfect allegory for how we learn about wine, and how knowledge grows organically over time.’
RRP $19.95 Format 8.5x6 in, paperback
ISBN 978-1-913141-16-5
Ebook available $7.99
Maurice Healy
Maurice Healy’s love letter to wine, and to the wines he enjoyed with friends during his long study of the subject. Healy takes us on a comprehensive tour of Europe, visiting all the key wine regions of the time and commenting on the impact of World War II on wine production. Originally written in 1940, this edition was first published after Healy’s premature death in 1950 with notes from his great friend Ian Maxwell Campbell –amusing asides that show how the two often disagreed on the subject of wine!
RRP $19.95 Format 8.5x6 in, paperback
ISBN 978-1-913141-23-3
Ebook available $9.99
academieduvinlibrary.com
H. Warner Allen
Journalist and World War I frontline reporter, Hubert Warner Allen (1881–1968) casts an observant eye over the way wine appears in literature, taking in the wisdom of 18thcentury epicurean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin and the sagacity of the legendary George Saintsbury and André Simon. Warner Allen’s observations are both fascinating and entertaining. As Harry Eyres says in his introduction: ‘This is very much the opposite of modern wine writing, and presents another era seen through a glass darkly.’
RRP $19.95 Format 8.5x6 in, paperback
ISBN 978-1-913141-25-7
Ebook available $9.99
THE ULTIMATE PACKAGE of your favourite wine books by your favourite writers, the Cellar Collection No.1 sits in a beautiful Wibalin cloth-covered slipcase with foil embossing. It is the perfect way to display and store titles that every good cellar or library should include. Enjoy Hugh Johnson’s exploration of the long and fascinating history of wine, along with the work of other writers including George Orwell and PG Wodehouse. The father of formal wine tasting, Michael Broadbent, guides you through the knowledge you need to get the most out of what you drink. Learn about glorious wines including sherries, clarets and the extraordinary Lebanese wines made by Chateau Musar. Meet the legendary wine commentators, including Steven Spurrier, and get to know some of the noblest winemaking families of Europe with Fiona Morrison MW.
8 books in cloth-bound slipcase
RRP $400 Slipcase dimensions 10.4 in (h) x 7.3 in (w) x 8.1 in (d)
ISBN 978-1-913141-27-1
academieduvinlibrary.com
vinosity (vɪˈnɒsɪtɪ) noun, the distinctive and essential quality and flavour of wine
Definition of 'vinosity' from the Collins English Dictionary
We love wine tales. They transport us from cosy armchairs to vibrant vineyards, to legendary Bordeaux châteaux and to ancient cellars in an instant. They inspire, invigorate and captivate us.
Our aim at Académie du Vin Library is to bring you the best wine stories from renowned authors and contributors around the world. Some of those stories are presented in the beautiful, descriptive books in this catalogue. You will find many, many more in VINOSITY – our free online magazine that transports you instantly to an ever-changing world of wine that never ceases to surprise or delight. We hope you will find its articles, penned by our global network of writers, a valuable addition to your own personal wine journey.