The Oxford Companion to Wine is an essential reference for both the novice and professional wine lover, written by a vast team of experts. Covering the entire world of wine, it avoids jargon to deliver clear, concise entries on the winemaking process, and practical advice on everything from opening a bottle to finding sustainably produced wines.

"A companion is a wonderful thing and this one is no exception. Its unique combination of depth, breadth, and links between subjects is a perfect companion for anyone travelling through the world of wine, for those who are fascinated by it and those who just love it, for pleasure seekers as much as for students. If you already own a copy, why should you buy this 5th edition of The Oxford Companion to Wine? Because the world, and the world of wine, has changed a great deal in the eight years since the 4th edition was published and every single entry has been reviewed and updated to reflect those changes. The greatest challenge is knowing that even before the ink is dry, we will have started a file on possible updates for the 6th edition"--

Wine as commodity has received enormous academic attention, while wine as gift has largely eluded significant dedicated research and analysis. This book addresses this lacuna with insights from leading scholars from a range of disciplines exploring wine as gift in different moments of history.

As an applied science, enology is a collection of knowledge from the fundamental sciences including chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, bioengineering, psychophysics, cognitive psychology, etc., and nourished by empirical observations. The approach used in the Handbook of Enology is thus the same. It aims to provide practitioners, winemakers, technicians and enology students with foundational knowledge and the most recent research results. This knowledge can be used to contribute to a better definition of the quality of grapes and wine, a greater understanding of chemical and microbiological parameters, with the aim of ensuring satisfactory fermentations and predicting the evolution of wines, and better mastery of wine stabilization processes. As a result, the purpose of this publication is to guide readers in their thought processes with a view to preserving and optimizing the identity and taste of wine and its aging potential. This third English edition of The Handbook of Enology, is an enhanced translation from the French 2017 edition, and is published in print as individual themed volumes and as a two-volume set, describing aspects of winemaking using a detailed, scientific approach. The authors, who are highly-respected enologists, examine winemaking processes, theorizing what constitutes a perfect technique and the proper combination of components necessary to produce a quality vintage. They also illustrate methodologies of common problems, revealing the mechanism behind the disorder, thus enabling a diagnosis and solution. Volume 1: The Microbiology of Wine and Vinifications addresses the first phase of winemaking to produce an "unfinished" wine: grading grape quality and maturation, yeast biology then adding it to the grape crush and monitoring its growth during vinification; and identifying and correcting undesired conditions, such as unbalanced lactic and acetic acid production, use of sulfur dioxide and alternatives, etc. Coverage includes: Wine microbiology; Yeasts; Yeast metabolism; The conditions for the development of yeasts; Lactic acid bacteria, their metabolism and their development in wine; Acetic bacteria; The use of sulfur dioxide in the treatment of musts and wines; Products and processes acting in addition to sulfur dioxide; Winemaking; The grape and its maturation; Harvesting and processing of grapes after harvest; Vinification in red and white wine making. The target audience includes advanced viticulture and enology students, professors and researchers, and practicing grape growers and vintners.

Forget everything you thought you knew about wine.