Understanding Wine Technology: The Science of Wine Explained

To determine whether Bird's "Understanding Wine Technology" is for you, it is necessary to decipher its positioning. It is an overview of all areas of commercial wine production from a less-technical basis (meaning something like "few chemical formulas, with all jargon explained very clearly). In the introduction, Bird says, "The book is aimed at the person with no formal scientific training, yet who is interested in the science behind wine and wants to know the mechanism behind the complex transformations that take place."The book delivers perfectly on that promise: it is amazingly readable and covers nearly every conceivable (general) topic regarding production. What it does *not* do is to provide detailed depth in any area (see below), cover non-production aspects such as details of individual varietals or wines, nor present a winemaking manual. It covers commercial rather than home production, although of course there is some overlap.If you want one of the following, then the book is for you: an substantial breadth view of topics; an overview of the science; an overview of commercial wine production. On the other hand, if you want something else, it is *not* for you: detailed technical depth on chemistry (try Margalit instead); a guide to wines, regions, or wineries; a guide to wine making. For my part, I am an aficionado and home winemaker, and it has added breadth to my knowledge. It's a good "first source" to look up something before delving into more depth.Preview pages ("see inside") are not yet posted for this volume, so I will clarify what it includes. There are 23 chapters that take up 290 pages of primary text. These include virtually every topic from vineyard to bottling. In addition to the usual topics ("in the vineyard", "producing the must", "fermentations", "clarification and fining", etc.) there are interesting and more industry-focused chapters, including a chapter on "quality control and [hazard] analysis". In other words, the topics are comprehensive, but at an average of 10 pages per topic, each topic provides only an overview of its area.The print quality is good, heavy weight, glossy paper. A pleasant surprise was the number of interesting color photographs, taken in vineyards and wineries around the world. These help immensely to illustrate the concepts.Finally, to clarify just how much depth there is, here is a paragraph describing cold soak processes:"Pre-ferment maceration, otherwise known as a 'cold soak', can be used to extract more aromas from the skins, This is identical to the so-called 'skin-contact' process as used in the production of aromatic white wine (sse p. 104). During this period the must has to be cooled to somewhere between 15 and 4 degrees C in order to prevent the fermentation starting, so that the cells containing the flavour and aroma compounds can be broken. This is particularly effective with Pinot Noir, where the aromas are very valuable, but the danger of the extraction of polyphenols is minimal because of the nature of the thin skins." [p. 90]That description took about 1/3 of a page. If you imagine that level of description multiplied across hundreds of carefully arranged and progressive topics, ending up with almost 300 pages total, you can imagine this book. I find it tremendously interesting and helpful, but again, it is an overview not a technical guide. Cheers!

Absolutely fantastic book for learning about wine production. David Bird walks you from the vineyard through the winery to the bottling plant. He leaves no stone unturned, and no concept unexplained. I am so glad I purchased this book, and ten times glad I read the entire thing cover to cover. One criticism for the publisher, if you are listening: the binding is terrible, and the pages began to drop out by the time I was learning about ISO standards. Fellow wine students and lovers alike, please do not let that deter you from buying, reading, and loving this book, just be aware that you may have to catch the occasional leaf...

Great reference to the science of wine, explained in plain English. Loaded with practical advice and insight that even a non-chemist can comprehend. The 300+ page book explores the many options and techniques available to the winemaker, along with challenges and standards which are all accompanied by explanations and examples, defined by a highly qualified and insightful author.

I bought this book on the basis of the previous reviews and I agree with the praise in large part. Let me start by saying I read Yair Margalit's comprehensive volume on wine chemistry shortly after the first edition was published simply because I couldn't find "Wine Chemistry for Dummies." It required the constant help of my friends Morrison, Boyd, and Lehninger. Having a modest collegiate background in chemistry helped but the whole experience was one of concept overload. Bird does an outstanding job of taking the major chemical concepts in winemaking and making them eminently understandable by parsing them out in digestible nuggets. I read this book primarily for the chemistry but was drawn into his discussions of wood and storage. The chapters on fining and filtration seemed to hold particular interest for the author, but I found them overlong. When he publishes his Fourth Edition there are a few things I'd like to see. First, the color pictures are nice but they don't provide the information that a well drawn diagram could provide. Although his narrative about the different types of crushers, destemmers, and pressers his good, a diagram of each type would have been more helpful than a picture, especially to those of us that are not generally familiar with mechanical devices.Chapter 10 is entitled, "Sparkling and Fortified Processes," is a scant eleven pages. The chapter title alone, by including both, gives the reader a warning that these subjects will be given short shrift. Yes, there are other resources for this information, like Julian Jeff's $700 book on Sherry. But Bird writes so well that it seems a shame that he devotes more time to filtration than he does to these complex processes.This volume fills in many gaps in the winemaking process that are present the standard wine references. It also made me recognize the gaps I still have in the production of Champaign, Port, and Sherry.

A very good starting point in order to understand how wine is made. There is a lot of talk of additives as well as natural wine. This book takes some of the myth out of the discussion by explaining in easy terms how winemaking works.

Surprised how good the condition of the book is considering how inexpensive it was. Very pleased!Will update review once I have read it.

This is a technical book on all aspects of wine. It is a book that men and women will appreciate. It has a good review in the book that is written by a woman owner of a winery that sums up the book. It is worth having if you want to appreciate wine and also if you are going into selling, growing wine.

Ottimo come da descrizione

A must read. Great quality product all round

I'd highly recommend this book as the one to read before the Wine Production exam for WSETDip and those who just want a deeper understanding and grassroots explanation as to why a wine tastes and smells and behaves the way it does in the bottle and glass. I found this book super useful and definitely expanded my wine knowledge and appreciation.

Needful

Very Informative...to the point.The science is explained in a great way making it easier to get a grasp of.Any wine enthusiast will really respect this wonderful book!