The New France: A Complete Guide to Contemporary French Wine

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Yes, I know, this is a wine book, and *Caterer* The Brits are now the number-one importers of wines in the world, and the largest consumers of wine for a non-wine producing country. But what do we really know about wine? Er, not that much. And if you havenÁ¢Â€Â™t got time to take yourselves off to wine classes Á¢Â€Â" and, letÁ¢Â€Â™s face it, most of us havenÁ¢Â€Â™t Á¢Â€Â" then grabbing a few pages before you turn out the light is the way to go. But a wine book? Well, things have changed on the wine writing scene. Even erudite writers such as Andrew Jefford can sustain most peopleÁ¢Â€Â™s attention these days (honest), and his latest book is no exception. Published last autumn, *The New France* does much more than it says on the tin Á¢Â€Â" it gives you a hugely insightful lowdown on the current French wine scene. Jefford is a passionate writer and he has a real empathy with his subject. After getting you up to date with the minefield that is French wine law, he explains the concept of terroir in dense but lively detail (though he canÁ¢Â€Â™t resist the odd quote from Colette), before embarking on a journey through the regions. He profiles the key movers and shakers of Á¢Â€ÂœNew FranceÁ¢Â€Â while exposing each regionÁ¢Â€Â™s weaknesses in a pithy section he calls Á¢Â€ÂœFlakÁ¢Â€Â, leaving no stone unturned, as they say. If youÁ¢Â€Â™ve been turning your back on France of late, this will rekindle those fires. And just in case you need any more convincing, *The New France* has won a mantelpiece-full of awards Á¢Â€Â" the latest is Best Drink Book of the Year 2002 from the AndrÁƒÂ© Simon Memorial Fund. Get reading. Fiona Sims, wine editor, Caterer & Hotelkeeper *The New France: A Complete Guide to Contemporary French Wine Andrew Jefford Mitchell Beazley, Á‚£30 ISBN 1-84000-410-X*