How to Drink Australian: An Essential Modern Wine Book

(Hardback)

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The landscape of Australian wine is cracking with new energy and historic traditions that make it one of the most exciting wine-producing countries in the world today. But the scholarship on Australian wine hasn't always matched the output. How to Drink Australian corrects that. It takes readers on a journey around the country, state by state, region by region. Each state has an introduction. And the most significant regions have their own separate chapters within each state.
The authors consider: the evolution of wine in each region; the lay of the land; wine styles; and the inside scoop, pressing concerns and current happenings. As well as key producer profiles - up and comers and industry stalwarts.
Each regional chapter is accompanied by its own detailed map created by renowned cartographer Martin von Wyss. The maps locate important vineyards and producers as well as showcasing what makes the region tick.
As well, a glossary and directory of the most important producers, including icons that further explain their significance to their region.

Reviews

'The wine book that the Australian wine industry deserves. Insightful, intelligent and in depth ... An instant classic.' NEIL PERRY, chef, restaurateur, and author


'How to Drink Australian is INCREDIBLE. The most comprehensive book on the best Australian wines. It's not an easy feat to bring together so much information, diving deep into the intricacies of the great regions, producers and terroirs of Australia. A must have on every wine lover's book shelf.' RAJAT PARR, author, sommelier and winemaker

'A refreshing take on Australian wine. Colour, facts, figures, personalities - all masterfully and sensitively interconnected.' PETER GAGO, Penfolds chief winemaker

'As an American sommelier, Australia was really one of those places that I thought was mostly full of funny critters and over-hyped wines. That is, until I met Jane and Jon - they showed me that this is a land of terroir and growers who rival many of their European counterparts. This book further solidified me falling in love with this wild continent so rich with history and a new generation of wines. An important read for both wine geeks and novices alike!' VICTORIA JAMES, sommelier and author

'Capturing all the complexities of wine in contemporary Australia is a massive job, but Jane and Jon and their team of collaborators have absolutely nailed it: How to Drink Australian is an exhaustive, insightful, invaluable new guide to what's going on right now in the vineyards and cellars - and, crucially, the hearts and minds - of winegrowers right across this dynamic country.' - MAX ALLEN, author The Future Makers: Australian Wines for the 21st Century

'As someone who has followed the Australian wine scene since 1992, it is about time for this great book by Jane Lopes and Jonathan Ross. So much has changed, not just in the past 30 years - the last 10 alone have been revelatory. To have them walk us through these changes and these wine regions, is so timely.' BOBBY STUCKEY, James Beard award winning Master Sommelier

Author Bio

Jane Lopes is a sommelier, author, and importer, having worked at New York's Eleven Madison Park, Nashville's The Catbird Seat, Chicago's The Violet Hour, and most recently as the wine director at Melbourne's Attica, before passing the prestigious master sommelier exam in 2018. Lopes published her first book, Vignette: Stories of Life and Wine in 100 Bottles, in 2019. In 2020, Lopes co-founded Legend, an Australian wine imports company, with husband Jonathan Ross, to help bring the great wines they'd experienced in Australia to the US. She is now based in Nashville.

Jonathan Ross is a sommelier and wine importer whose career in restaurants has included posts at New York's Eleven Madison Park, Oceana and Anthos, and as the beverage director for Australia's Rockpool Dining Group. Ross passed the prestigious master sommelier exam in 2017, has curated wine offerings for Qantas Airlines, and founded the boutique wine label Micro Wines. In 2020, Ross returned to the US, eager to spread the word of the world-class wine he'd worked with in Australia, and co-founding Legend Imports in 2020 with his wife Jane Lopes.

When Mike Bennie isn't wandering vineyards on the four corners of the globe, he is a widely published Sydney-based wine and drinks writer, journalist and presenter. Mike is one of the most internationally known commentators in this space. He is also a co-founder and partner in the landmark P&V Wine + Liquor Merchants, a shop and education space devoted to artisan fermented, brewed and distilled products, and co-director of the landmark Rootstock Sydney wine and food festival.

After 10 years abroad developing wine programs for some of the world's most revered resorts and heading up the wine program for Hong Kong's Press Room Group, Kavita Faiella has returned to Sydney to oversee marketing for Shaw+Smith, Tolpuddle Vineyard, MMAD Vineyard and The Other Wine Co. She is a Len Evans scholar and a graduate of the of the Wine Australia Future Leaders program.

Hannah Day is a writer turned cabaret artist turned sommelier turned winery hand with a fierce and unquenchable fascination for wine - drinking it, sharing it, talking about it and writing about it.
Obsessed with the geography of wine, Martin von Wyss is a cartographer and publisher of award-winning maps for National Geographic, academic and trade publishers, and his own vW Maps. Martin's web-based World Wine Regions atlas reveals the world's 2500 wine appellations, from Albania to Venezuela, and his Melbourne bottle shop and wine bar, Cardwell Cellars, stocks wines from regions near and far.