Compiled and written in the same wonderfully witty and entertaining style as his cocktail bible Drinkology, author James Waller begins this new volume by explaining certain guiding principles. He will not assume that you come to it with any particular knowledge about wine. He won't assume that you have all the money in the world. He will not to focus too much or too often on wines that you will be unable to find. With all that in mind, Waller embarks on one of the most thorough and practical wine courses available. He begins with basic wine vocabulary, how wine is made, and how wine gets from the winery to your table. And then moves on to going to your wine shop, attending tastings, visiting wineries, joining or starting a wine club. And finally buying, storing, and serving wine at home and ordering wine in a restaurant. Along the way are helpful sidebars such as The Second Date Is Always the Hardest (ordering/buying a well-liked wine again); Yuck! (what can go wrong with a bottle of wine); and Whining and Dining (when, and how, to complain). The book then takes off into the larger world of wine specifics, with entire chapters devoted to Red, White, Roses, Sparkling, Fortified, and Non-grape wines. This is followed by an exploration of the wine-producing regions around the world and their products. Along the way, there's information on Wine and Food (pairing wine and cheese) and Hosting a Wine-Tasting Party.