Best Wine Buying Guide Books of 2025

Wine Folly: Magnum Edition is an expanded hardcover guidebook that offers an inventive and easy-to-digest approach to learning about wine. It includes more than 100 grapes and wines, a wine region explorer with detailed maps, wine labeling and classification 101, an expanded food and wine pairing section, and more essential tips to help you become an expert. Written by Madeline Puckette, a certified sommelier, and Justin Hammack, a founding partner of Wine Folly, the book is a must-have for both newbies and devotees looking to take their wine knowledge to the next level. Overall, Wine Folly: Magnum Edition is a practical and fun guidebook that offers a unique and comprehensive approach to wine education.

Wine Simple by Aldo Sohm is an essential guide for anyone who wants to learn more about wine. Sohm, a world-renowned sommelier, makes wine approachable and fun with his confidence-building infographics and illustrations, easy-to-absorb hits of information, and pragmatic tips. This book covers the fundamentals of wine, key varietals and winemaking regions, how to taste, when to save and when to splurge, and even how to set up a wine tasting at home. Sohm also teaches readers how to evolve their palate and troubleshoot tricky wines. Overall, Wine Simple is a lively, educational, and user-friendly approach to wine that will inspire readers to taste smarter and drink boldly.

The Kevin Zraly Windows on the World Complete Wine Course: Revised & Updated / 35th Edition is a fantastic guide for anyone who wants to learn more about wine. Written by James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Kevin Zraly, this book has sold over three million copies and is an essential tool for discovering and enjoying the perfect wines for you. It covers everything from grape varieties to winemaking techniques, different types and styles of wine, how to read a wine label, and how to evaluate a wine in just 60 seconds. With new chapters on Prosecco, Rosé, and the wines of Sicily, plus a fascinating chapter on how wine and food culture has changed since 1970, this book is a must-have for any wine lover.

Wine Folly: The Essential Guide to Wine is a fantastic introductory book for those looking to deepen their knowledge of wine. The book is designed with sleek modern information and data visualization, providing pragmatic answers to all your wine-related questions. From detailed taste profiles of popular and under-the-radar wines to practical tips for serving and tasting wine, this book is packed with useful information. The guide also includes a food and wine pairing section and detailed maps of wine regions. Overall, this book is a must-read for anyone looking to enhance their wine knowledge and confidently make decisions at the table.

The Champagne [Boxed Book & Map Set] by Peter Liem is an essential guide for anyone interested in the modern wines of Champagne. The book provides extensive profiles of growers and vintners, along with a fascinating history of the region. The luxurious box set also includes a complete set of seven vintage vineyard maps, a rare and indispensable resource that beautifully documents the region’s terroirs. The book won several awards, including the 2018 James Beard Foundation Cookbook Award, and is sure to become an essential reference for Champagne lovers and all wine enthusiasts.

The 5 Ingredient Cookbook is a great resource for those who want to cook healthy meals without spending hours in the kitchen. The book is geared towards beginners, offering simple and easy-to-follow recipes that require only five ingredients. The book also includes a guide to cooking basics, making it a perfect starting point for those who want to learn how to cook. The book is perfect for those who want to eat healthy but don't have much time to spend in the kitchen.

The Sommelier's Atlas of Taste is a comprehensive guide for wine enthusiasts who want to improve their tasting skills and understand the intricacies of the world's greatest wine regions. Rajat Parr and Jordan Mackay share everything they've learned in their decades of tasting wine, making this the most in-depth study of wine regions ever published. The book describes the differences between wines from various subregions, soils, and appellations, making it an essential reference for aspiring sommeliers, wine aficionados, and amateur enthusiasts. This thought-provoking book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand and describe wine in a modern way.

The World Atlas of Whisky: New Edition is an extensive and comprehensive guide to the history, process, distilleries, and expressions of world whiskies. Written by award-winning author and whisky expert Dave Broom, the book explores over 200 distilleries and examines over 400 expressions. It also includes tasting notes on single malts and six specially created 'Flavor Camp Charts' to help readers identify new whiskies from around the world to try. With over 200 beautiful color photographs and 21 color maps, this book is a stylish celebration of the heritage, romance, craftsmanship, and versatility of whisky. Overall, this book is a must-read for whisky lovers and a perfect reference guide for their bookshelf.

Whiskey Master Class: The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Scotch, Bourbon, Rye, and More by Lew Bryson is a comprehensive guide to the world of whiskey. The book covers everything from the different types of whiskey and their identities to the key ingredients and the distillation process. It also includes tasting notes and interviews with master distillers and other experts. The unique and often behind-the-scenes photography in every chapter makes it an enjoyable read. Overall, this book is a must-read for whiskey enthusiasts and novices alike, and it stands out for its in-depth coverage and engaging storytelling.

The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide To Becoming A Wine Expert: Take a Whiff of That by Richard Betts is a first-of-its-kind book that introduces readers to the basic components of wine through scratch-and-sniff scents. With humorously illustrated pages and 16 scents, the book is perfect for anyone looking to discover the difference between different types of wines. The book has been praised for being smart, fun, enlightening, and refreshingly free of snobbery. Overall, this book is a great addition to any wine lover's collection and offers a unique and engaging way to learn about wine.