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Further Reading: Lists for all levels
Published: 03/06/2024
What else can I read to keep learning? This is a question we’re often asked by our WSET graduates after their courses have come to an end, and the textbooks have been slipped into the bookshelf. While we hope your WSET materials will continue to be reference points whenever you need a refresher, there’s a lot more reading material out there and waiting to be picked up. Many of you are asking with future study in mind, but many of you are looking to keep learning without necessarily getting back to the classroom. Whatever the reason, we couldn’t approve more! Reading about wine is fascinating because it touches so many topics: history, culture, science, climate change, fashions and more. You can learn a lot learning about wine, so here are our top picks for every level.
WSET Level 1 in Wines Graduates
Profile: You’ve dipped your toe into the world of wine and the water is warm… You’re looking for fun and informative books to expand beyond the basics.
We recommend:
- Wine Folly: The Essential Guide to Wine/ Wine Folly: The Master Guide by Madeline Puckette and Justin Hammack
The Wine Folly team are all about making learning about wine fun and accessible, with bold graphics and easy-to-understand terminology. The former version is the original, while the latter is an extended double-length tome. Both make for great coffee table books to dip in and out of.
- The 24-Hour Wine Expert by Jancis Robinson MW
One of the world’s foremost wine experts, journalists and critics (as well as the co-author of the encyclopaedic Oxford Companion to Wine), this deceptively small book contains masses of expertise and tips. From how to choose a bottle at a restaurant to decoding label terminology, Jancis has got your covered.
- Los Supervinos by Nuria Poveda
A guide to the best wines available in Spain… in the supermarkets! Because there’s a time and a place for specialist wine shops, but many of us pick up a bottle with the weekly groceries. But what to choose? Nuria Poveda points you in the direction of the best buys each year.
WSET Level 2 in Wines Graduates
Profile: With Level 2 under your belt and wearing your blue pin with pride, you’re feeling full of confidence and hungry for more wine knowledge.
We recommend:
- The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil
The clue is in the title! This highly informative, detailed book is nevertheless so enjoyable to read. Readers will get to learn more about viticulture and winemaking, as well as diving into regions, grape varieties, producer profiles and wine lore. Guaranteed to give you wanderlust, or at least send you wine shopping.
- Taste Buds and Molecules: The Art and Science of Food, Wine and Flavour by François Chartier
Having worked with Ferran Adria at El Bulli, along with scientists and chefs looking to unlock the secrets of flavour, sommelier François Chartier published this guide to food and wine pairing… at molecular level. Going beyond the tropes of ‘fish with white wine, meat with red’, this book explores the interactions between flavour compounds with a view to creating exciting and original matches.
- Wine: A Graphic History (in Spanish, La Increíble Historia del Vino) by Benoist Simmat and Daniel Casanave
For fans of graphic novels and comics, this is the perfect companion for discovering the origins of wine. Beautifully illustrated and with a light, comedic approach, this book is packed full of history, culture and factual information for oenophiles.
WSET Level 3 in Wines Graduates
Profile: You’ve done it! You’ve mastered Level 3! Pop open the Champagne, and… crack the spine on a new wine book. Did someone say ‘I’m thinking about Level 4’?
We recommend:
- Understanding Wine Technology: The Science of Wine Explained by David Bird
A statement I never thought I’d say: this is a book about chemistry that I joyously read on holiday. Aimed at those with no scientific training, David Bird does an amazing job of explaining complex, technical concepts in a way that makes you understand them instantly. The newest edition was published in 2022 and massively updated in line with current winemaking practices.
- Vineyards, Rocks and Soils by Alex Maltman
The subject of soils is one that comes up often when discussing wine, though there is much erroneous or incomplete information around it. Geologist Alex Maltman writes about the subject in such a conversational way you’ll feel you’ve shared a glass of wine with him as he lays out the facts.
- The Science of Wine: from Vine to Glass by Dr Jamie Goode
Really, another book about wine science? Do I need them both? Yes! This book answers all the questions you’ve ever had and not known who to ask. How does reduction work? What is minerality? Or thermovinification? Does wine ‘breathe’ inside concrete? How is climate change affecting vineyards? A fascinating book that deals in facts, not conjecture.
At Wine Courses Barcelona, our fascination with wine has always been fuelled by its infiniteness. There is always something new to taste, and there is always more to learn. We hope these reading lists will keep you busy, at least until you’re ready to come back to class! For any queries, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us by emailing sharon@winecoursesbcn.com or calling +34 661 443 242. Happy reading!
N.B. Wine Courses Barcelona are not incentivised in any way to promote these products or authors.
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