The Wine Lists

Joseph has compiled more lists than any wine lover would have thought possible: there are lists of Champagnes, Connecticut wines, Port shippers, kosher wine producers. Organized alphabetically, entries run the gamut from airline wines to food with wine to Italian ""clarets'' to Zimbabwe, and often include tidbits of commentary or information on such subjects as wine types, winemakers and prices. Interspersed among the lists are nuggets of obscure information: the capacity of the world's largest wooden wine cask (40,790 gallons); the record distance at which a grape thrown from the ground has been caught in the mouth (270, 4) and the like. The author's style is marked by dry, at times biting, wit, and anyone with an interest in wine will find this diverting reading. (May)