The Saucy Sisters' Guide to Wine: What Every Girl Should Know Before She Uncorks

The rich and complicated world of wines need no longer intimidate the novice female drinker, according to this playful guide by sisters Nowak and Wichman. As the leading wine purchasers in the United States, women owe it to themselves to become""wine divas""--not only to impress the men in their lives (coworkers, loves, or sommeliers--and most of the latter are male)--but to confidently pick affordable wines they will enjoy. This comprehensive romp through wine lingo and wine-making aims far beyond pairing foods or selecting appropriate glassware, although it offers suggestions on those topics too. Instead, the book pours out tips on figuring out what varieties of wine will personally appeal and which to select when entertaining or at a restaurant. The sisters mix up normally hoity-toity talk with irreverent comparisons between choosing wine and men, or pairings based on sexual appetite (longing for a""quickie?"" Try an Australian heurige). They distill the basics into hokey pick-up lines like""I've got a soft, supple body, just like that Riesling you're drinking,"" and add anecdotes on the history of wine and women (Do you know how that sharp widow Clicquot revolutionized champagne making?). Still they offer practical advice not likely found in most wine guides, like how to build a personal wine cellar for under $150, scientifically calculate how many bottles to buy for a party and pronounce Beerenauslese (German dessert wines made from sweet, slightly overripe grapes). Readers (even the male kind) who don't mind the flirty prattle will find this guide both amusing and worthwhile.