More than two decades have passed since The World Atlas of Wine made its first appearance. During that time the book that the French supreme wine authority, the Institute National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO), called "a major landmark in the literature of wine" has been hailed by critics all over the world as "extraordinary" and "irreplaceable." Translated into a dozen languages, it has been bought by more than two million people, and commands an unrivaled position as the definitive work for wine lovers, connoisseurs, and professionals alike.

The fourth edition of this undisputed classic has been completely revised and updated to keep abreast of the changing world of wine. Since the publication of the third edition, wine making and wine appreciation have not stood still. The Old World has risen to the challenge of the New: important legislative changes have taken effect; previously unrecognized wines and wine regions are coming to the fore; wine makers are taking their skills into new regions and new countries and are learning from one another. In every wineproducing country standards of wine making are being raised in response to the unrelenting pressure for quality, not quantity.

Hugh Johnson emphasizes that there is an intimate relationship between geography and wine -- that where the wine comes from determines its quality, style, and taste. This new edition of the Atlas guides the wine lover and professional through the world's quality vineyards to the year 2000. The authoritative choice of maps has been expanded in its coverage and new information added, maintaining the crucial link between wine and place. The better the wine, the more precisely the Atlas locates its origin, down to a single field.

Besides revealing where a vineyard is located, maps can explain why it is there: what is singular about the site and its size; its soil, slope, sunshine, rainfall; and how it relates to its neighboring vineyards. They reveal the fundamental differences in terroir -- the myriad details of a landscape which conspire to make the difference between a grand cru and a vin de table.

This new edition of the Atlas further expands its coverage and visual appeal. Every one of its 180 maps has been revised, extended where necessary, and brought completely up-to-date. Of these, 36 are totally new, mapping areas that have recently risen -- or risen again -- to excellence, or have changed so greatly that they demand new cartographic treatment. The entire introductory section on the background to wine and its enjoyment has been redesigned and newly illustrated. New artwork, color photographs, fact boxes, and tables enhance the text, much of it rewritten to reflect the latest changes.

Despite the considerable efforts of competitors around the world, no other wine atlas can match The World Atlas of Wine or claim its cartographic excellence. The translation of this atlas into a dozen languages bears witness to its remarkable success. In his foreword to the third edition, the president of the Office International de la Vigne et le Vin predicted a choice place for the Atlas in every wine expert's or wine lover's library. This fourth edition is set to maintain and enhance its status through a third decade.

The World Atlas of Wine is something of a dream-team production. The names Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson alone recommend any book on which they appear. The fifth edition (in 30 years) of this astonishingly successful book lives up to, and surpasses, its predecessors. In 350 densely packed but never clotted pages the authors manage the extraordinary feat of characterizing wine production throughout the world, from Vancouver Island to Japan--Buddhists first planted vines in that inhospitably precipitous, monsoon-lashed land over a 1,000 years ago. After a substantial introductory section dealing with the history of wine, its making, storage, and enjoyment, we're off. Starting with (where else?) France and Burgundy, each wine area is summarized in terms of its geography, climate, and preferred vines and the appellations, laws, and traditions that govern production. The discussion of Pomerol, for example, tells you a great deal in one short page. Even since 1994, when the fourth edition came out, vast changes have swept the wine world, and many parts of the atlas have been correspondingly completely reworked. South America, Canada, Southern France, Italy, Greece, Eastern Europe, and the Eastern Mediterranean are among the areas that have benefited. The regional maps that form the core of the book are a triumph of clarity. The whole production constitutes a brilliant achievement of organization and synthesis, forming an indispensable resource for any wine lover at all interested in where the wine they drink comes from and why it tastes the way it does. --Robin Davidson, Amazon.co.uk