I watch "Lydia's Italy" on PBS every Saturday morning. She often has her son Joe on the program with her and he often discusses wine and how it is grown and produced. I purchased this book new because I felt I really needed a book to use as a reference so I could get to know the Italians when I saw them at the wine shop. This book is a that reference book you will keep on your shelf when you want to ask a question and don't have an expert in the house.

The book is broken down into geographic sections of Italy and it is a very easy read. Joe Bastianich does not assume you are an expert but he does not talk down to you either. It is a very good reference book to add to your collection of great wine books. I use mine two or three times per month and recommend it heartily.

This is a very detailed and useful reference for understanding more about the Italian wines and the region. I appreciate the link to the historical aspects and food pairing. Great find if you're looking to learn more about Italy and it's wines.

I had the hard-cover version of this book and insisted so many friends and colleagues read it I managed to lose it and had to buy another copy! Great descriptions, recipes and candid details about Italian wines-- especially wines that one can actually have a chance to purchase without a plane ticket to Italy.

The writers situate fascinating personal and societal anecdotes within the context of Italian history and culture, broadening the story of wine beyond the science of viticulture. The authors obviously have a deep grasp and appreciation of Italian wines, and convey their knowledge eloquently, yet without a hint of pretentiousness. A very enjoyable read.

Situating the modern wine industry in the context of Italian history and culture, the writing is studded with fascinating personal and societal anecdotes. The authors obviously have a deep grasp and appreciation of Italian wines, and convey their knowledge eloquently, yet without a hint of pretentiousness.

I liked this book a lot. The format was perfect for my taste. Every region had its own chapter, written in a very addictive and enjoyable way. Authors did not try to talk about all the producers, giving readers the option to dig deeper into any particular region by themselves, which I find enjoyable. I liked a lot guided tastings. Now I know what to look for in similar books for different countries or continent (for example a book recently purchased on South America was a disappointment). I can now understand why other reviewers said even Italians from Italy would love this book. I think this is the 2005 edition (equal to the 2002 edition, just different cover) and some wines in the tasting areas changed names or stopped doing the particular bottle. I am in the middle of discovering the new ones for the regions I am starting with. In case anybody knows about a site where the tastings are updated or would like to exchange corrections please contact me.

As with other revierwers, I share frustration with describing just exactly which niche this book fall into.

So OK, here's my take on one narrow category: in ten pages, JB et alii demystify Venetian wines Soave and Valpolicella. I live in an isolated portion of the western USA and order wine over the internet with UPS delivery. I don't have the luxury of buying one bottle at a time.

I remembered soave and valpolicella as delightful wines, but supermarket samples didn't confirm my enthusiasm. JB tells why and what to look for, and lamb chops with Pra brand Soave bears him out.

But I'm getting off topic. The point is that JB describes the various approaches to winemaking and what to look for in a techno yet very readible way. Above all, his comparison of port and amarone clarified why (sugar) I preferred the latter to the former.

Vino Italiano is full of insider information unavailable in standard riffs like the latest Hugh Johnson guide. That's not to diss HJ, but simply to point out that for Italian wine, Vino Italiano is the best guide out there.

Clear and concise, this guide clarifies a complex subject - the history and present state of Italian wines. While it is objective in its recommendations, anecdotes of regional Italian life add the human interest elements that make us care about Italy and its wines.

this book is a very nice read. the anecdotes showed good referance to the italian lifestyle. showed through knowledge of Italian wines. also had very interesting recipes throughout.

this book is a very nice read. the anecdotes showed good referance to the italian lifestyle. showed through knowledge of Italian wines. also had very interesting recipes throughout.

This is a different sort of wine book, one whose
peculiarities are perfectly suited to its subject.
Italy produces more wine than any other nation and
consumes more wine per capita. It is (Greece aside)
the birthplace of civilized winemaking and everyday
wine drinking too. Italians drink more wine too,
consuming annually something like 16 gallons per capita.
If you remember that per capita means 'for every man, woman
and child" and that 16 gallons annually is almost 2
bottles a week, the figure is quite astounding.

So it's peculiarly paradoxical that for centuries, Italy
produced and was known for some genuinely terrible wine.
The bad wine came in part form bad growing techniques. If
grape growing was bad, wine making was worse and there was
little reason to improve it. Bad transportation and a
generally impoverished peasantry ruled out competition
among producers. There was no domestic urban middle class
of the sort that bought and demanded French wines. Worse
yet there were no wine-poor neighbors whose tastes and demand
could shape a winemaking industry.

About thirty years ago, everything changed. Returning the
favor of 1492, Americans discovered Italy. The discovery was
multi-faceted and so is this book.
Along with Italian wine, we went crazy for the country,
the food, the people, the design and the culture. Vino
Italiano is about all of these things.

There are nineteen chapters each devoted to a region and
you can read them like short stories. There's a brief
cultural historical introduction followed by a discussion
of red, white, sweet and sparkling wines, then a list of
regionally important grape varieties. There are some
entertaining notes on wine tourism, some suggested tastings
and finally, some simple recipes from the region.

For the encyclopediacly inclined, useful appendices
include a listing of grapes by variety, a directory
of DOC and IGT zones and a short list of producers.

A book that will add to your enjoyment of its subject.

--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
the forthcoming novel bang BANG from Kunati Books.ISBN 9781601640005

While "the book includes historial wine information and regional maps as well as Italian travel information and recipes", it also includes invaluable information on winemakers and producers. It also takes the mess that is Italy and cleans it up for us so that we can decipher and understand it. In that it is similar to Clive Coates "Cote d'Or".

Believe it or not, there is a dearth of information about Italian wine both in books and online. Vino Italiano is a well thought out and much needed book on the subject. I agree with other reviewers who have pointed out that it is somewhat difficult to describe. This is due to the fact that the book includes historial wine information and regional maps as well as Italian travel information and recipes. Although this may sound a bit ill-defined it actually works -- you get all the facts and a feel for Italian culture at its best. Consider it your appetizer, primo and secondi all in one!

This is a very thourough, well written book about Italian Wine. It is an excellent resource.
Mark Wagstaff

This is a very thourough, well written book about Italian Wine. It is an excellent resource.
Mark Wagstaff

Like many people have said about Italian (and french) wines..the regional wines are produced to be the perfect accompanyment to that regions food. It then makes perfect sence to write a book about italian wines and group them by region and give that regions recipes to get the full splendor of both worlds. Vino Italiano is the perfect wine guide for Italian wines. It's a pleasure to read. It's great for novice and knowledgable wine collectors. Buy this book...you won't be sorry.

The writers collaborate to paint an exquisite scene of each region in Italy. The book begins in the north eastern region of the Friuli and takes you west and down the peninsula to Sicily and to the island of Sardegna. Each region begins with a real life story where the writer describes his own experiences in a small farm house, a cellar visit, or restaurant where he visits people he's built an acquaintance with in his life. This exposes the reader to regional customs, foods, wines, and culture so fully that true lovers of wine and travel will begin to shed tears of joy. No other book on wine has ever had such a profound effect on me personally. Each region is described so wonderfully and so colorfully that you indeed wish you could be there to experience it.

From this opening dialoge the writer continues to walk you through the each region describing top and lesser known white, red, and dessert wines including cellars to watch for. But rather than simply focusing on cellars alone the writer focuses on the grape varietals and the unique wines of each region allowing the reader to go forward and make informed decisions about which wines might be worth a try. The writer does a very good job at describing the uniqueness of each varietal and how they might compare to more common varietals found throughout the world. This juxtaposition provides those that have some background in wine a good understanding of what one might expect should one pick up one of these bottles at a local store.

The one area that was somewhat disappointing in the book were the maps. They really could use a bit of help here. Also, quite often text made references to a particular area within a region that was not pictured on the map making visualizing the area somewhat challenging. That said, the writer does such a wonderful job with his own description of the areas that you tend to overlook this downfall.

All in all a wonderful introduction to the wine regions of Italy, Italian Wines, and the hundreds of unique varietals found there.

I am a lover and a drinker of wine, and not a collector or wine professional. I purchased this book because I was interested in learning more about navigating the world of Italian wine-- i.e. To further my enjoyment of Italian wine and allow me to make intelligent decisions when choosing from a wine list in a restaurant, shopping in the local wine shop, or pairing Italian wines with food at home. This book was exactly what I needed.

"Vino Italiano" is an not only an exceptional introduction to the world of Italian wine, it goes further than many (and many excellent) wine books I have read or consulted. This book places the wine in context- beginning each regional chapter with a short vignette which helps us gain a feeling for who might drink these wines, in what kind of setting, and with what kind of food. It goes well beyond the usual formula of explaining laws, grapes, producers, geography, history, and wine making methods, although it describes all of these thoroughly as well (though it is not deeply technical). It is not only a pleasure to read, it seems to me to be the beginning of a long and rewarding path into learning about the world not only of Italian wine, but Italian wine as a part of Italian culture- and especially representing regional culture when paired with regional foods (a couple well-chosen recipes at the end of each chapter). I was originally skeptical about the presentation, including each chapter's introductory vignette, and the recipes at the end of each chapter, but after reading, I have to admit that the construction of the chapters seems to provide a natuaral path to approach learning about each region, and in fact has helped me to remember more of the nuts-and-bolts information about each regional wine. (I would certainly welcome more wine books about other countries written in the same format.) In the end, there is a wealth of information that adds to the overall purpose I had in buying the book- to increase my understanding, knowledge, and ability to gain enjoyment from Italian wine. "Vino Italiano" is also very easy to access as a basic reference on the wines of Italy. It is not, however, a catalog, although there is plenty of material here for a beginner or probably even an intermediate to base his/her shopping on. "Vino Italiano" will provide you with a very pleasurable means to building a foundation upon which to understand, seek out, taste, and ultimately to enjoy the many varied and delicious wines of Italy. Highly recommended.

Vino Italiano is not the best book if what you need is an introduction to Italian wine. But if you already know there is a big difference between a Vino Rosso di Montepulciano and a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, then you'll no doubt appreciate this informative and easy-to-read book as much as I do.

This book gives the lover of Italian wine, food, and culture a lot to be excited about. It is divided into chapters that cover an Italian region (or in one case, two minor regions) and each chapter contains more information than some lesser books contain in their entirety. Included are regional recipes, maps and other essential information (e.g. significant producers, grapes grown, etc.) related to its wines, and stunning black-and-white photos that make it tempting to regard this as a coffee-table book. But I think the best part of each chapter is a well-written and entertaining essay that includes anecdotes that frame the character of the people, history, and culture of the region being described.

Of course, the centerpiece of it all is wine. But authors David Lynch and Joseph Bastianich understand that even in Italy, that subject cannot stand alone, and so they bring in discussions of hunting, and football, and fashion, and Mussolini, and cars, and artisan vinegars, oils, and cheeses.

Reading over what I have written here, I feel that I have not done this book justice. There is such a range of well-researched information here presented in such an accessible way that a different reader might pick it up and enjoy the book just as much as I do but for an entirely different set of reasons.

Perhaps the best way to conclude, then, is with my own brief anecdote: Italy is a country very understandably proud of its culture of food and wine, and the domestic Italian best-seller lists always have a few new books on those subjects listed on them. And yet every time - without fail - that I show this book to my Italian friends, their comment is, "Why can't we have a book like this in Italian?"

Vino Italiano is an excellent read for anyone wanting a good understanding of Italy's regions and the wines they produce. It's a great reference book that is neither pedantic or simplistic. The best section is the brief summary of all of Italy's major producers and their product lines.

A book that tells you everything you need to know about Italian wine. Once you have read the book, you will also have recepies to serve with your wine, and where to eat while traveling through Italy. I cant wait for there next book. Don't forget to try the wines in Joe's restaurants for great food and wine values.

We read the gushing Robert M. Parker Jr. quote on the cover, "A terrific and candid guide to the wines of Italy that should be on the bookshelves of all wine lovers." and knew we just HAD to have this book. Vino Italiano is written by "Mario Eats Italy" Batali's partner (Mr. Bastianich) and a former senior editor of Wine & Spirits magazine (David Lynch). These guys are serious wine buffs. But it's all tempered by a bit of fun injected by Batali, who along with Lidia Bastianich (Joseph's mom) contributed the recipes at the end of each chapter. These folks truly understand Italian wine is, after all, meant to be consumed with food! There's more here than you may ever want to know, but the book is a success on many levels for many people, from the barely curious to the Italian wine lover. Although they try to write about all the wines from Italy, they suggest (and furnish information on importers) tastings of wines that are available in the US. We highly recommend this book as well as TCI's The Italian Wine Guide. Larry Theobald, CycleItalia www.cycleitalia.com

This is more than a guide to Italian wine--It is a guide to Italian history, culture, wineries, food and personality. I find myself constantly turning to it whenever I get another bottle of Italian wine. It is comprehensive in its information on vintages, producers, importers etc. The recipe sections for each are wonderful. This book has it all if you want to educate yourself in the overwhelming area of Italian wine, its history, and the amazing variety and tastes wine has to offer

Vino Italiano is a difficult book to describe. It's part wine guide, part travelogue, part cookbook, and part cultural history. It's a love song to Italy and Italian wine that has the flavor of a coffee table book, but without the color plates and oversize format. It's a reference work and a highly personal account of a subject the authors know well and enjoy sharing. In short, it's a classic.

The book lovingly covers all of the regions of Italy. Each chapter is a self-contained essay on an individual Italian region, with wine as the focal point. But don't think that the wine commentary is the only reason you will enjoy owning this book. It's full of absorbing discourses on Italian life, told through anecdotes that illustrate the character of a region's wines, food, people and history. For example, you'll go on a Tuscan boar hunt, watch a soccer match between Lazio and Roma, learn about the art of making Balsamic vinegar in Emilia-Romagna and discover where the Italians hid Mussolini under house arrest in the mountains of Abruzzo.

Each chapter is organized in the same fashion: an introductory essay that illuminates something telling about the character and history of the region; a simple map locating the DOC areas; descriptions of white, red, sparkling and sweet wines grown, highlighting significant producers; wine production statistics, including recent successful vintages; a few select restaurant recommendations; a guided tasting that compares and contrasts flights of wines within the same DOC's; and a recipe or food indigenous to the province with wine selections to match. Throughout are portraits of key people and properties that set the tone for the Italian wine scene today. A data bank at the end lists all major grape varieties grown in Italy and an index of 700 producers who represent a solid if subjective list of Italy's best.

One of the most interesting aspects of Italian wine today is the emergence of (and backlash against) the so called "international style." In most regions, this means a shift in emphasis from native grapes and vinification techniques towards extracted wines made from classic French varietals (e.g., cabernet, merlot, syrah) and the use of new oak. Vino Italiano tackles the subject head-on in an even-handed and relatively dispassionate manner, including several passages on the style of the prolific modernist consultant Riccardo Cotarella. Is he a force for good or evil? Vino Italiano gives you the background, you get to make the decision. There is also a wonderful little digression on the improvements wrought by adoption of modernist techniques on the wines of Barolo and Barbaresco. As, usual, Vino Italiano makes the subject clear and entertaining.

Negatives? Well, the words are so vivid I would have paid twice as much for the same book with some beautiful color plates that capture the places, people, and food described. Some of the recipes were a little too complex for me, but maybe not for you.

If you love Italian wine, food, and/or Italy itself, this is the kind of book you can grab off a nightstand, open at random, and happily lose yourself in for hours. Put another way, if the authors ever sponsored a wine and food tour of Italy, I'd be first in line. Highly recommended.

Where have Lunch and Bastianich been? I have been looking for a compendium on Italian Wines and I need look no further. There is a wealth of useful information explained in a witty, informative yet easy to understand manner. Unlike many investments you can make today, I guarantee this will pay dividends for years in fine Italian Wine enjoyment.

I stand and applaud the efforts and acheivements of David Lynch and Joeseph Bastianich, and eagerly anticpate the next bounty from their vine.

Beautifully presented and organized, this book is an essential primer on the wines and regions of Italy. It includes a summary of the grapes from each region along with recommended vintages and even recipes from Mario Batali to complement the wine selections.
I found the sections on some of the lesser known regions of Italy fascinating and the Tuscany and Emilia-Romanga sections contain much information that was enlightening as well.
Much more than a coffee table book, this will serve as a fine guide to purchasing Italian wine for a lifetime.