▻ The Best Wine Books 2025

Let's Talk About

4 Dec

Written By Sarah Kemp

With Brian St Pierre

Episode Summary:-

Brian St Pierre, The Wine Conversation’s Managing Editor, and author of the best-seller, The Perfect Match, chooses the best wine books recently published, perfect presents for wine loving friends, or even better treating yourself. Some of the books were published last year, but in the belief that good books should be recommended whenever they are published, they are in our top wine books of the year.

Whether you want a book for armchair travel, a beginner’s guide or just want to up your wine knowledge Brian has selected the best books out there. Here is a full description of the books he has chosen.

““Clear your bookshelves, or even better, build some more!””

— Brian St Pierre

BETWEEN THE COVERS, THE BEST FOR XMAS

by Brian St. Pierre

Back in the 1980s, there was some debate about “flying winemakers,” as well-known enologists travelled the world advising the many new wineries springing up seemingly everywhere – those consultants shared their expertise, techniques, goals, and more. It seemed to be good news, though some of their similar ideas on aesthetics and style raised possible hazards, as the “Parker effect” (power and sameness) was also becoming apparent.

That was then; now, many of the unfortunate, unintended consequences are being abandoned, as winemakers get back to sustainability, organic viticulture, nurturing the character of terroir, and fidelity to deep-rooted regional history. Books on wine have also run--perhaps outrun--the pace, though the outcome’s different: There are more than ever these days, but many merely recycle information, quite casually treating wine as entertainment, cheery, no-problem TikTok-style, oversimplified, absent of culture or its role in a larger time or space, AI-polished (or even, and I wish I were kidding, AI-“authored”).

And yet, there is good news – some wine lovers know and still treasure the value of storytelling, and, in these fractious times, present wine and its evolution as it truly is, a beneficial companion in a reassuring context. Lately, we’ve had two bumper vintages in a row, of readable volumes offering tidings of comfort and joy for those who appreciate settling down with a good book, glass of wine at hand. The proof is in the reading; here are our choices.

For the bedside or fireside: Every good journey begins with a story, and produces more; here’s an abundance, from around the planet. “Who’s There,” by Simon Loftus, rambles through time and places, in a fascinating then-and-again series of essays that range from vineyards, wineries, and cafes in France, Italy, Spain, Turkey and Iran, visits and revisits over 50 years in the wine trade. Whether he’s pursuing a perfect glass of wine or the nomadic Qashqai tribes of Iran (and landing in jail), he’s amiable, companionable, and a marvellous storyteller. This was easily the most readable book of the year. (Daunt Books.)

“A Season for That,” by Steve Hoffman, is offbeat, but also amiable and charming – an innocent American food writer abroad who decamps to the south of France with his family and discovers rural, traditional cookery and the literal community that wine builds. (Crown Publishing)… “On Burgundy” is one of several anthologies from Académie du Vin Library, and perhaps the best of the bunch, with contributions from pretty much an all-star cast of writers (Hugh Johnson, Gerald Asher, Jasper Morris, Eric Asimov, Michael Broadbent, Serena Sutcliffe, Randall Grahm, Evelyn Waugh, Steven Spurrier, and many others deservedly celebrated). A good companion is “On Tuscany,” also with a stellar lineup of contributors: Hugh Johnson again, Burton Anderson, David Gleave, Jane Anson, Andrew Jefford, D.H. Lawrence, and Nick Belfrage, among others… “The Wine in My Glass,” by Adrian Latimer, is a bit of an anomaly, the tale of an innocent abroad, in Paris, who fell in love with wine and then a lady in Steven Spurrier’s orbit, and went on to write blogs and books of considerable charm about fly-fishing and now, his enthusiastic-amateur decades-long and sometimes high-flying wine odyssey. Profits from the book go to a charity called Vendanges Solidaires, which helps winemakers affected by the terrible vagaries of weather and climate change (The Medlar Press).

For those ready for a deeper dive: Begin with Kelli White’s “Wine Confident,” an eloquent and well-designed guide to enjoying wine’s many facets, down-to-earth in the best possible way, from a sommelier who understands how to share her love of wine pleasurably. (Académie du Vin). More technical and serious are “Rooted in Change,” by Jane Masters MW and Andrew Neather, a well-researched, fascinating set of stories about the benefits of sustainable wine and regenerative farming (Académie du Vin), and “A Taste for Wine,” by Rose Murray Brown MW, a sensory journey into tasting, appreciating, and above all enjoying the extraordinary array of flavours so many of the wines of the world offer these days. It’s like being given the keys to an abundant and very comfortable wine cellar, certainly technical, but served up with clarity and even affection, extremely well-organised and written – there are charts and highlights, and crib sheets, but also reassurances galore, a useful invitation to considerable pleasure. (Mitchell Beazey.)