by Jamie Goode 2nd edition
Timeline: April – June 2019

I’ve been toying with the idea of going for the MW… the Master of Wine certification. A few people have prodded me in the direction, others have asked me if I’m certifiable. All I know, is that I am intrigued. And also, after a couple of years off I’m clearly itching to keep learning – haven’t stopped reading or picking up new stuff.

I thought I’d start with the basics – Wine Chemistry – how do I learn about wine chemistry?

There’s actually a few decent tomes but most of them are just that, very technical and rich in detail. I haven’t done chemistry since first year uni and then it was more of a bridging course so I could figure out the chemical reactions in the brain and what the H’s and NO’s stood for. After a fair bit of online research via Twitter and google, some Facebook groups someone suggested this book.
It’s a slim addition when it arrives, with a lovely cover – and if you’re a book geek, yes, it smells great. The text is a decent sized font, there’s pictures and tables…and yes there’s a bit of detail. Mr Goode is kind though, he explains it well enough so even with a modicum of wine background you can get your orientation.
I will still go for the deeper, much bigger, and scarier tomes from the academic world but this is a great intro to the sometimes more complex side of a great beverage. Highly recommend.