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This is a selective list of books and other resources which focuses on Italian wines. Happy exploring! The most highly recommended books are in this tasteful orange colour.
Books in English on Tuscan and Italian wines
Ian d’Agata, Native Wine Grapes of Italy, University of California Press, 2014 – simply the best book ever written about Italian wine. D’Agata combines enormous erudition with 30 years of personal experience of the Italian wine scene, enthusiasm and the occasional joke. Detailed, you can skip the science bits if they are not to your taste.
Hugh Johnson, Tuscany and its wines, Mitchell Beazley, 2000 – a beautifully illustrated book with photos by Andy Katz, the writing is evocative if quite broad brush; the text reflects its publication date
Nicholas Belfrage, Brunello to Zibibbo, The wines of Tuscany, Central and Southern Italy, Mitchell Beazley, 2001, still worth consulting despite its publication date
Nicholas Belfrage, The Finest Wines of Tuscany and Central Italy: a regional and village guide to the best wines and their producers, Fine Wine Editions, Aurum Press, London, 2009 – excellent account of the top tier of Tuscan winemaking and photo portraits of key people by Jon Wyand. See my review
Monty Waldin, Tuscany, How to find great wines off the beaten track, Mitchell Beazley, 2006 – Very good if now dated practical guide to the vineyards to visit, though with rather vague directions. Very passionate about local grape varieties.
Danielle Cernilli & Marco Sabellico, The New Italy, a complete guide to contemporary Italian wine, Mitchell Beazley, 2000 – an informative and well-illustrated book which gives an overview of all the Italian regions
Joseph Bastianich and David Lynch, Vino Italiano, the regional wines of Italy, Clarkson Potter, New York, updated edition 2005
Kerin O’Keefe, Brunello di Montalcino, understanding and appreciating one of Italy’s greatest wines, University of California Press, 2012 – O’Keefe follows up her biography of Brunello’s founder Biondi-Santi with a rich, informed and opinionated review of the current state of Brunello. Helpfully summarises the results of Edoardo Costantini’s soil mapping exercise for English readers and sets out a zoning proposal to try to separate zones for classic wines from others exploiting the lucrative name of Brunello. See my review here. See also her book on Barolo and Barbaresco.
Bill Nesto MW and Frances di Savino, The World of Sicilian Wine, University of California Press, 2013 – excellent, detailed treatment about the history and contemporary state of Sicilian wine. See my review here.
Bill Nesto MW and Frances di Savino, Chianti Classico: the search for Tuscany’s noblest wine, University of California Press, 2016 – Nesto and di Savino repeat their approach, this time on Chianti Classico
Michael Garner, Amarone and the fine wines of Verona, Infinite Ideas, 2018
Wine reference works
Joanna Simon, Discovering Wine, Mitchell Beazley, revised 2003 – a very good introduction to tasting and to the characteristics of grape varieties, eg on Sangiovese: bitter cherry, spices, herbs, tobacco
Oz Clarke & Margaret Rand, Grapes and Wines, Time Warner Books, 2015 – brilliant, more advanced account of grape varieties around the world, very good source of information bundled with an attractively personal and exotic approach to wine writing. Will continue to be useful despite the appearance of the ‘three Js’ – see Jancis, Julia and José below
Jancis Robinson and Julia Harding (editors), The Oxford Companion to Wine, 4th edition 2015 – an excellent reference work compiled by the top English wine writer of her generation and a very knowledgeable team. See also her website for her mountain of tasting notes and articles (www.jancisrobinson.com; subscription)
Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson, The World Atlas of Wine, Mitchell Beazley, 8th edition, 2019 – simply indispensable maps and outstanding summaries of the viticultural regions of the world. Quite regularly has better climate/ topographical / soil information than the Oxford Companion.
Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding, José Vouillamoz, Wine Grapes. A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours, Penguin Books, 2012 – awesomely comprehensive work which brings us right up-to-date on the current state of DNA testing which is beginning to sort out the relationships between the 1000+ varieties in commercial production. Also contains very good summaries of the viticultural characteristics of the above-mentioned host of varieties, where they are grown and, most importantly to most of us, what they taste like. The highest praise I can give this book is that it is permanently on my desk.
Page updated June 2020
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