fully embraces. It is a product with a history going back to biblical times and a pres- ence and cultural impact across most of the world. It commands religious-like ven- eration like nothing else borne from the earth.

Chapter 2, “The skill of winegrowing,” encourages the use of the term “wine- grower” in place of winemaker. While this is fine if viticulture and oenology are prac- ticed by a single individual, but what if these responsibilities are divided, as is frequently the case?

The scientist makes a rare appearance in Chapter 19, “We are not programmed to like certain wines” (pp. 75–80). Dr. Goode presents a terse but technical analysis of the biological basis for flavor preferences peppered with chemical and genetic nomenclature.

In Chapter 20, “Scores can be useful, but are mostly stupid” (pp. 81–85), Goode rails against scores and tasting notes, which he calls horrible, yet admits to using both. “We experience wine, and then, because of the need to communicate, we have to translate these experiences into words,” he confesses. I like his suggestion to use metaphors to describe a wine, which could at least convey the emotional impact on the taster, rather than trying to dissect and then articulate its flavor. On the other hand, his reason for scoring wines, “because everyone else does, and I want my readers to see quickly how well I liked the wine” (p. 82), is insufficiently convincing, as even he admits he is “deeply uneasy with this practice” (p. 82).

One of Goode’s most important observations is in Chapter 28, “A mystical trans- formation” (pp. 117–121), which emphasizes the importance of microbes in making wine. “Terroir is latent; it’s the microbial activity that unfurls it and makes it a reality” (p. 118), Goode maintains in a noteworthy aphorism.

On the other hand, some chapter ledes, such as the one for Chapter 44, “Stop trying so hard and just be yourself” (pp. 184–186), try too hard to set the stage for the point he is about to make. Here Goode shares his experience buying a basic used car which he does not “pimp up” as a metaphor for not adjusting wines to try to make them great.

Chapter 37, “Segment or be damned” (pp. 149–152), begins with the ironic proc- lamation, given the lack of discernable organization in the book, “Many discussions about wine, the wine market, and ‘consumers’ are formless” (p. 149). Then Goode goes on to highlight the obvious: “There’s a big gap between the commodity segment and the fine wine/wine geek segment…with some wine geeks changing their purchasing behavior depending on occasion…” (p. 151).

Chapter 41, “Lead with your best” (pp. 167–169), contains an interesting juxtapo- sition regarding cheap wines of yore, like Chianti: “…they weren’t very tasty. It’s what the market wanted, though…” (p. 167). This begs the question: What, then, was the attraction? Surely it was more than the straw covered fiasco, many of which found a second life as a candle holder.