Description

Wine is the product of skill and knowing and, in many cases, love. The wineogrowers of France are amoncg the last great artisans in the world. In this book Mr. Lichine, himself an expert wine-grower and exporter of repute, describes the wine districts of France, their characteristic products, the present conditions and ownership of the vineyards, the quality of the wines and vintages, and the methods of viniculture and wine-making employed.
The 1930's and 1940's saw a revolution in French wines. The laws collectively called Appellations d' Origine have established vineyard names, limiting their use to those vineyards which make the great wines. New districts have been defined; some old ones have disappeared. This is a revolution m more than names, for it makes possible the avoiding of frauds and the serving of honest bottles illustrating the qualities that make French wines the best on earth.
This is a book for everyone who likes to drink wine—whether it be a fine bottle from his own cellar, or a glass with his meal in a restaurant. For Mr. Lichine does not spend much time on old and rare vintages, which are extremely costly if not completely unobtainable, but deals at length with all the wines of France which the wine-lover can both obtain and afford—and his rating of vintages includes those as recent as 1951.
Ten comprehensive maps give place names as regulated by the most recent laws. A detailed index, listing all the best vineyards and growers of France, places at the reader's fingertips all the information of interest to a lover of French wines