Table of Contents

Preface Contributors Acknowledgements List of new entries Maps of the wine regions Note to the reader Complete list of entries by region and topic The Oxford Companion to Wine alphabetical entries Appendix 1: Complete list of controlled appellations and their permitted grape varieties Appendix 2a: Total vineyard area by country Appendix 2b: Wine production by country Appendix 2c: Per capita consumption by country

About the Author

Julia Harding MW, editor of The Oxford Companion to Wine, studied modern languages at Cambridge before becoming a freelance book editor. She qualified as a Master of Wine in 2004, winning the Robert Mondavi award for best theory papers and the Tim Derouet Memorial Prize for excellence in all parts of the exam and dissertation. She is Senior Editor at JancisRobinson.com, where she has been a member of the team since 2005. She is
cartographic editor of The World Atlas of Wine (8th edn, 2019) and co-author of Wine Grapes (2012). She was awarded Wines of Portugal Personality of the Year in Europe (2023). Jancis Robinson OBE MW, founding editor of The Oxford
Companion to Wine, is one of the world's leading authorities on wine. The first person outside the wine trade to have passed the notoriously tough Master of Wine exams, she now writes weekly for the Financial Times and even more frequently for JancisRobinson.com, which has members all over the world. Voted the first-ever International Wine Communicator of the Year in 1996, she has won multiple awards and written many books. Most recently she wrote The 24-Hour Wine Expert
(2017), co-wrote The World Atlas of Wine (8th edn, 2019), Wine Grapes (2012), and hosted the BBC Maestro online wine course An Understanding of Wine. Tara Q. Thomas, assistant editor of The Oxford Companion to Wine, is the
managing editor of JancisRobinson.com. Based in New York, she has worked in the wine industry for 25 years, most significantly as executive editor of Wine & Spirits Magazine but also as a freelance writer, editor, wine judge, and wine educator. She has also contributed to two Oxford Companions: Spirits & Cocktails and Cheese.

Reviews

This encyclopaedic book is remarkably up-to-date.
*Max Allen, Holiday Gift Guide 2023, Australian Finacial Review*

An indispensable resource for both the novice wine enthusiast and the seasoned sommelier...what sets the Companion apart from other wine guides is its commitment to accuracy and depth...more than just a book, it's an odyssey into the captivating world of wine.
*Yohan Castaing, The Wine Advocate*

An indispensable asset for anyone with an interest in wine. Whether you're a seasoned oenophile or a casual enthusiast, this book promises to be a valuable addition to your collection.
*Wine Drinker*

Anyone seriously interested in wine needs to get a copy of the latest 5th edition...Every page is densely packed with information, there isn't a single wasted word. And it's no wonder, given it is edited by two of wine's powerhouses, Julia Harding MW and Jancis Robinson OBE MW...With Tara Q. Thomas as assistant editor the fifth edition, The Oxford Companion to Wine has an impressive all female trio at the helm.
*Sommerlier Edit*

Simply put, there is no other wine reference such as this... you should definitely pick up a copy, or if you know anyone who does, it will make an incredibly nice Christmas gift!
*Miquel Hudin, Hudin*

This is simply a supremely practical and astonishingly comprehensive reference book.
*Liz Sagues, Circle Update*

It's not always worth buying follow-on editions of classic books, but the fourth outing of the Oxford Companion to Wine contains lots of new material. If you're looking for a Christmas present for the wine lover in your life or just want to own a copy yourself, this is the most comprehensive wine tome on the market.
*Woman & Home*

A vital book to have in every wine lover's house...a distillation of the work of global authorities on viniculture, winemaking and wine...this new edition will be used endlessly.
*Yorkshire Post*

... even more astonishing than the depth and breadth of revision is the degree of change thats happened in the wide world of wine in the last 10 years to which this edition is testimonial. Its a handy barometer on how the wine world is doing.
*Georges Meekers, Times of Malta*

The revisions for this new edition have been admirably and impeccably thorough... There also is plenty of humor, a quality often lacking in reference works.
*Anne Krebiehl, World of Fine Wine*

Written with authority, and sometimes a humour so sly you have to do a double take, this [fourth edition] is still the best place to turn for answers to all your wine queries.
*Henry Jeffreys, The Guardian Best Drink Books of 2015*

If someone is to own just one wine book, Ms. Robinson's mighty effort is the fail-safe proposition.
*Wall Street Journal*

become an armchair expert with the renowned Oxford Companion to Wine
*BBC Good Food*

A solid update of a vital reference from a towering authority in the field.
*Library Journal*

This giant tome is a must for wine aficionados, combining meticulously-researched fact with refreshing opinion and wit
*Hannah Stephenson, Christmas Books, Belfast Telegraph*

This is the ultimate desert island wine book ... gloriously rich on fact ... surely the worlds best general wine reference book
*Liz Sagues, Christmas Books 2015, Ham&High*

magnificently comprehensive book ... If you're a wine novice, this one volume could teach you more about wine than any other; and if you're a full-time wine professional, you will still find much in here that you didn't know ... no editors could have brought us a volume closer to perfection than Jancis Robinson and Julia Harding have done
*Andrew Jefford, Decanter*

Thousands of wine students across the globe will rejoice in this unparalleled work of reference and see it as an essential starting point for further study. As a source of well-honed, succinct definitions, the Companion is invaluable ... The revisions for this new edition have been admirably and impeccably thorough ... Even if your bookshelf already groans under the weight of the previous edition, purchasing this revision will be money well spent. In the case of wine, as in so many other spheres, knowledge increases enjoyment exponentially. Quite apart from being such a splendid reference work, the book feeds curiosity
*The World of Fine Wine*

MUST-BUY BOOK ... this is the most comprehensive wine tome on the market
*Woman & Home*

go-to guide
*Julie Sheppard, Square Meal Lifestyle*

If you don't own her [Jancis Robinson] magnificent work, then it may be the most essential wine book any enthusiast should possess -- a fastidiously researched and well-crafted book on just about everything on wine from a-z.
*Robert Parker's bulletin board, Robert Parker*

I can't live without this book, and have purchased every version since it first came out. It's my go-to reference for research into current and historical grapes and wines.
*Becky Sue Epstein, palatepress.com*

Over 4,000 entries on every wine-related topic imaginable... It's an essential piece for every wine-lover's shelves.
*www.foodnetwork.com*

The most eagerly-awaited and widely-talked about wine book of the past year ... FT columnist Robinson remains one of the world's most respected impartial commentators on wine
*Off Licence News*

The world's most useful wine book
*Huonhooke.com, Huon Hooke*

The 4th edition is more than ever the indispensable reference about the most complex alcoholic beverage on the planet. The team assembled by Robinson and Harding represent some of the finest minds in their respective fields.
*Australian Financial Review*

By some distance the greatest wine reference book ever created
*Wine Times, Ali Nicol*

New research, new trends, new players, new rules, new priorities. No wonder we needed a new edition. The authors and editors have done a distinct service to the wine world with this edition.
*Mike Veseth, thewineeconomist.com*

'Must Buy Book'. The fourth outing of The Oxford Companion to Wine contains lots of new material... If you're looking for a present for the wine lover in your life, this is the most comprehensive wine tome on the market.

A must-have in any serious wine library. Even wine writers refer, and defer, to it.
*The Wine Review, Ch'ng Poh Tiong*

sheer abundance and global spread of information... some sort of awesomesauce
*Observer, David Williams*

a handy barometer on how the wine world is doing
*Wine-Searcher, Claire Adamson*

The glorious fourth edition is not just a must-own for any wine professional, it is also a must-buy for any drink-loving wine-hound.
*Victoria Moore, Daily Telegraph*

A masterpiece of vinous scholarship.
*David Williams, The Observer*

This is Essential reading. Robinson and Harding, along with their team of contributors, have managed to keep the Oxford Companion fresh.
*Washington Post*

there is plenty to discover
*Leon Burakowski, Telford Journal*

As well as a huge weight of information, this wonderful book also manages to entertain and delight.
*Stephen Brook, Decanter*

Indispensable.
*The Wine Merchant, Issue 40*

This book is as perfect and up to date as you can possibly require ... This book is pleasing to read, endlessly fascinating, both un-put-downable and awesome for quick reference. I have totally fallen in love with it
*Extremehousewife*

This weighty tome, now in its fourth edition, is the definitive guide to all aspects of wine and its culture from grape to glass ... there is plenty to discover whether you want to dip in for a sip of knowledge or prefer a deep glug of wine facts and stats ... More than 150,000 copies sold suggests it is accepted as a key manual for wine lovers.
*Leon Burakowski, Shropshire Star*

This meticulously detailed dictionary—encyclopedia hybrid will answer any question readers have about wine and probably any oenology question from anyone on Earth, or beyond, now and forever.
*Booklist*

The best wine books for the gift-giving season: if one wine book is all you can accommodate, this is it. You won't be disappointed. It's my number one go-to reference book.
*Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion*

[T]he essential book for serious wine students.
*Eric Asimov, The New York Times*

A major revision cements the Companion's status as the work of wine reference.
*Anthony Rose, The World of Fine Wine*

Included in the Luxx's "Luxury gifts for wine lovers": "painstakingly updated... but the effort is invisible thanks to the quality of the writing."
*Nina Kaplan, Holiday Gift Guide 2023, The Times*

The best wine books for Christmas: "a work of peerless scholarship, indispensable for wine professionals and wine lovers alike."
*Nina Kaplan, Holiday Gift Guide 2023, Club Oenologie*