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Vino Italiano’s co-authors Joseph Bastianich and David Lynch know Italian wine. Bastianich co-owns seven Italian restaurants, an Italian wine shop and an award winning wine estate in Italy and lectures and writes about wine while Lynch is a wine writer/editor (Wine & Spirits, GQ, Food & Wine) and wine director at New York’s Babbo.
Italy produces more wine than any other country in the world and increasingly some of the very best wines anywhere. Vino Italiano, the Regional Wines of Italy, belongs in the hands of anyone with more than a passing interest in Italian wines.
The book explores Italy’s 20 major wine regions in depth and can be absorbed in easy chunks. You’ll get the lowdown on the area’s history, the food, wine styles and types of wine produced. Each chapter features “fast facts” pages with at-a-glance wine descriptions, vintages and touring hints and celebrity Chef Mario Batali’s recipes of regional dishes.
In addition to maps, Vino Italiano is charmingly illustrated with black and white photos that draw the reader into the heart of the country and its wines.
The book’s format caters to the appetites of every level of wine enthusiast: it’s a serious in-depth read, an easy bite with ‘fast facts’ or a quick reference via The Data section - a directory with everything you need to know about Italy’s wines in brief or cross-referenced with wine terms, grapes, wine zones and regions, producers and plenty of on-line resources.
A comprehensive and authoritative guide to the wines of Italy, Vino Italiano is a fine induction into the Italian wine experience.
Reviewed by Judith Lane | 
