Wine

"As wine experts go, Mark Oldman is just a kid, and that's a good thing. He started a wine club at Stanford University in 1990, where he and his friends sampled California wines. Later, he escaped to New York, where he taught classes in wine appreciation and drank widely from a broader selection. He's under no one's spell. He writes like a person who has not been indoctrinated in the cult of wine. And, in addition to having great taste, he has figured out a way to teach you about wine that is simple, logical and painless. Finally, he has a nose for a bargain --- learn his simple lessons and you will never be fleeced by a waiter or wine merchant again.

The joke of it all: It turns out there is very little you need to know. Oldman rockets you through a discussion of grapes (bless him for hammering away at winemakers who transformed creamy Chardonnay into wines that are like 'big, blowsy butterballs' and for singing the praises of under-appreciated Riesling). White Zinfandel? 'At best, easy drinking and refreshing, and, at worst, liquefied bubble gum.'

And then we're off to a discussion of wines, divided by type and country, then further divided by affordability. Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume --- light, citrusy, best consumed when young, and did we say inexpensive? Pinot Grigio? A safe, boring, deeply overpriced choice. Next time you are about to order white wine, you'll know.

There are great wines, and there will be times when you will want to drink them; Oldman provides a list to consider when you have a big expense account and are at a fine restaurant. But his real achievement is liberating Americans from a narrow, expensive chauvinism. The simplest fact is that, even with a falling dollar, a lot of California wine is overpriced and overhyped. If you know where to look, there "

Mark Oldham's Wines