In a successful restaurant, the wine list is the biggest moneymaker. That long-time cliche of the restaurant industry may be more true now than ever before. Last year, wine overtook beer as the most common alcoholic beverage consumed in the United States, a testament to its broadening appeal.

Its popularity is becoming so pervasive that U.S. consumption is poised to surpass that of Italy and France. Researchers at both the Wine Institute, a California trade association, and the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, a Paris-based intergovernmental wine standards body, expect Americans to become the largest consumers of wine by 2010.

That's why, for many customers, the quality of the wine list is as important a factor in deciding whether or not to frequent (or return to) a restaurant as the quality of the food or the location or atmosphere of the place. Therefore, it has become essential for restaurant managers and chefs to have a thorough understanding of wine-how to taste and evaluate it-to be knowledgeable about all the varietals, growing regions and winemaking methods and, most importantly, to develop a business strategy that fully meets diners' increasingly sophisticated needs and simultaneously maximizes the returns on wine investments.

The problem is, unlike France and Italy, which have centuries-old traditions of enjoying wine, the U.S. is a relative newcomer to the joys of the vine. As a result, much of the discussion around wine in this country has been rarefied and much of the writing dense, elitist and inaccessible. This has made the world of wine seem more arcane than it really is and the design of an inspired wine list more elusive than it has to be.

Now, with the release of Thomson Delmar Learning's "About Wine" (Thomson Delmar Learning, $54.95), chefs, hospitality professionals and consumers finally have the guide to the wonderful world of wine-and wine strategy-they've long been searching for. Written in the informative, accessible style characteristic of other culinary guides in the admired About series, "About Wine" offers the basic information that will serve as a foundation for both a successful career in wine and increased enjoyment of it. Professionals and consumers both stand to gain valuable insights from this important new guide.

The American wine market has expanded in recent years, and now connoisseurs have a reliable guide.



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