ABOUT THE BOOK It is amazing how many types of wine there are in the world. There are thousands of varieties produced at innumerable locations around the globe. Add that to the fact each can be blended to form something all together different. It becomes difficult to choose the right wine for yourself. How can anyone possibly figure it all out? If you have no limit on what you can spend, buying good wine is relatively easy. But you, like most of us, may not be able to buy extremely expensive wines on a regular basis. On the other hand, there is plenty of cheap wine out there; you could easily be frugal and purchase the cheapest wine on the shelf. But there will be times when this results in a dull, if not disagreeable, experience. Worse, you could end up with something utterly undrinkable. MEET THE AUTHOR J. Michael Scalet studied economics at Rutgers University in New Jersey but knew immediately he wanted to live near the northern California wine country. He followed his passion and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and then to the town of Sonoma. In his spare time Michael enjoys sailing sailboats large and small in the San Francisco Bay and points beyond. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK To better recognize those special qualities you enjoy in a wine, you may want to polish your wine tasting skills. Blind tasting - tasting without knowing what the wine is - forces you to focus on what you are tasting and smelling. You can do this at a formal wine competition, or with a group of friends. Taking notes and rating several wines encourages you to discover what you are tasting and do or do not prefer. It can be truly enlightening. However, there are limitations. Bob Millman of Executive Wine Seminars says: The problem with blind tasting is that youre working from a position of ignorance. If you know exactly what it is that youre tasting a young first-growth wine [top Bordeaux], for example then you can taste it in that light." Buy a copy to keep reading! CHAPTER OUTLINE How to Buy Great Wine for Under $20 + Wine: Price and Quality + Local Wine Shops + Buying Wine at Big Chain Stores + Look outside the Popular Varietals + ...and much more