Our founder, the late Steven Spurrier, wine connoisseur, critic extraordinaire and instigator of the famed 1976 ‘Judgement of Paris’, was a man who in the immortal of words of Hugh Johnson, ‘was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and never stopped stirring’. Back in 1972, Steven founded the Académie du Vin – a series of classes that blended factual information with practical tasting experience, and which were structured so that students could build their knowledge in a gradual, orderly way without becoming ‘swamped’. In the 1980s his Académie du Vin Wine Course became a best-selling book. Now, the Académie du Vin Library is delighted to honour Steven’s legacy by publishing an-all new commemorative edition, handsomely bound in a linen slipcase, and fully revised and updated to reflect the wine world of today.

True to the spirit of the original, Steven Spurrier’s Académie du Vin Wine Course takes the reader logically through every aspect of wine appreciation: how to taste wine like the professionals; why the ways grapes are grown and wines are made have such a profound impact on the final taste; the characteristics of the most popular grape varieties and the world’s wine-growing regions; and last, but certainly not least, how to store and collect wine so that you can appreciate it in years to come.

Whether you’re a newcomer to fine wine or already an afficionado, there is no more enjoyable, concise way to take your learning to the next level.

• An illustrated walk-though the wine tasting process, incorporating all of the wisdom that Steven acquired during a lifetime of tasting fine wine.
• A thoroughly up-to-date view of how grapes are grown and turned into wine, and the challenges and opportunities presented by climate change.
• Twenty-nine of the of the world’s most important grape varieties under the microscope, complete with graphic profiles and tasting notes, and examples of wines that express them to perfection
• A comprehensive guide, with maps, to the world’s wine-producing regions – 36 in all – including Steven’s views on those that are up and coming as well as the old favourites.
• An insider’s guide to cellaring, building a collection, buying en primeur and investing, complete with 30-year vintage charts