The huge choice of red wine that greets you on the supermarket or off-licence shelf may seem daunting at first, but with this invaluable little book you will soon pick up the basics. As RED WINE shows, the place to start is with the grapes themselves: Jonathan Ray considers all the important grape varieties – from Merlot to Cabernet Sauvignon and from Nebbiolo to Zinfandel – describing their characters, quirks and qualities. He also reveals the secrets of deciphering wine labels, the best ways to store, serve, decant and taste wine, and how to tackle a restaurant wine list; all that you need, in fact, to allow you to approach a bottle of red wine with total confidence.