The best wine books for Christmas

Thirsty by Tom Gilbey

£15, Square Peg

Usually I assume, probably unfairly, that social-media personalities know relatively little about their chosen field. With Tom Gilbey, that is far from the case. Gilbey has almost 700,000 followers on Instagram (thanks in part to a viral video made during the 2024 London Marathon in which Gilbey stopped to blind-taste a wine every mile) but is no flash-in-the-pan influencer. Having worked in wine since his late teens in the 1980s – including at his parents’ wine bar in Eton – Gilbey’s credentials are impeccable.

His Instagram is fun, irreverent and a little silly. Which Waitrose No.1 wine is really number one? Is the house white at Bella Italia any good? And what about the Syrah at Angus Steakhouse? ‘Absolute piss,’ he spits while trialling a supermarket’s sub-£5 Cabernet Sauvignon.

As Gilbey writes in Thirsty, his first book, there are ample excellent wine guides already on the shelves. This, instead, is a memoir interspersed with useful information. Gilbey is an engaging narrator, his writing style as fluid as his Instagram videos. We tour Beaujolais, where he discovered his love of wine on a work trip with his father – ‘Beaujolais wine has an effortless way of making even the most modest meal feel like a celebration’, he astutely observes – and Australia, where he realised good wine could be made outside France.

Weaved between the chapters are helpful guides, like ‘how to taste wine’ or ‘how to talk “wine” (without sounding naff)’. Gilbey’s mission, clearly, is to dispel the myth that wine is snooty – his lists of bottles to buy are called, amusingly, ‘wine wanker approved lists’. There’s much to like in this charming, accessible memoir and, having found myself googling most of his recommendations, it certainly makes the reader thirsty.

Tomé Morrissy-Swan

Drinking the World: A Wine Odyssey by Victoria Brzezinski and Bert Blaize

£19, Pavilion Books

As someone who’s spent a good chunk of their life dedicated to the unending delight of wine and the world that surrounds it, reading this book felt like sitting down for a chat with some great friends.

It perfectly combines the holy trinity of pleasure: wine, food and travel in a gorgeously produced compendium of informal yet compelling conversations with winemakers from some of the most exciting and enticing wine regions in the world. It’s the perfect antidote to the increasing neo-prohibitionists who try to dampen the joy of wine. This is about people coming together in beautiful places, sharing their stories in a completely captivating way.

Whether it’s imagining the vision of Edwardian’esqe Matt Gregory in his vines of Leicestershire, or images of Frank Cornliessen tele-skiing in the winter around Etna, or capturing the intoxicating energy of Lara Rocchetti and Luisa Sala in Piedmont (to name just a few), you feel as though you’re sat with these wondrous people, sharing a glass of wine as co-authors Victoria Brzezinski and Bert Blaize write beautifully about this collection of deeply passionate and welcoming winemakers.

Whether you love wine, food or travel, it’s a perfect book to dip into, and is a warming embrace to counter even the slightest hint of winter blues. Your mind will be left brimming with ideas about your next adventure, and thanks to the ‘word from the winemaker’ tips at the end of each story, you’re let in on some treasured culinary secret spots, meaning you’re guaranteed to find the most delicious food and of course, outstanding wine in a given destination. The book reminds us why wine’s timeless quality is needed more than ever: it’s a beautiful product that brings people together and reflects the best of humanity.

Rosamund Hall

A Taste for Wine by Rose Murray Brown

£20.50, Mitchell Beazley

Rose Murray Brown has written a genuinely useful guide to tasting in the no-nonsense vein of Mary Poppins. In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun – Murray Brown provides the format and it’s up to you to, dear reader, to have the fun, which this book inspires you to do. It’s not a difficult read but a welcome and practical, quick guide to sampling the world’s liquid sensual delights.

The field of wine communication is littered with failed actors and exposure-hungry personalities; Master of Wine Rose Murray Brown is not one of them. Her delivery is refreshing and informative – the focus is firmly on topic and not on herself. A nice tight précis of the world’s wine regions, complete with a tidy summary of key producers, as well as grape varieties, including PIWI (hybrid grapes bred for resistances to fungus, frost etc.) is all very much on message. This book offers vinous scaffolding for the curious palate sans guff.

Though Murray Brown is as highly educated as it is technically possible to be about wine (with one exception, the late, loved wine genius Gerard Basset who was an MW, a Master Sommelier and an MBA) there is not a whiff of arrogance about her. In an age of emoji personalities and abject individualism, Murray Brown’s book is a welcome tonic.

Lisse Garnett

Wine by Olly Smith

£13, Quadrille

Ever wanted to know how to build a wine cellar or invest in wine? Or are your oenological needs more prosaic? What to pair with pizza, say, or what style is most similar to a Burgundian Pinot Noir but affordable. Wine: Everything You Need to Know has you covered.

Olly Smith has worked in wine for 20 years, after getting his break on Wine Idol, a competition to find a new wine TV host. Since then, he has appeared on countless shows, including Richard and Judy and Saturday Kitchen, is a regular drinks columnist for the Mail on Sunday and has written several books.

His latest is about as utilitarian as it gets. From the basics – different types of corks, how and why to swirl your glass – to the nerdy minutiae, Smith covers it all. There are useful guides to the best recent vintages and a comprehensive rundown of various grapes and regions, including similar alternatives to go for.

The book is aimed primarily at the beginner and most Club Oenologique readers will already be armed with much of its knowledge. But it makes for an ideal starter kit for the wine-curious: comprehensive yet entertaining, informative yet never snooty. Smith doesn’t resort to tired stereotypes about biodynamic and natural wines (he’s a big fan), and writes entertainingly. Ultimately, where learning about wine can often seem intimidating, Smith makes it achievable.

Tomé Morrissy-Swan

Saint-Julien by Marc Bouffard

£65, Académie du Vin Library

An expensively produced hardcover tome about Saint-Julien by an eminent American neurologist would not be my usual choice, as it has the whiff of vanity project. The foreword by William Kelley did little to quash my fears, containing as it does phrases like ‘foregrounding (ugh) these voices’, ‘demystify’ and a quote by Lampedusa… (Pretentious? Moi?). Anyway, I am telling you this because my lip was curling before I embarked on the meat of this text; it’s only fair that you’re aware of my prejudices.

Books written to ingratiate themselves with powerful wine dynasties in the hope of becoming un ami intime de la famille are nothing new. Writing has too often become something that only the wealthy can afford to do, no longer a profession but a means of gaining status or exposure. Regardless, and despite my initial misgivings, this is an impeccably researched, informative book. There’s danger of sycophancy when focus is so clearly given to a few established names as it is here but for those that enjoy and can afford to take up the delights of Saint-Julien, this book is undoubtedly an asset. I can’t see it opening the floodgates to new drinkers but it will delight existing collectors, surely the intended audience.

Author Marc Bouffard does admit in his acknowledgements that he was planning to self-publish before Académie du Vin Library and the Wine Education Council jointly scooped him up. He chooses not to use his MD title either, which I respect. This book is a testament to the author’s access to the inner corridors of ‘wine power’, of which most of us mere proles can only dream – it will serve as heady escapism for many and essential reading for the lucky few with both the desire and the means to invest in the appellation’s prestigious wines.

Lisse Garnett

Smart Mouth by Jordan Salcito

£28.50, Ten Speed Press

I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Jordan Salcito but I can only imagine how glorious it would be to dine in a restaurant where she oversees the wine programme, or, even better, have a conversation with her to decide on a bottle. The wonderful thing about her book Smart Mouth is that I suspect it gives a fair hint as to what that experience would be like. It feels like she’s sharing her love of wine on every page; it even starts with her love letter to wine. An infectious enthusiasm, warmth, wit and brilliance are all present throughout.

But this isn’t just another ‘how to’ guide to wine, it weaves in stories, places and people, and we’re reminded early on that each and every one of us is an arbiter of what’s delicious. Salcito writes with real flair and originality about all aspects of wine, including not only grape varieties, regions, styles and the winemaking process but practical information about wine lists and pairings too. The tone of the book is set perfectly, as it starts with tasting and a note that taste is always where a love of wine starts; I don’t know of many people who fell in love with the theory first either.

This is an exquisitely produced book (the illustrations, design and colour tones are sumptuous) that provides readers, whether they’re wine novices or something more, with the framework to go deeper. In the process of reading, there’s the possibility of gaining a new connection with and love for wine – surely the greatest endorsement.

Rosamund Hall

Rooted in Change: The Stories Behind Sustainable Wine by Jane Masters MW and Andrew Neather

£20, Académie du Vin Library

When you close your eyes and think about wine, what do you see? A harvest undertaken by friends and family in the soft autumn light? A winemaker working in his dimly lit cellar? Perhaps it conjures images of sipping rosé in a quiet cove on the Côte’d’Azur, surrounded by pine trees, listening to the gentle hum of cicadas and lapping waves. What people rarely think about is wine’s impact, both from an environmental and social perspective.

In this ambitious book, co-authors Jane Masters MW and Andrew Neather present brilliant work in covering the sheer scope of the global issues around sustainability through the lens of wine. This isn’t simply a book about climate change, though, as they note, ‘wine is the canary in the coal mine of climate change’. Instead, it spans all aspects of winemaking, from grape growing to distribution and everything in between, including soil health, chemical usage as well as the people involved in the wine industry and the often overlooked aspect of social sustainability. Presented through a combination of research alongside conversations with a number of highly respected winemakers from across the globe who share not only their successes but the very real challenges they face too, readers are left with an immersive understanding of many of the issues facing the wine industry today.

It must have been a daunting prospect to distil such a complex topic into 220 pages of highly readable prose but the authors have managed. This is a book for everyone, wine drinker or not, and, despite its stark subject matter, it leaves you with an overriding sense of the need to pursue imperfect perfection; that action and experimentation not only by companies, but by us, as consumers, can have a positive impact. And, as we look to create a sustainable future for wine, this book may also lead us to review and consider all aspects of our lives to ensure that there is a future for everything else too.

Rosamund Hall