Through a Sparkling Glass (Andrea Frost, Hardie Grant)

This is a bubbly little book that, on the first sip, surprises with its light and airy style, but after a second or third taste turns into something far more serious than anticipated. In the style of M F K Fisher’s An Alphabet for Gourmets, Through a Sparkling Glass is a series of A-Z vignettes about wine, contemporary wine issues and the relationship between drinkers and wine. Each short chapter explores a particular aspect of wine, while sidebars provide more concrete facts for those who need them. Andrea Frost moves deftly from esoteric detail (a bonus for wine geeks) to evocative and thoughtful reflections on wine’s place in our lives. Serious wine buffs may rediscover the sheer joy of wine unencumbered by detail. Equally, quaffers who suspect that they are missing out on something will find well-directed advice to help them find, and learn more about, good wine. Despite appearances, this is more than a gift book, which is not designed to be consumed in a single sitting.  Frost is a Melbourne-based writer, wine columnist for delicious. magazine and regular contributor to James Halliday’s Wine Companion Magazine.

Tim White is the co-owner of Books for Cooks in Melbourne

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

Category: Reviews