Down in the cellars

Press, 14 March 1987, Page 23

Down in the cellars

The Academic du Vin Wine Cellar Book. By Steven Spurrier and others. Coilins, 1986. 128 pp. $29.95. (Reviewed by Stephen Erber) The wine industry is a growing industry. So, it would seem, is the industry of wine writing. The new growths are frequently to be seen in the book shops. Many are just fine labels, the contents lacking body or finesse and often they are short-lived. None of these things can be said of this book whose subject is the creation and maintenance of a cellar. Steven Spurrier looks at all types of cellars, from the necessary in a country house (where you may have to store 10,000 bottles or so) to that appropriate to a modest apartment. Instructions are given to suit all pockets and while the emphasis in discussion of the wines themselves is on European wines, the discussion of cellars has universal application and interest. Having dealt with the physical characteristics of the cellar, Steven Spurrier and a heavyweight panel of

wine experts write on the subject of their ideal cellars to contain wines from round the world. Australia and New Zealand receive mention, but not much more, although emphasis Is properly laid on the quality of the Australian red and the New Zealand white wines. The book then goes on to deal with cellar equipment, the purchase and sale of wine (as it is done in Europe), the serving and handling of wine, and the subject of wine and food. These last chapters are full of interest and are, incidentally, very well written. The essay by Auberon Waugh filled me with jealous delight Throughout the illustrations are apposite (with one or two exceptions) and altogether the book is well presented and compiled. For the wine snob the book probably lacks complexity and sophistication, but for those who simply want to know a little more about wine than the distinction between red and white, sweet or dry, it is probably the best value for money on the market. »