Who's Afraid of Romanée-Conti? by Dan Keeling

Who's Afraid of Romanée-Conti? is Dan Keeling's book about which wines matter and why, from cheap bottles to the rarest in the world.

The author edits Noble Rot and co-founded the London restaurants that carry the name, and the method here is to travel: new-school Burgundy, Barolo and Champagne, then Tenerife, Corsica and Chianti, visiting growers and vineyards and asking why some wines are worth the trouble and plenty are not. The settled habits of traditionalist wine culture come in for examination along the way, with practical ground covered too — where sulphur belongs in a cellar, how to build one of your own, and what to buy at every level of spending.

It suits the drinker who is past the beginner stage and wants opinions with reasons attached. The buying advice is genuinely usable, and the travel writing makes it readable in a way most wine books are not. A dependable present for a Noble Rot reader.