In a world full of wine magazines largely charting the same territory, I've been avidly following the intriguing path trodden by The World of Fine Wine. Since its launch almost a decade ago, this British-based quarterly has been stimulating both the mind and the senses of oenophiles across the globe.
Weighty in both size and content, as well as the in depth coverage of wines and wine regions that's de rigueur for conventional wine magazines, The World of Fine Wine also explores the fascinating philosophical, psychological, cultural, historical and artistic ramifications of this great and varied liquid.
Leafing through past issues packed with features from numerous erudite and eloquent critics, you can find the likes of a thorough look at Right Bank Bordeaux juxtaposed with a feature on wine in the writings of the French novelist, Honore de Balzac; an academic treatise on Excess: Defenders of Drunkenness from Plato Onwards next to a detailed exploration of chenin blanc; or a piece on climate change counterpoised by a physiological investigation into whether the colour, shape and size of wine glass influences our perception of its contents.
At US$169 a year (US$98 for the iPad edition), it doesn't come cheap, but for a wine lover who connects drinking with thinking, a gift subscription to this opulent publication would make a perfect present. Get ordering at worldoffinewine.com.
- VIVA
