THE WORLD IN A WINEGLASS

Beloved wine critic and writer Ray Isle does for wine what Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma did for food, giving readers the tools they need to make better choices when it comes to the wines they imbibe.

THE WORLD IN A WINEGLASS is a guide to to wines that are made by real people, who work their vineyards with sustainable or organic methods, and who have a passion for what they're putting in the bottle.

So much wine today is mass-produced, industrially farmed, absentee-billionaire-owned, marketing-plan-driven and uninteresting. In Real Wine, veteran wine writer Ray Isle looks at why knowing the way a wine is made, and who made it, can actually make a difference when you drink it (and why that might be far more important than knowing it got 90 points and tastes like blueberries. Or raspberries. Or "hints of violets and black pepper") and shows readers where and how to find these wines. The book profiles several hundred wineries around the world - everywhere from France's Burgundy to Oregon's Willamette Valley to the Itata Valley in the far southern reaches of Chile - focusing on wines people can afford, rather than $500 rarities.

This is a book for the everyday wine lover who wants to dive deeper into what makes wine fascinating.

Drink better: Food & Wine editor Ray Isle offers his appreciation for the best small-scale wine growers around the world and explains to readers why, in an ever-growing ocean of mass-produced, million-case-a-year bottles, these wines matter more than ever.

Globe-spanning research, organized by region: Using his deep knowledge and appreciation of the industry, Isle takes readers to the character-filled, independently owned vineyards from France to South Africa to Northern California to the country of Georgia.

Media go-to: Isle regulary appears on national media to speak about wine and liquor. He is a frequent guest on The Today Show, and also appears on CNBC's On the Money and Squawkbox, ABC's The View, CBS's This Morning, Weekend Today, and radio shows such as "The Splendid Table" and "All Things Considered."

Magazine platform: Isle has been the executive wine editor for Food & Wine since 2005. He is also the wine & spirits editor for Travel + Leisure. Both publications will support our book. He also hosts the regular Food & Wine video series "Bottle Service" and "Sip/Savor/Spit," where he interviews celebrities while having them taste wines - guests have included P!nk, Mary J. Blige, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

Author a Stegner Fellow: Before getting into the wine business Isle attended the prestigious fiction writing program at Stanford, and has had short stories appear in Agni, Ploughshares, The Carolina Quarterly, and others. His work has also appeared in the Best American Food Writing series.

Sought-after speaker: Isle is a frequent speaker at wine and food events in the U.S. and internationally.

For the environmentally conscious consumer who cares about where their wine comes from: Isle has written about wine for almost two decades now, and here he digs into what he cares about most: a broader concern for the environment, and an appreciation for the grape growers and winemakers who are working sustainably or organically; his love for the way a glass of wine can express the place it comes from and the sensibility of the person who made it.

Wines that are slightly off the beaten path but still accessible: The vast majority of wines sold in the U.S. today are mass-produced industrial products. In an affable tone, non-snob Isle shows readers where to find interesting bottles without breaking the bank.

Spreading holiday cheer: Isle's book is a great holiday gift for anyone interested in wine!

Isle is the longtime executive wine editor for Food & Wine as well as the wine & spirits editor for Travel + Leisure. He writes F&W's monthly "What to Drink Next" column as well as regular feature articles for F&W and T+L's print issues. His writing on wine and spirits has appeared in Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, Departures, Wine & Spirits, Time, The Washington Post, and many other national publications. He has won the IACP award for narrative beverage writing three times, the American Food Journalists award for beverage writing, and the North American Travel Journalists Association gold award, and has been nominated three times for a James Beard Award in beverage writing. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.

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