WINE GRAPES: A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours - Tapa dura

This thousand-plus-page monument combines 21st-century science with the ambition, scale and authority of 19th-century scholarship. It may be the nerdiest wine book ever published (and, trust me, that's a competitive title) but it's also a work of astounding scholarship, and as a piece of book-making, is an outright masterpiece (John Lanchester Guardian, Books of the Year 2012)

Features extraordinarily detailed profiles of close to 1,400 vine varieties employed in the production of wine around the world ... I learned a huge amount ... What struck me most, though, was how engaging and passionate it was. This wasn't a dry cataloguing of grapes, a microscopic look at their DNA; this was a heartfelt exploration of wine history. (Max Allen [Australia’s best-known wine writer] Weekend Australian)

This book is a thing of beauty - classic, well written and splendidly illustrated - and will be a point of reference for decades to come. With Christmas coming it may well be worth considering as a present for those wine enthusiasts amongst your friends and family. I am going to put it on my list when I write to Santa that's for sure! (Bordeaux Undiscovered)

A fantastic Christmas present for any wine geek, and one that will provide an endless source of fiendish questions for quiz-setters (Fiona Beckett Guardian)

A magnificent achievement: colossally informative, illuminating and intriguing (Andrew Jefford Decanter.com)

A phenomenal book in its detail and research ... the definitive guide to grape varieties ... an incredible piece of work, detailing 1,368 varieties (out of a possible 10,000 worldwide) with 80 beautiful colour plates - essential for all wine students, wine lovers, wine growers keen to experiment with new grapes - and anyone with a passing interest in grapes (Rose Murray Brown The Scotsman)

This has got to be the wine reference book to top all such guides (S Irene Virbila Los Angeles Times)

Definitely the WINE BOOK of the decade, if not the century! (Wine Appreciation Guild, San Francisco)

Even for the already knowledgeable and deeply well versed, the book offers countless new discoveries, surprises about grapes' true origins and kinships, and a plethora of varieties you've never even heard of (Michel Jamais LivetsGoda.se)

It is almost bible-like, which is perhaps quite fitting. I found the overall appearance quite beautiful. I was especially pleased to see many varieties have a description of the taste of their wines. From a drinker's perspective this must be the most important information (Steve Slatcher Winenous.co.uk)