A useful little book every wine lover should have

Remember when we all drank shiraz and chardonnay and a handful of other French grape varieties?

Those days are long gone. Nowadays we are equally likely to pick up a refreshing glass of inzolia or gruner veltlner.

In its short history of just over 200 years the Australian wine industry has undergone a bewildering number of changes. There have been booms and busts, pestilence, taxes, economic crises and rapid changes in consumer tastes.

A new book, What Varietal is That?, written by Vinodiversity website owner Darby Higgs is a most useful guide to the myriad new varieties now on offer.

The book is based on the information Higgs has collected to write and maintain Vinodiversity. No fewer than 130+ grape varieties grown commercially in Australia are described and analysed.

There are well over a thousand wine grape varieties used commercially around the world, and What Varietal is That? helps readers to understand which grapes are important - and which are likely to be important in the future. There also some useful food matches.

Higgs' tip for the next big thig? "Tempranillo is well on the way to becoming a premium variety in Australia."

What Varietal is That? is available through Amazon for $21.35 paperback, or on Kindle.