“The Persistent Observer’s Guide to Wine: How to Enjoy the Best and Skip the Rest” by J.P. Bary is the first wine guide I have read that truly spoke to me as a consumer. The author immediately connects with the reader by admitting to just not getting what all the wine professionals rave about during a tasting. I am the ordinary customer; I typically would just go and buy a bottle that looked attractive at the grocery store to go with dinner. “The Persistent Observer’s Guide,” however, has encouraged me to see beyond the pretty labels; it has also given me new hope that I will one day be able to be more sophisticated in my wine choices beyond “red” or “white.” The rather intimidating world of wine can be navigated with this guide; I now understand why I enjoy “new world” wines so much more than “old world” wines – the alcohol content it typically higher! This guide also takes a much more conversational tone with its reader than other wine reviews – instead of granting wisdom from on high, it offers elbow nudges to direct the reader’s attention. It does not preach in order to enlighten, but it allows the sensory language to envelop the readers as they imagine the wine being poured into their glass.

I can now appreciate what the shape of the bottle can tell me about a wine before I even open it, how to use the nuances of color to tell if the wine is losing its flavor, and how the shine of the liquid can tell me about the alcohol content. There are additional clues given off by the scent of wines; how I wish my on-again-off-again anosmia allowed me to detect the subtleties of vanilla, fruits, cedar, or spices present in a wine! I no longer feel required to buy a wine just because some expert rated it higher on a 100-point scale or the fact that it is much pricier, and therefore has to be fancier and better. After reading it, I feel more able to make my own decisions as this book taught me more about wine than I ever expected to know; I really appreciated the food-wine pairing listed at the very end of the book to help in this endeavor.

J.P. Bary writes a guide on choosing wine. It is quite different from most other books available on the subject. In "The Persistent Observer Guide" Bary helps readers understand wines as they drink them, helping them to make better choices without getting assistance from an expert. From his own experiences and the experiences he has gathered from others, Bary explains mistakes made by millions of people in understanding wine. His unique way doesn’t require that you memorize anything, but he helps you to understand and experience what you taste yourself, and how to pick and choose different qualities, different smells and flavors from a variety of grapes. When you finish reading this book, you will be able to choose and enjoy your wine at its best. Bary starts this book with 'Being Tasteless', gives full details of the whys and hows and the outcome of tasting your wines, and takes you on a journey perfecting your knowledge of different wines. It is clear that Bary knows his wines and researched for his book well, and knows what he is talking about. His love of wine and the many years of experience truly show in the pages of this book. I could feel his attitude and feelings as I read his book.

I am by far an expert on any kind of wine, but after reading the great tips explained here, I feel I have been taught every aspect of choosing, purchasing, keeping, tasting and drinking any kind of wine. This guide is more like a conversation, talking to consumers in a way that anyone can understand. There is so much information in Bary’s book that you will be referring back to this book many times because you just can’t grasp it all in one reading. I highly recommend "The Persistent Observer Guide" to anyone who wants to better their understanding of the art of choosing different wines. This is the book you need in your library.

"The Persistent Observer’s Guide to Wine", aptly subtitled "How to Enjoy the Best and Skip the Rest", is an engaging book that is designed to help the reader understand the dynamics of wine and wine appreciation. With witty titles like 'Being Tasteless', 'Taking Shortcuts', 'Tripping on your Tongue' and the like, the book prods us to examine what is important to us so that we can ask better questions on the subject of wine. Without resorting to complex diagrams and confusing tables of classification, this book aims to help anyone become a savvy wine consumer. It covers topics like recognizing taste, texture, and body, proper wine storage, pairing with food, and more importantly, developing a personal relationship with wine.

Most wine guide books are intimidating and contain a litany of terms that may sound like Greek to most readers. This is not the case with J. P. Bary's book, "Persistent Observer's Guide: How to Enjoy the Best and Skip the Rest". This is the reason why it reads easily and I am surprised about the wealth of information that is contained in the book without sounding like a text book, as most of the other guides do. As it is well-organized and written in the first person perspective, reading this book feels like listening to a friend speak about his experiences, which are sometimes funny, in trying to appreciate wine. This is a book that will be enjoyed by wine drinkers who want to know how to stack their cellars with wine, store them properly, serve them with the right food and spend a nice evening with friends or family. And for those who are in the business of wine and food, this guide is the best way to enhance your knowledge about wine. Surprisingly an enjoyable read!

"The Persistent Observer's Guide to Wine: How to Enjoy the Best and Skip the Rest" by JP Bary is a good guide to help even the newest of wine drinkers to find a path in the world of wine. JP Bary addresses these teachings through a series of ten conversations that will draw you in and give you the information that you need. He addresses the pitfalls that seem to keep so many people from getting into wine and does it in a fashion that is more general and less academic. You will not be studying aroma wheels and parts of the tongue with this book. You will also not be subject to memorizing regions and tables and all of those things that can make you feel as though you are in school instead of taking up a new and enjoyable hobby or even just learning how to know what wine you like. JP Bary will instead show you how to trust your instincts and how to converse with those who are in the wine business so that you can find the best wine for you.

I have tried for years to find a wine book that would teach me what information I wanted without making me overwhelmed. I got one but got tired of it being treated as if I was in some high strung school instead of trying to have a cup of wine. JP Bary made a book that I could understand and one that made clear sense to me. I now am armed with a list of things for when I head out and do my wine shopping which will make things easier for me. Thanks to reading this book I do have faith that I will come home with a bottle of wine that I will enjoy and be able to talk with some friends.