Books

[Rui]

I know this topic has already been discussed in some threads, notably here, but I would expect members to have more suggestions... So, I am asking again:

which books do you have on your shelves about Porto, which ones do you like, and which ones you don't?

[pgwerner]

I'd have to put in yet another plug for Richard Mayson's "Port and the Duoro" - it really is the "go to" English-language book on the topic. Godfrey Spence's "The Port Companion" is an OK supplement. I've never seen Suckling's book, so I can't comment. There's a couple of other books by Neil Mathieson and Ben Howkins, but I don't think there's anything in those books that isn't covered in the above two.

On Portuguese wine more generally, I've heard good things about "Portugal's Wines and Winemakers". I believe it was republished (with fewer illustrations) under the title "The Wines and Vineyards of Portugal" in the same series as "Port and the Duoro". Also in that same series is Alex Liddell's "Madeira", which is absolutely the "go to" book on Madeira wines and, in fact, probably the only in-print book entirely devoted to the subject.

Peter

[Rui]

Thanks a lot Peter.

[Roy Hersh]

Andrew Jefford's "PORT, An Essential Guide To the Classic Drink" is a fast reading primer on Port.

For a more historical perspective, I love PORT, an Introduction to its History and Delights by Wyndham Fletcher and the fabulous tome, PORT by Andre L. Simon ... amongst many others I've mentioned elsewhere on this site.

[Dave Johnson]

I'm new to the forum but I have a book suggestion: "The Story of Port" by Sarah Bradford, published by Christie's Wine Publications, London. An easy reading book with very nice illustrations, including a couple drawings of Oporto street scenes by none other than Michael Broadbent M.W. !

[Roy Hersh]

I have spent a lot of time inside that book in the past month David. Nice picture on the back cover too, although my book was published in '83 and was an update to her earlier work from 1969 which was originally entiteld: The Englishman's Wine.

As far as Broadbent's artiwork, what did you think of that great sketch of the Cockburn's cellar?

[Marc J.]

Mayson's Port and the Douro & Spence's The Port Companion are both "must reads" for any port aficionado. One additional book that has not been mentioned yet is Howkin's Rich, Rare & Red: A Guide to Port. Although not quite as current as Port and the Douro or The Port Companion it does give some additional historical information not found in the other two books.

[Roy Hersh]

Ben Howkins is now working for the Royal Tokaji Company and helped me in my efforts to authenticate some bottles of 1837 Tokaji a few years ago. His book is dated but a good read nonetheless.