Educating Peter: Educating Peter

by Lettie Teague

Book Overview

Lettie Teague knows wine. She has been the wine editor at Food & Wine magazine for almost a decade. The only question she is asked more than "Can you recommend a great wine for under $10?" -- great... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743286782
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: Scribner
• Length: 257 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.4" x 0.7" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Great introduction to wines of the world!

For years my friends thought I knew a lot about wine because I love drinking it. Reading "Educating Peter" taught me how narrow my knowledge of wine was. I realized that I only knew very few Californian, French, Australian, and Chilean wines. This intriguing book took me on an informative and humorous journey through the wines of those and many other countries in a breezy, yet detailed style that kept me wishing I was on the trip with the author instead of Peter Travers. But then again, I wouldn't have made all the cinematic connections he did, and that adds a dimension to the book film buffs will especially enjoy. The quiz at the end of the book is a fun way to see how much you've learned from reading it. Okay, I admit it's not as much fun as actually tasting all the wines mentioned, but it's as close as you can get for less than $30.

Fun and informative

While I have little respect for the movie reviews of Peter Travers, this did not stop me from thoroughly enjoying and learning from "Educating Peter." That's because Teague deftly keeps the spotlight on the wines (despite all the Hollywood name-dropping) to bring us a fast, fun read, full of interesting and practical tips. For instance, in the Chilean wines aisle, I now look mainly for Sauvignon Blancs, like the $10 bottle from Casa Lapostolle winery. This tip alone has saved me hours of soul-searching in the wine section. There are just too many vinos whirling around the world these days for an uninformed person on a budget to know how to get a good value. I also loved that all the major wine-producing countries were covered quickly and concisely, as well as the grapes/types of wine they're best known for.

enjoyed the information, not so much peter

I purchased this book for my wife, but ended up reading it first myself, as I found it supported punchy & short reading sessions while cooking dinner. Peter came across like an overgrown kid, impetuous and whiny. I think the perspective of teaching a wine amateur was a good idea, but I think it would have been a bit better had the novice been a little less, hmm, self-centered? The information contained in the book is good, and I learned quite a few things. At some point, I found myself skimming, not reading, the information on the many wine regions presented, figuring that they will probably act best as reference material some point in the future.

You'll want to take notes, so read it with a pen & paper handy!

I loved this book. I read it through voraciously, sometimes up to two hours at a sitting while I waited for the rest of the world (well, my world) to wake up. I felt as though I should have been taking notes. As I read it again, I plan to have a pen and paper handy. The book is fun, although as a read a passage out loud to my friend, he said, "it sounds like someone ran it through a thesaurus and replaced all the normal words with longer words, so it sounds more impressive." Anyway, yeah, it's a keeper, and very well worth the price of admission. My only comment would be that i'd have liked to see her talk about how to actually drink wine before the very last chapter!

Fantastic orientation to world of wine

If you love wine but still feel overwhlemed by the choices in a wine store, look no further than Teague's book for a guide to explore and discover the wonderful wines that await you. This is the book I needed in order to begin to make intelligent selections for wine purchases. Teague describes the various wine making regions of the world in detail, with tips on where to find good value wines in each area. I give a much longer review on my blog, titled Rookie Cookery at andreayaya (at) typepad (dot) com. The book is informative and yet an easy, enjoyable read--no mean feat. Don't let the breezy title dissuade you from checking it out. Highly recommended!