I often get asked if I’m a sommelier. The answer is always, firmly, ‘No.’
Sommeliers are at the frontline when it comes to wine, guiding diners with myriad requirements through their list. They have to translate wine-speak for those who simply want a glass of something tasty. They have to translate non-wine-speak into something the table will like. They have to navigate different tastes, budgets, knowledge levels – all with a smile.
It’s thus unsurprising, perhaps, that many sommeliers slip into writing – taking their skills from the table to the page. Two new books graced my postbox recently, both from somms of serious class.
First up is Jordan Salcito’s Smart Mouth: Wine Essentials for You, Me and Everyone We Know (£30 Ten Speed Press, October 2025). Salcito has worked the floor at establishments such as Eleven Madison Park in New York, but she also created Ramona – a canned spritz that littered my social feeds a few summers ago.
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Her debut book is conceived to take you ‘from a D student to an A’, building on an initial interest and guiding you through principles of wine – tasting, winemaking, soils and farming – through to common grapes and regions, as well as practical tips on food pairing and storing and drinking wine.
The writing is bright and light, engaging and conversational, and filled with nuggets of knowledge that will leave you hankering for more.
The second book comes courtesy of Bert Blaize, an awarded London-based sommelier who has worked at the Clove Club, and journalist Victoria Brzezinski. Drinking the World: A Wine Odyssey (£22 Harper Collins, November 2025) takes a totally different tack.
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The compact hardback is a collection of tales from around the world of wine. It’s broken down by country and region, offering personal introductions to each, but with a focus on lesser-known areas. Each region in the spotlight is explored through the story of a single producer.
Bordeaux doesn’t get a look in, but you’ll find sections on Luxembourg, Poland, Japan and Bolivia. Profiles of each producer are accompanied by quick-fire Q&As, covering the winemaker’s favourite bar and restaurant, artistic influences and more – offering a handy travel compendium for a visit.
Like Salcito’s book, it does an excellent job of reeling the reader in – drawing you ever further into the world of wine, inspiring you to continue the odyssey you’ve started in its pages.
Water and wine
Hock, claret and Port long dominated the wine trade – but why? It wasn’t just their quality – it was also geography, of course: their access to water and, more importantly, the associated flow of trade.
Robert Winder’s Three Rivers: The Extraordinary Waterways that Made Europe (Elliot & Thompson, August 2025, £20) is a riveting new book that dives into how Europe’s most prominent rivers (the Rhine, Rhône and Po – not the Douro/Duero, I’m afraid) have defined the continent’s evolution, including its wine trade – all enlivened by Winder’s evocative writing.
Sophie Thorpe is a London-based wine writer, largely writing in-house for merchant Fine & Rare. The winner of the 2021 Guild of Food Writers Drinks Writing Award and an MW student, her writing can be found at firstpress.uk.
