Volcanic Wines ─ Salt, Grit and Power

Volcanic Wines takes a novel approach to the world of wine, using volcanic soil as the overarching theme and link between a wide range of grapes and wine regions. Wine professionals are already deeply attuned to the impact of terroir and of soil type on wine style and quality. While consumers tend to rely on grape variety as their main purchasing cue for wine, as the market broadens and general wine knowledge expands, terroir now figures more prominently in their thinking. It's more widely acknowledged and understood today that even small variations in soil type can result in dramatically different wines, and that the same soil type can yield a distinctive imprint regardless of the grape variety or the region in which it is grown.

John Szabo introduces geology and volcanism and the correlation between soil type and wine composition, with the right balance of science and nature, personal history and commercial considerations. He covers how these soil types arise and where a guiding line has been drawn between volcanic and non-volcanic soils. A wide and breathtaking range of photographs highlight how stunning volcanic wine regions are; together with maps and wine labels the reader is taken on a visual tour of these remote corners of the globe. Volcanic Wines is a well-researched resource on the history, unique characteristics and wine styles and most celebrated producers in each volcanic region. Personal and anecdotal information help humanize the journey, with experiences and discoveries shared in eloquent but accessible, playful prose.

Toronto-based author and wine critic John Szabo was the first Canadian to add the Master Sommelier credentials to his name in 2004. He was listed as "Canada's best-known sommelier" in Meininger's Wine Business International in 2012. John is a partner and principal critic for WineAlign.com and wine columnist for Ricardo, ModaLina, and CityBites magazines. He writes occasionally for US-based Wine & Spirits Magazine, and has published in Nation's Restaurant News, En Route Magazine, the Globe and Mail, the National Post, Vines Magazine, and Wine Access Magazine, among others. Past books include Pairing Food and Wine For Dummies (Wiley, December 2012), and Sommelier Management (Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers, Revised Edition 2013). John has appeared on CTV National News, Breakfast Television, The Morning Show, TVOntario, CityTV, and CBC TV and has been a regular guest on classical 96.3FM for many years.John also consults on restaurant beverage programs, from small neighbourhood operations to national chains. He counts Toronto's Pearson International Airport, the Trump International Hotel and Tower Toronto and the National Arts Centre among many past clients.