The Cynic's Guide to Wine

Stripping away the pretensions of wine appreciation and upending a lot of well-established myths, Sunny Hodge explains and unravels how wine works and tastes the way it does. Perfect for all budding wine lovers.

Much of what is written about wine, whether in wine books, on bottle labels or in the Sunday supplements uses language that gives wine an air of mystery. While compelling and enticing for the consumer this can also lead to confusion regarding the science of wine as well as fear on the part of the inexperienced wine drinker of 'getting wine wrong'. In The Cynic's Guide to Wine Sunny Hodge strips wine back to its basic science and unravels the facts behind wine flavors, showing readers a clear path through the verbiage. The text takes in elements of horticulture, soil science, botany and sensory science as well as oenology and is provided in bite-sized chunks aimed at the curious non-scientist. This is a straightforward and eye-opening book for anybody who has ever wanted to question the stories told around wine but was afraid to ask.

• The wine book all novice wine drinkers need: strips away the pretension and explains what really matters when it comes to producing the flavors in your glass of wine.
• Questions many of the things we take for granted when it comes to wine, from terroir to the science of winemaking.
• Author is the award-winning owner of two London wine bars who has earned a reputation as a disruptor in the wine trade.

Author: Sunny Hodge
Publisher: Academie Du Vin Library Ltd
Published: 06/10/2025
Pages: 224
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 2.10lbs
Size: 9.20h x 7.60w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781917084635

About the Author
Sunny Hodge completed a degree in Mechanical Engineering before embarking on a career in hospitality. He worked his way up from fast food restaurants to become a founding team member at Paulo de Tarso and Nicholas Jaouën's London restaurant, Margot. His scientific training has always lead him to look for the how and why behind food and wine and he currently runs science-based wine tastings and is developing programs to provide wine education based around science and functionality. Hodge is the founder and owner of two wine bars in south London, Diogenes the Dog and aspen & meursault, for which he was awarded Entrepreneur of the Year at the Southwark Business Awards. Both wine bars showcase unusual and lesser known wines and share a mission to educate customers about wine. Sunny is an annual wine judge for the IWSC awards and has commentated on wine for the Evening Standard, The Times and the Guardian.