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Thirsty Work: Matt Skinner
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Serious but unpretentious, inspiring and fun, Thirsty Work celebrates wine and all that goes into making it and all who are involved in sharing it. Based on the way he teaches the subject of wine to his students at Fifteen, Matt Skinner breaks down all the information you need to feel confident when choosing and drinking wine. All the key topics in wine are covered – from how to taste to the key grapes; where and how wine is made to the range of styles – and his 24 “hour faces of wine” working around the clock, feature all the people who are involved in bringing wine to your table. In everyday terms, Skinner presents his subject on a unique and personal level.
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Additional information
| Publisher | 1st edition (15 Sept. 2005), Mitchell Beazley |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 176 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 184533082X |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1845330828 |
| Dimensions | 20.8 x 2 x 26 cm |
by vikilee
This book is OK but could have been much better. Its relaxed style make it undaunting, which is a good way to approach wine, but there are too many photos and not enough humour. This book needed to be funny. The book tries a bit too hard to fit into the Jamie oliver bracket of ‘hip’, however this IS a coffee table book in my opinion and not an attempt to explain wine properly. I am sure Matt Skinner will develop his talents, but this book falls short of being worth reading or re-reading.
by Rob
Was looking forward to this book, but it was a real disappointment. Very lightweight – I’m no wine expert, but if this is the extent of Matt Skinner’s knowledge, then becoming a wine waiter is a lot easier than it used to be. Only buy it if you are a real beginner with wine
by Jon Morris
Thirsty Work is quite a good book for people who know zero about wine or maybe want to learn more, however, I would say that too much time is spent on funky lingo and artistic photos of Matt Skinner posing. As an adult (28) I thought that the book was probably aimed at a younger readership of teenagers, which makes me wonder if teenagers would really bother to read this book? There are not many books aimed at wine novices so I suppose this book is good from that point of view, but I couldn’t help thinking that it could have been so much better. If you like Jamie Oliver cook books then this is the perfect book to put next to them on your coffee table, if you want a bit more substance or something less iritating to read then buy something else.
by Amazon Customer
Thirsty Work seems to be a genuine attempt to make wine more easily understood, and in that aim the book is not too bad. What seems odd is the “Jamie Oliver Lifestyle” way in which this book has been written.
There is too much time spent on phrases like “grapes rock” (oh dear), and arty photos of Matt wearing basball caps. I think that this book could have been more readable if it concentrated on what makes wine special, rather than cultivating Matt Skinner as a future ‘star’.
I think that this book might appeal to teenagers, but is probably a bit too clumsy to excite an older audience.
by Thomas Jensen
After the huge success of Jamie Oliver in taking advanced cooking down to earth and explaining the joy of food in a language the rest of us understand (something great chefs have failed at for years), it was inevitable that we’d see one on wine as well. Matt Skinner has worked as a sommelier for Jamie Oliver for many years, and his writing style is very akin to his friend’s, and combined with his easy-going Australian approach, this is a very non-intimidating book on wine, and a great place to start for modern wine novices. The book takes you through the different aspects of wine production, consumption, and purchase, and does it well.
The book’s short comings is in Skinner’s “new world” approach to wine. A large portion of the book is dedicated to the most popular grapes used in wine (and this part is remarkably exhaustive, not just the usual suspects), based on the philosophy that if you know the grapes you know what a wine will taste like, regardless of where it’s from or who made it. If only it was so simple. As anyone who has sampled the same grape from different countries, different wine regions or even from neighboring vineyards, know that the same grape can produce very different wines based on soil, climate, weather and the skills of the wine maker.
These short comings aside, this is still a great wine book, and the sheer joy of wine the book exhumes makes it worth its price tag. Also, it is a good, more modern, companion to one Hugh Johnson’s excellent, but a bit old fashioned, wine books.
by Bruno
Thirsty Work is almost a decent book but there are too many niggles that stopped me enjoying it, or suggesting that others read it. Much of the book is wasted with romantic, arty colour photos and with really annoying words like “brilliant” and “juice”, whereas more room could have been taken up with in-depth wine info. Reading the book gives you the feeling that Thirsty Work is just a vehicle to create a persona around Matt Skinner rather than write a genuine book. I reckon this book would suit the under 20’s thinking about going to catering college and needing a very simple intro to wine.
by Sharon Wright
I love this book! Not only is it shot beautifully, but Matt Skinner has made choosing wine a joyous adventure. I found the book to be highly informative and set out in a really funky and accessible style. His passion and knowledge of wine and all it’s varietals is far beyond his years. This book should be a staple on coffee tables around the country and the world. Well done Matt!