The Australian Wine Vintages 2009 Gold Book™ is the world’s number-1 selling pocket wine guide, having sold over 900,000 copies worldwide since its 1979 introduction.

The author, Robin Bradley, sought a format wherein there was less opinion and more referable fact. The wine-drinking public's remarkable acceptance of the concept appears to have vindicated his belief in the superiority of data over verbiage.

In its 26th Edition, and long considered the bible, the Gold Book™ is a 440-page, five-color, hard-cover, pocket-sized encyclopedia, which includes over 17,000 entries, consisting of 2,030 wines from 430 winemakers, and full-color reproductions of virtually each wine label.

Each wine is ranked out of a maximum of 5 stars by author Robin Bradley (including some superb wines which earn the Gold Star status - among the great wines of the world)

In addition, the winemaker rates each vintage of each wine (from 1 to 7) and stipulates the ideal year to drink it. There is also a dollar value calculated for every entry (except where the ideal time to have drunk the wine is prior to now).

Updated annually, the Gold Book™ is arguably the planet’s premier must-have guide to every drinkable wine produced in Australia and a handy resource for not only the ordinary consumer, but also the avid wine collector.

For the novice, the author's rankings allow for easy comparisons between an untried wine and a previously tasted one. The connoisseur/collector will find the winemakers' rankings and the winemakers' "best year to drink" rating invaluable when selecting a wine to drink now, cellar and/or to collect.

With the growing popularity of Australian wines in the United States, the Gold Book™ is an important tool for the wine enthusiast of any level and an invaluable source for those wishing to learn more about the wines from Down Under.

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