blankWherein we look at some of the local books that have been published this year and give you some ideas of what to get your book-loving friends and family for Hanukkah, Solstice, Festivus, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or just because it’s a day ending with “y”.
	Don’t forget to support your local independent bookstores!

Had a Glass 2013
by James Nevison
Random House
also available as an ebook

You should buy at least two copies of this book: one to give away and one to keep for yourself to aid you in future gift giving (and wine drinking). This compact guide not only lists top 100 wines under $100, it is full of tips on how to buy wine, how to taste wine, and how to pair wine with food. It is a guide for everyday wine enjoyment.

Vancouver author James Nevison is an award-winning wine writer and educator, and has judged wine competitions in Canada and internationally. He has co-authored five best-selling wine books, contributes regularly to Taste and other publications,  and his column “The Wine Guy” can be found every Thursday in The Province. Western Living magazine named him one of the “Top 40 Foodies Under 40.”

Each wine is given its own page, with a concise but thorough description, suggestions for food pairings, bottle label for easy identification at the store, and a barcode that can be scanned using a wine app so you can locate stores and availability. Nevison has also included suggestions for the right occasion for a particular wine, from Romance to BYO to Rock Out (“Wines to let your hair down and crank it up to 11.”)

And for when the occasion warrants blowing the regular budget, there’s “The Splurge,” suggestions on specialty wines such as Champagne, fortified wines, organic wines, or a special bottle from your birth year .

As Nevison says, “Had a Glass is easy to use: pick a page, read the blurb, get the wine, and see what you think. Repeat.”

Click to read our previous Holiday Lit List suggestions.