Review on 🍷 Wine Folly: Magnum Edition: The Master Guide - Ultimate Collector's Edition Gift Set by Carlos Reyes

This guide by Madeleine Paquette and Justin Hammack has been an invaluable asset to my life! I was going to say "home" or "kitchen" or "bookcase" but this is so much more than a book. Excluding the supplements to the Magnum Collector's Edition, the book here currently costs around $32, but it's for the 2018 edition, not this 2019 edition, which claims to have double the content of the first. What you get with the Magnum Edition makes a great gift. I dare say it's worth $150 even as a gift to myself. The accompanying glass is signed and optimally designed for tasting; an infographic in the shape of a wine glass is applied to the polishing cloth; an opener is ideal if you don't already have one; A journal helps with mindful tasting and note-taking if you choose to do so. I have another opener of the same design as the one in the kit and I find this type of opener much more comfortable to use than the fancy electric openers that are all the rage these days. It's all packed in a sturdy, high-quality box that keeps everything neat and impressive, especially when you open it up and see the hand-numbered edition inside. For context: I've been a passionate perfume enthusiast for about 20 years. The information in this book is very up to date and contains useful information on tasting notes and the origin of ingredients that are very similar to high quality perfume ingredients. This helps a lot when choosing a wine and finding what you like. It's not just snobbish education to impress your company. This saves you money and lets you enjoy your wine a lot more without having to decide how nice the label is or what your friends recommend. I love Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc and have been looking for them to study their characteristics and origins; I then searched for wines with similar profiles and since having this book I have been buying wines with more confidence than my favorites. It also helped me to know what to expect when I'm feeling adventurous and want to explore something beyond my usual tastes. Now that I'm spending money on wine, I feel less like gambling. This Collector's Edition is a real treat and a great investment or gift for anyone who loves wine.