Book Notes: Jamie Goode – Flawless (2018)

Title	Flawless – Understanding Faults in Wine
Author	Jamie Goode
Publisher	University of California Press
Date	September, 2018
ISBN	9780520276901
Pages	240
Excerpts	– Google Books – Audiobook (Google Play Books)
Synopsis	Flawless is the first book of its kind dedicated to exploring the main causes of faults in wine. From cork taint, to volatile acidity, to off-putting aromas and flavors, all wine connoisseurs have encountered unappealing qualities in a disappointing bottle. But are all faults truly bad? Are some even desirable? Jamie Goode brings his authoritative voice to the table once again to demystify the science behind what causes a good bottle to go bad. By exposing the root causes of faults in wine,  Flawless challenges us to rethink our assumptions about how wine should taste and how we can understand beauty in a glass.
	André Simon Food and Drink Book Award 2018 (shortlisted)
	New York Times – The Best Wine Books of 2018

About the Author

Jamie Goode is a London-based wine writer, lecturer, wine judge and book author. With a PhD in plant biology, he worked as a science editor, before starting wineanorak.com, one of the world’s most popular wine websites.

• wineanorak.com/jamie-goode

Published Books

• The Science of Wine: From Vine to Glass – 3rd edition – June 2021
• The Goode Guide to Wine: A Manifesto of Sorts, Sep 2020
• Flawless: Understanding Faults in Wine, Sep 2018
• I Taste Red: The Science of Tasting Wine, Sep 2016
• Authentic Wine: Toward Natural and Sustainable Winemaking, Feb 2013

Socials

• instagram.com/drjamiegoode
• linkedin.com/in/jamiegoode
• youtube.com/@JamieGoodeWA

About the Book

The book is about wine faults. The title was chosen “to emphasize the positive. The absence of flaws may not actually be a positive quality in itself (…) Sometimes, small levels of what might at higher levels be fault compounds can help beauty express itself“. The philosophical underpinning is wabi sabi (see below for a seminar on the topic).

Goode answer the questions

• What is it
• What is its flavor impact
• What causes it
• Is it always bad
• How can it be prevented
• How common is it

For faults and taints

• Brettanomyces
• Oxidation
• Volatile Acidity
• Reduction and Volatile Sulfur Compounds
• Musty Taints: Cork Taint and Its Relatives
• Smoke Taint
• Geosmin
• Eucalyptus Taint
• Light Damage
• Heat Damage
• Greenness in Wine and Ladybug Taint
• Mousiness
• Faults of Malolactic Fermentation

Look it Up

As sources several scientic journals are referenced. No other books on the topic are listed. Most often quoted are

• Food Microbiology (Elsevier)
• American Journal of Enology and Viticulture
• Journal of Applied Microbiology (Oxford)
• Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (ACS)
• Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research
• South African Journal of Enology and Viticulture

Book Reviews

• Flawless – book review by Tamlyn Currin, jancisrobinson.com – Nov, 2018
• Flawless – book review by Neal D. Hulkower, doi:10.1017/jwe.2019.7
• Flawless…it pretty much is by David Crossley – Jan 2019

Perfectly Imperfect

Western culture, following the aesthetics of classical Greece, perceives perfection as the ultimate expression of excellence. The Eastern tradition, as articulated in the Japanese concept wabi-sabi, accepts imperfections as necessary components of true beauty. These two contrasting visions of excellence are mirrored in the critical evaluation of wine.

• wineeducationcouncil.org

Bonus

Read	2024
Format	Hardcover + Audio

Relatively technical book targeted to professionals active in winemaking and amateurs with some familiarity with wine science. 

Wine faults are also covered Behind the Glass by Gus Zhu’s.

Book Notes: Gus Zhu – Behind the Glass (2024)