Wine reference recommendations?

[ShortWiner]

I'm looking for recommendations for a good all-around reference book. I've got some novice books (i.e., Oz Clarke's "Introducing Wine"), but don't really consider myself a novice anymore; more like a novice-plus. At least, I could now use something more comprehensive. I'd like to be able to look up more obscure grapes or appellations, for example, and get an idea of what they're about. Any suggestions?

[hotwine]

Sure, a couple: The Larousse Enclopedia of Wine, and the Oxford Companion to Wine, both excellent. I refer to the former much more frequently than to the latter.

[Innkeeper]

You might also look for Michael Schuster's "Esssential Winetasting." It is a cica 2000 book that I think is still in print. It goes far beyond it's title, and has the kinds of details you describe, maps, and more. I use it regularly as a reference.

[wondersofwine]

I think I would favor the Larousse over the Oxford. Looked at the Oxford when the new edition came out and thought it was too scanty on American wines and even on German wines.

[joeyz6]

Shortwiner, I also consider myself somewhat of a novice-plus, so this thread has been useful for me as well. One book I've found to be useful is the Guide Hachette, a highly respected publication here in France.

[Thomas]

We keep the Oxford...and Tom Stevenson's book on file at is-wine, for good reference. But each is Euro-centric. European writers spend all kinds of time on obscure grapes and regions in Europe but when it comes to North America, they focus on California and know little about anywhere else.
A comprehensive North American wine book does not yet exist. I am working on it.