Noble Nine : The Story and Science of the World's Favourite Wines - Andrew Wood

Noble Nine : The Story and Science of the World's Favourite Wines - Andrew Wood

Andrew Wood

£20.00
Pre-order

Published 5 November 2026

Order now and we’ll post it on publication day. We take payment today and hold your order until then; if the publisher moves the date we’ll email you, and you can cancel for a full refund at any point before it ships.

  • Pages · 336 pages
  • Publication Date · 05/11/2026
  • Genre · Antiques & collectables
Collect in store Pick it up free from the shop in Oxford's Covered Market, usually quicker than the post.
Delivery Standard tracked £1.99, free on orders over £20. Express tracked £2.99.
Book Lovers' Happy Hour Three cocktails matched to your taste, three books chosen for you, an hour and a half at the bar. £60 per person. Book a place →
Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay. Chenin Blanc. Merlot. Pinot Noir. Riesling. Sauvignon Blanc. S�millon. Shiraz. Through these bestselling wines made from the renowned and ubiquitous nine 'noble' grapes, expert wine biologist Dr Andrew Wood tells the story and science of the wines we love to drink. From the rescue in the 19th century of European vineyards from pestilence by the grafts of American vines and the discovery of Sauternes made from rotting grapes by 18th century French peasants, to the use of climate data to optimise harvests and experiments in terroir to affect taste - along with stories of individual vineyards, tasting notes for each grape and original analysis of wine prices - Noble Nine delves into fascinating botanical history and cutting edge science to explore why wine tastes the way it does, and how biology, weather and human shape it. Hugely informative and entertaining, Noble Nine opens a unique window onto wine: its qualities, its heritage, and its future, from vine to glass and every stage in between.

Only at Gulp Fiction

Book Lovers' Happy Hour

An hour and a half at the bar, with three cocktails matched to your taste and three books chosen for you. Tell us what you like when you book, and we'll have them waiting when you arrive.

  • 1½ hours
  • £60 per person
  • 3 cocktails, 3 books
Book Happy Hour

Up to four of you can come — book a place each and choose the same time slot, then tell us who you're with. For larger groups, email gulpfictionbooks@gmail.com and we'll arrange it.

Three customers at the window table in Gulp Fiction, cocktails in hand beside a stack of books, with Oxford's Covered Market visible through the glass

Collect in store

Order online and pick it up from the shop. It's free, and usually quicker than the post.

Find us

Units 28–29, Covered Market, Oxford OX1 3DU. Mon–Wed 10–5, Thu–Sat 10–10, Sun 11–4.

Book a table

The bar is open late Thursday to Saturday. Reserve a table for a drink among the books.