Any wine drinker knows how hard it is to keep up with what's happening on the shelves. Everybody's confused by the endless deluge of new labels and new producers—even grape varieties and blends we've never heard of. (And is it just us, or does last year's gob-smackingly super-value blockbuster shiraz taste a bit less...exciting this vintage?)

We all need a little expert advice negotiating the marketing hype and finding the right wine for the occasion without busting the budget. Nobody wants to be baffled, bamboozled or bored witless in the process. That's why everyone should have a copy of don't buy wine without me.

Now in its seventh edition, don't buy wine without me is practically an institution. Understandably wary of institutionalisation, founder Stu Gregor has handed over the reins to our new resident expert, Ken Gargett, who will take the guide into a new era.

Praise for don't buy wine without me 2008:

'Great format...Neat package, neat price.'

— Winestate

'One of the few wine books every regular purchaser of wine should have on their bookshelf. It is user-friendly and bang up to date.'

— Sun-Herald

'Clears away some of the snobbery.'

— Canberra Times

'Chatty, totally unpretentious and easy to understand.'

— Herald Sun