California Celebrity Vineyards


Book Description

Following the success of their first book, authors Nick Wise and Linda Sunshine, focus on the wines and winemakers of California in this latest edition. They go behind the tasting rooms to show how these spectacular wines came into being and to interview the men and women who craft them. The authors revisit Robert Kamen, BR Cohn, Francis Ford Coppola, Fess Parker, Randy Lewis, Charlie Palmer, Raymond Burr, Lillian Disney, and Mario Andretti to update their stories and taste their new vintages. They add more celebrities including Kurt Russell, musician Carlos Santana, Mike Ditka, basketball star Yao Ming, golfers Luke Donald and Jack Nicklaus, writer Molly Chappellet and Nigel Newton, publisher of Harry Potter. For fans of wine, travel, California, and the rich and famous, here are stories about the love of wine, the joy of creating something amazing from the land and the respect for the grape that is thousands of years old but uniquely American.




Celebrity Vineyards


Book Description

From the hills of Napa to the mountain slopes of Piedmont, writers Nick Wise and Linda Sunshine went in search of great wine and famous people who are also winemakers. In the past few years, helming a winery has become more and more popular among the rich and famous. But how much involvement in the actual process of making that wine did those celebrities actually have? Were they merely name endorsements or were they part of the incredibly difficult process of creating great wine from a field of grapes? Travelling around the world, Wise and Sunshine interviewed such winemakers as B. R. Cohn, manager of the Doobie Brothers; screenwriter Robert Kamen of The Karate Kid fame; race car drivers Mario Andretti and legendary football coach, Dick Vermeil. Written for fans of wine, travel, and the rich and famous, Celebrity Vineyards is a fascinating journey into a world that, for most of us, is only a dream. Here are artists and entrepreneurs, dreamers and businesspeople who share a love of wine, a respect for the grape, and the joy of creating something amazing out of the land.




Call of the Vine


Book Description

Call of the Vine takes you on a tour of ten famous vineyards in the legendary California wine regions of Napa and Sonoma. Sit back and relax as author, Dr. Liz Thach, first female Master of Wine from California, introduces you to the men and women who are guardians of some of the most sacred plots of land on earth for wine lovers. Written in the first person with close and intimate conversations with vineyard managers and winemakers, this non-fiction book will not only inspire you with the meticulous care and environmental practices being used in these vineyards, but will explain how viticulture decisions such as canopy management and clonal selection impact wine quality. Most importantly this book taps into the "soul of the vineyard" and describes how working amongst the vines provides insights into a balanced life and respect for the graces of nature. Inspired to write this book when visiting La Tache and Romanee Conti vineyards in France and witnessing the respect and admiration carloads of tourists had for these famous vineyards, Liz decided to begin an exploration of the famous vineyards of her own homeland, California. Armed with the help and guidance of the Napa Valley Vintners and the Sonoma County Vintners, she was able to identify a list of ten Napa and Sonoma County vineyards that fit the criteria of being a historic vineyard, unique in some special way such as location or varietal, and/or consistently producing a high number of award winning wines.




Call of the Vine


Book Description

Call of the Vine takes you on a tour of ten famous vineyards in the legendary California wine regions of Napa and Sonoma. Sit back and relax as author, Dr. Liz Thach, first female Master of Wine from California, introduces you to the men and women who are guardians of some of the most sacred plots of land on earth for wine lovers. Written in the first person with close and intimate conversations with vineyard managers and winemakers, this non-fiction book will not only inspire you with the meticulous care and environmental practices being used in these vineyards, but will explain how viticulture decisions such as canopy management and clonal selection impact wine quality. Most importantly this book taps into the “soul of the vineyard” and describes how working amongst the vines provides insights into a balanced life and respect for the graces of nature. Inspired to write this book when visiting La Tache and Vosne-Romanee vineyards in France and witnessing the respect and admiration carloads of tourists had for these famous vineyards, Liz decided to begin an exploration of the famous vineyards of her own homeland, California. Armed with the help and guidance of the Napa Valley Vintners and the Sonoma County Vintners, she was able to identify a list of ten Napa and Sonoma County vineyards that fit the criteria of being a historic vineyard, unique in some special way such as location or varietal, and/or consistently producing a high number of award winning wines.




California Wine Country


Book Description

California Wine Country" opens with the history of winemaking in the state and explains how and why Californian wines have become famous around the world. Leffingwell then guides readers through the winemaking cycle and takes them on a personal tour of the state's most breathtaking and popular wine making regions. 300 color photos.




California's Central Coast: The Ultimate Winery Guide


Book Description

"The winemaking region encompassed by Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties is hot among those in the know -- and with good reason. A huge variety of the finest wines are only a pour away, and the setting is as dazzling as what's in the glass. Yet, despite its recent surge in popular appeal, the coast retains the down-home feel and roll-up-your-sleeves attitude that made it famous. The wineries of the Central Coast offer the perfect mix of elegant hospitality and warm accessibility -- as often as not, the people who pour your wine in the tasting rooms are not only the winemakers, but the winery owners as well, and they are happy to spend time chatting about their passion. Mira Advani Honeycutt's affectionately detailed text is a perfect introduction to this exciting expanse of vineyards. She reveals how the many microclimates of the Santa Ynez, Santa Maria, Arroyo Grande, and Edna Valleys, as well as the area around Paso Robles, have led to the production of an amazing diversity of varietals by an equally varied collection of wineries. Whether you're looking for a lush picnic spot and a glass of bubbly or panoramic views accompanied by a tasting flight of robust Rhône blends, her helpful tips lead the way. In addition, she reveals the distinctive art and architecture that abound in the wineries, while fine cuisine, fresh produce, and eclectic historical sites are never far away."--




A Glass Full of Miracles


Book Description

Memoir by one of America's foremost winemakers and a winner of the Judgment of Paris wine tasting in 1976.




Celebrity Vineyards


Book Description




The New California Wine


Book Description

A comprehensive guide to the must-know wines and producers of California's "new generation," and the story of the iconoclastic young winemakers who have changed the face of California viniculture in recent years. The New California Wine is the untold story of the California wine industry: the young, innovative producers who are rewriting the rules of contemporary winemaking; their quest to express the uniqueness of California terroir; and the continuing battle to move the state away from the overly-technocratic, reactionary practices of its recent past. Jon Bonné writes from the front lines of the California wine revolution, where he has access to the fascinating stories, philosophies, and techniques of top producers. Part narrative, part authoritative purchasing reference, The New California Wine is a necessary addition to any wine lover's bookshelf.




Tasting the Good Life


Book Description

Five million visitors a year travel to California's Napa Valley to experience the good life: to taste fine wines, eat fine food, and immerse themselves in other sophisticated pleasures while surrounded by bucolic beauty. Tourism is the world's largest employer, and tourists today want to experience the world through all five senses. Tasting the Good Life tells the story of Napa tourism through the words of the tourists who visit and the men and women who provide the products and services they rely on. The stories of 17 people--from winemaker to vineyard manager, from celebrity chef to wait staff, from hot air balloonist to masseuse--provide extraordinary insight into this new form of tourism and its impact on an iconic American place.