Sonoma Wine and the Story of Buena Vista


Book Description

The beginning of history for California wine starts with 17th-century , but the industry and commercial powerhouse that commands 60 percent of the United States market was birthed 200 years later, the product of a Hungarian aristocrat, European grapes, and the Sonoma Valley. In this groundbreaking book by historian and bestselling author Charles L. Sullivan, the untold history of Sonoma wine serves as backdrop to the turbulent story of California s first commercial winery, Buena Vista, from its founding by brilliant but quixotic Agoston Haraszthy, through phyloxera plague and the dry years of prohibition to its present-day market prominence. Sonoma Wine and the Story of Buena Vista is a scholarly study of two centuries of California wine history, told in a riveting narrative that will engage and delight.




Sonoma County Wineries


Book Description

As early as the California Gold Rush of the mid-19th century, the first settlers of Sonoma County recognized that the rich soil and unique array of climates of the region's valleys were particularly conducive for the ages-old livelihood of viticulture. Beginning in 1857 with Buena Vista Winery, Sonoma became one of the preeminent winemaking regions in the world. Chronicled here in over 200 vintage images is Sonoma's wine producing history, covering its many wineries, vineyards, towns, and townsfolk that grew up alongside the development of this fantastic agricultural enterprise.The first Sonoma Country venture was Buena Vista Winery, founded in 1857 by the eccentric Count Agoston Haraszthy. Since then, and over the course of the next 150 years, hundreds of wineries would dot the landscape; while some succeeded and lasted through the years, others fell in the face of life's trials, including earthquakes, wildfires, and Prohibition. Covering three centuries of award-winning winemaking, this new book captures in photographs the history of some of the world's most famous wineries, their proprietors, workers, and families, including those from Korbel, Geyser Peak, Simi, Sebastiani, Pedroncelli, Orr, Seghesio, and Ravenswood.




An Inside Look at Sonoma County


Book Description

Sonoma County was the real birthplace of wine in California. But with its wealth of agricultural abundance, the region could have become the Golden State's dairy capital, apple king, berry bastion, or even big cheese. The fact that Sonoma's wine ended up as its No. 1 commodity, and then went on to win international acclaim and comparison with the best wines in the world, is due to the dedication and hard work of people as rich and fertile in character as the soil they till. In Beyond the grapes : an inside look at Sonoma County, wine writers Richard Paul Hinkle and Dan Berger unearth the stories and histories behind the region's best wineries and their wines. These are tales of people who blend artistry, ancestry, love and respect for Nature, dreams, risk-taking, technology, toil and luck--and then bottle and label it with their own personalities. Photographer Jena-Paul Paireault, who has photographed Franc's most famous wineries, cam to California to capture the spirit of the 94 Sonoma wineries included here and displays them splendidly across the book's pages.




The Sonoma Wine Compass


Book Description




Wine Clubs of Sonoma County


Book Description

This guidebook, complete with color photographs and maps, describes each wineclub in California's famed Sonoma County and is designed to assist the readerin finding the right match.




The California Directory of Fine Wineries: Napa Valley, Sonoma County


Book Description

California's Most Prestigious Wineries Invite You on an Irresistible Journey... to the congenial tasting rooms of a tri-county paradise. With The California Directory of Fine Wineries as your guide, you'll wander through world-famous Napa Valley, home of the state's most recognized cellar landmarks. Meandering scenic back roads, you'll discover Sonoma County's premier wineries. This fully updated, ninth edition of The California Directory of Fine Wineries is an essential guide to both glamorous estates and intimate, family-owned vineyards. Profiles of 56 Northern California wineries-- describing their striking architecture, behind-the-scenes tours, and bountiful gardens. Descriptions of the wineries' distinctive features, from 100-year-old wine caves and museum-quality art exhibitions to bocce ball courts and tastings of local olive oils and other gourmet foods. More than 170 color images by renowned photographer Robert Holmes. Sidebars listing directions, vineyard tours, wine tastings, special culinary events, and nearby attractions. Full-page maps showing the 56 profiled destinations, plus more than 100 additional wineries in Napa Valley and Sonoma County.




South of Somewhere


Book Description

Robert V. Camuto sets out across modern Southern Italy in search of the "South-ness" that defined his youthful experience and views the world through wine, food, and families.




Sonoma County Wineries


Book Description

Sonoma County, where Californias state flag first flew, is also the birthplace of Northern Californias wine industry. This vintage postcard journey reveals some of that rich history in its trek through Sonoma Countys fertile plains and sun-drenched hillsides, from the vintners cradle in the town of Sonoma, to its northernmost frontier near Cloverdale. Stops along the route include Glen Ellen and the Valley of the Moon, the Russian River valleys, and such industry giants as Italian-Swiss Colony and the California Wine Association. Once boasting the worlds largest vineyard, wine tank, and grape arbor, Sonoma County has long bested its more famous neighbor in number of wineries and grape acreage. Sonoma County, where Californias state flag first flew, is also the birthplace of Northern Californias wine industry. This vintage postcard journey reveals some of that rich history in its trek through Sonoma Countys fertile plains and sun-drenched hillsides, from the vintners cradle in the town of Sonoma, to its northernmost frontier near Cloverdale. Stops along the route include Glen Ellen and the Valley of the Moon, the Russian River valleys, and such industry giants as Italian-Swiss Colony and the California Wine Association. Once boasting the worlds largest vineyard, wine tank, and grape arbor, Sonoma County has long bested its more famous neighbor in number of wineries and grape acreage.




Sonoma Valley Style


Book Description

Sonoma Valley: the name alone evokes a wonderful sense of warmth, beauty, and magic. On hearing it, one envisions landscapes of sparkling rivers, verdant, vineyard-banked hillsides, and sunshine―in short, paradise. Having had this dream, those lured by the spell of Sonoma arrive to discover a place far more spectacular than imagined. In Sonoma Valley Style, author Kathryn Masson and award-winning photographer Steven Brooke offer us an intimate tour of this extraordinary place. By way of brilliant, full-color photography and lucid prose, we gain privileged entry into the stunning houses and easy lifestyle of this lush Eden. Sonoma Valley Style illustrates, in full color, extraordinary, restored and lived-in Mexican-period adobes, 19th-century Victorian farmhouses, early 20th-century craftsman bungalows, modern “California” ranch houses, and contemporary residences on the cutting edge of design.




Wine Country Women of Sonoma County


Book Description

Michelle Mandro introduces you to the diverse talents of a fascinating group of forty-six women who are making significant contributions to the diversity and quality of life in Sonoma County. Accomplished professionals including Michelin Three-Star restaurateur Katina Connaughton of SingleThread Farm, Kate MacMurray of MacMurray Ranch, Heather Patz of Patz & Hall, chefs and Food Network regulars Duskie Estes and Crista Luedtke, and winemaker Nicole Hitchcock of J Wines, provide an intimate and inspiring glimpse into their life and work. A treasured family recipe, combined with an individualized pairing explanation from each Wine Country woman, makes this book a year-round, go-to guide for both casual and elegant entertaining.Enhanced by gorgeous photography that takes the reader on a compelling visual journey, this book captures the soul of Sonoma County. Forging unique paths as tastemakers, entrepreneurs, advocates, trailblazers, nonprofit leaders, and role models, these accomplished women boast skillsets as diverse as the wine regions that have made this area one of the most desirable places to live, work, and play in the United States.