Napa Valley & Sonoma


Book Description

This award-winning book takes the reader through the breathtaking vineyards and quaint charm of California's renowned wine region. A listing of wineries and tasting rooms is included, along with reproductions of the region's legendary wine labels.




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."--




Judgment of Paris


Book Description

The only reporter present at the mythic Paris Tasting of 1976 for the first time introduces the eccentric American winemakers and records the tremendous aftershocks of this historic event that changed forever the world of wine. The Paris Tasting of 1976 will forever be remembered as the landmark event that transformed the wine industry. At this legendary contest—a blind tasting—a panel of top French wine experts shocked the industry by choosing unknown California wines over France’s best. George M. Taber, the only reporter present, recounts this seminal contest and its far-reaching effects, focusing on three gifted unknowns behind the winning wines: a college lecturer, a real estate lawyer, and a Yugoslavian immigrant. With unique access to the main players and a contagious passion for his subject, Taber renders this historic event and its tremendous aftershocks—repositioning the industry and sparking a golden age for viticulture across the globe. With an eclectic cast of characters and magnificent settings, Judgment of Paris is an illuminating tale and a story of the entrepreneurial spirit of the new world conquering the old.




On California


Book Description

- California is the largest wine region in the world, as well as one of its most-regarded - this book tells its story - Articles and extracts from some of the most loved wine writers of yesterday and today - An essential wine book for every wine lover and wine student - Beautifully designed and illustrated to bring the region to life on the page On California explores the grapes and the people who have made California wine great. The pioneers, the boffins, the whizz-kids and scientists, many of whom tell their stories on its pages - some in precious archive material, others have set down their thoughts mid-pandemic in 2021: Randall Grahm, Gerald Asher, Steven Spurrier, Paul Draper and Warren Winiarski take a bow.... Includes: California wine and the future: where will the 'California spirit' lead next? The 'Hollywood Grape' our authors chart the path of Cabernet Sauvignon, from the wish-list of Thomas Jefferson to the hallowed hillsides of Stag's Leap and Screaming Eagle 1976? Of course it was a competition! Steven Spurrier and Patricia Gallagher look back at the motivations behind the famous Paris wine tasting Top New York sommelier Victoria James tells of her near-death introduction to the whacky world of winemaking in Sonoma Will the real Zinfandel please stand up? Paul Draper seeks out the true heritage of California's versatile orphan grape Contributions from top California writers: Elaine Chukan Brown, Mary Margaret McCamic MW, Karen MacNeil, Esther Mobley, Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Liz Thach MW, Clare Tooley MW, and Kelli White Hugh Johnson, Jane Anson and Fiona Morrison MW introduce California's intrepid wine pioneers Rex Pickett's Sideways heroes, Jack and Miles, clink glasses over the Central Coast's finest Pinot Noir A-Z: from 'Bob' Mondavi to Xylem sap-sensors and pink Zinfandel - California wine in bite-size Hugh Johnson pays tribute to Bordeaux master Michael Broadbent.




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.







The New Connoisseurs' Guidebook to California Wine and Wineries


Book Description

For this powerful successor to his best-selling guide to California wine, Charles E. Olken has joined forces with Joseph Furstenthal to craft The New Connoisseurs’ Guidebook to California Wine and Wineries. An encyclopedia, atlas, and buying guide combined in one comprehensive, authoritative work, this new guide delivers information and guidance that is not available in any other place. From first page to last, it is geared towards a wide range of consumers, yet also offers the depth and detail that made its predecessor one of the most frequently referenced works by wine educators and industry insiders. Now organized geographically into eight wine regions, the guide has been completely rewritten and expanded to provide the most current information on the state’s evolving wine industry—its history, grapes, winemaking, terminology, geography, and leading wineries.




Wines and Wineries of California’s Central Coast


Book Description

In comparative tastings, wines from California's Central Coast rival those from such renowned regions as Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Napa, yet they also offer superb value. This is the first comprehensive guide to one of the world's most dynamic and beautiful wine regions-and the setting for the award-winning movie Sideways. An excellent, one-stop resource for touring and tasting at convenient wineries located from Monterey to Santa Barbara, the guide is organized into county-by-county alphabetical listings for this up-and-coming region. Wines and Wineries of California's Central Coast includes: * Profiles of nearly 300 wineries personally visited by the author * Profiles of individual vintners * 5 maps * Winery ratings, plus author and winemaker recommendations * Visitors' and contact information for each winery * Discussions of regional wine history and terroir * Descriptions of designated American Viticultural Areas and grape varietals




Along the California Wine Trail


Book Description




Wine Dogs California


Book Description




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