'Sooner or later, nearly everyone who cares about wine and food comes to Sonoma' - so begins this lively excursion to a spectacular region that has become known internationally as a Locavore's paradise. Part memoir, part vivid reportage, "Field Days" chronicles the renaissance in farming organically and eating locally that is unfolding in Northern California. Jonah Raskin tells of the year he spent on Oak Hill Farm - working the fields, selling produce at farmers' markets, and following it to restaurants. He also goes behind the scenes at Whole Foods. In this luminous account of his experiences, Raskin introduces a dynamic cast of characters - farmers, chefs, winemakers, farm workers, and environmentalists. They include such luminaries as: Warren Weber at Star Route Farm, the oldest certified organic farm in Marin County; Bob Cannard, who has supplied Chez Panisse with vegetables for decades; Sharon Grossi, the owner of the largest organic farm in Sonoma; and, Craig Stoll, the founder and executive chef at Delfina in San Francisco. Raskin also offers portraits of renowned historical figures, including Luther Burbank, Jack London, and M.F.K. Fisher. "Field Days" is a heartfelt celebration of the farm-to-table movement and its cultural reverberations.

Each year our team travels to every wine-growing area of Spain to taste and review new varieties, labels and vintages. As a result, each year's edition contains fresh information about the most important up-and-coming names in the business. The 2017 guide is no different. Whatever your budget, Guia Penin is the ultimate work of reference for those who wish to delve into the darkly seductive world of Spanish wine. This fantastic compilation also explores wine-growing, taking into account regional environmental factors such as soil, climate and grape variety. Instructing readers on the basics of wine tasting, with advice on the best way to store and appreciate wine, this is an invaluable guide for both professionals and enthusiastic amateurs.

After reading this intriguing book, a glass of wine will be more than hints of blackberries or truffles on the palate. Written by the author of the popular, award-winning website DrVino.com, "Wine Politics" exposes a little-known but extremely influential aspect of the wine business - the politics behind it. Tyler Colman systematically explains how politics affects what we can buy, how much it costs, how it tastes, what appears on labels, and more. He offers an insightful comparative view of wine-making in Napa and Bordeaux, tracing the different paths American and French wines take as they travel from vineyard to dining room table. Colman also explores globalization in the wine business and illuminates the role of behind-the-scenes players such as governments, distributors, and prominent critics who wield enormous clout. Throughout, "Wine Politics" reveals just how deeply politics matters - right down to the taste of the wine in your glass tonight.

Between Bordeaux and the Spanish border, reaching east to the Massif Central and the river valleys of the Dordogne and Lot, and south to the foothills of the Pyrenees, lies a unique and little-known viticultural landscape. "South-West France" is a wine lover's paradise that cultivates an astonishing array of grape varieties, many that grow nowhere else, and produces a fascinating assortment of wines. In this book, Paul Strang covers the South-West with enthusiasm and keen expertise, providing a history of its wine industry, including a near collapse and unlikely rebirth, and introducing readers to a region that seems to defy globalization. The outstanding local wines - made by idiosyncratic growers motivated by a passion for their profession - range from inky Tannats to honeyed late-harvest Semillons. Intrepid readers are invited to rediscover this beautiful part of France, already well known for its cuisine, castles, and cave art, for its earthy and intriguing wines. This book is the winner of the 2009 GOURMAND World Cookbook Awards' 'Best Wine Atlas/Tourism Book in the World'.

Featuring more than two hundred in-depth winery profiles, this definitive guide is the best single source of information on world-renowned pinot noirs from California and Oregon. Drawing on his encyclopedic knowledge of a grape variety considered by many to produce the ultimate food wine, John Winthrop Haeger offers this expanded, updated companion volume to his award-winning "North American Pinot Noir. "Here, with three times the number of winery profiles, he focuses exclusively on what he calls the Pacific Pinot Zone, stretching from the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon to Santa Barbara in California and extending up to thirty miles inland. An introductory essay provides an indispensable view of pinot noir in the United States--including the dramatic effect that the movie "Sideways "has had on its sales and production.
"Pacific Pinot Noir" features:
* Detailed descriptive tasting notes and selected vertical tastings
* At-a-glance graphics conveying information on tasting rooms, prices, and production for each winery
* Regional maps showing key viticultural areas
* Contact information for each winery

Originally published in French in 1927 as part of a set of promotional books for French wine distributor Nicolas, Monseigneur le Vin is a lovely illustrated jewel of a wine primer brought back into print. The book is perfectly relevant to today's wine lovers, charmingly presented: wine information like bouquet, colour, and taste profile is essentially the same today, and Montorgueil's reverence for wine is delivered with an elan and is oh-so-very French, with observations like A full-bodied red wine wants to be laid on its side and made cozy. Delightful and informative, Monseigneur le Vin is sure to appeal to new and experienced wine lovers alike.

How to select wine for its taste, not its packaging or its price. Knowing the difference between all those bottles on the supermarket shelves will double the pleasure you get from a glass of wine and, with Fred Sirieix as your guide, you'll discover how to get the flavour you want. In Wine Uncorked, Fred decants a career's worth of expertise, revealing how everything from percentage to vintage impacts what ends up in your glass, how to decipher a label and the optimum temperatures for serving. He then takes you on a tour of the regions, showing you how the landscape and climate work their magic on the wine produced around the world, highlighting key producers to suit all budgets along the way. If you have ever said, 'I wish I knew more about wine,' this is the book for you.

The best wine and food pairings create harmony among unexpected flavors. Chardonnay, Riesling, and Merlot are classic pairing choices, but less conventional grape varieties like Albarino, Grenache, Gruner Veltliner, Malbec, and Tempranillo are becoming increasingly popular, coveted by those with curious palates and a taste for good value. In "Daring Pairings", the adventurous companion to the acclaimed "Perfect Pairings", Master Sommelier Evan Goldstein shows how anyone can bring these emerging, exciting varieties to the table. He ventures into wine's new frontiers, exploring the flavors and pairing potential of thirty-six distinctive grapes from around the world, including Argentina, Spain, Italy, Greece, and France. In his entertaining and approachable style, Goldstein offers advice on crafting unforgettable wine and food pairings, suggests wines for everyday and special occasions, and recommends producers and importers. Thirty-six star chefs present recipes specially tailored to Goldstein's wine selections, and full-color photographs display these dishes in delectable splendor. This authoritative, down-to-earth guide reveals that pairing food and wine is no great mystery - anyone willing to explore or experiment can create bold and memorable combinations. It comes with recipes and commentary from: Nate Appleman, Dan Barber, Ben Barker, Paul Bartolotta, Michelle Bernstein, Floyd Cardoz, Robert Del Grande, Tom Douglas, Suzanne Goin, Joyce Goldstein, Christopher Gross, Fergus Henderson, Gerald Hirigoyen, Philippe Jeanty, Douglas Keane, Hubert Keller, Loretta Keller, David Kinch, Evan Kleiman, Mourad Lahlou, Michael Leviton, Emily Luchetti, Laurent Manrique, Lachlan M. Patterson, Cindy Pawlcyn, Anne S. Quatrano, Michael Romano, Susan Spicer, Frank Stitt, Craig Stoll, Ethan Stowell, Charlie Trotter, Larry Tse, Richard Vellante, Vikram Vij, and, Kate Zuckerman.

Since its first publication in 1920, George Saintsbury's classic "Notes on a Cellar-Book" has remained one of the greatest tributes to drink and drinking in the literature of wine. A collection of tasting notes, menus, and robust opinions, the work is filled with anecdotes and recollections of wines and spirits consumed - from the heights of Romanee-Conti to the simple pleasures of beer, flip, and mum. Thomas Pinney brings this unique work alive for contemporary audiences by providing the keys to a full understanding of "Notes on a Cellar-Book" in a new edition that includes explanatory endnotes, an essay on the book's legacy, and additional articles on wine by Saintsbury.

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

From the foremost master of cheese in the country, Max McCalman, comes a practical twist on wine and cheese pairings that includes detailed information about the history, production and unique flavor of fifty of the world's finest cheeses, as well as the accompanying information about the best wine varietals and vintages to pair them with.
The easy-to-navigate swatchbook format fans out to reveal the ideal wine and cheese match for any occasion.

This title offers an expert introduction: from grape varieties and classic wines to tasting techniques. Learn the principles of tasting: how to judge a wine by its looks, smell and taste. This work includes useful information on matching wine to each course of the menu, what the details on wine labels mean and the techniques and trends of winemaking. There is an introduction to the VIPs of the wine world: the most important grape varieties, six white and six red, including information on which countries grow which grape, the best wines made from each variety and tasting notes for each wine. This title is packed with beautiful colour illustrations and vivid photography. Wine is here to be enjoyed and Stuart Walton's message in this book is that the more you know about it, the more you will appreciate each glass. This is a non-technical but authoritative and informative look at the practicalities of keeping and serving wine, as well as a comprehensive review of the twelve most important grape varieties used in the making of wine internationally. Where should you keep wine if you don't have a cellar? At what temperature should red and white wines be served? Should red wine be allowed to breathe? Answers to all these perennial queries are given, together with details on the best corkscrews, the use of decanters and the right glasses - all to maximise your enjoyment of the wine.

Acclaimed importer and wine guru Terry Theise, long known for his top-notch portfolio and his illustrious writing, now offers this opinionated, idiosyncratic, and beautifully written testament to wine. What constitutes beauty in wine, and how do we appreciate it? What role does wine play in a soulful, sensual life? Can wines of place survive in a world of globalized styles and 100-point scoring systems? In his highly approachable style, Theise describes how wine can be a portal to aesthetic, emotional, even mystical experience - and he frankly asserts that these experiences are most likely to be inspired by wines from artisan producers. Along the way, Theise tells us a little about how he got where he is today, explores the meaning of wine in the lives of vintners he has known, and praises particular grape varieties. "Reading between the Wines" is a passionate tribute to wine - and to what it can say to us once we learn to listen.

California is home to more than 700 wineries, and California's premier wines are recognized throughout the world. This is a comprehensive guide which traces the Golden State's wine industry from its mission period and gold rush origins, down to the planting and vintage statistics of the year before publication. All aspects of wine are included, and wine production from vine propagation to bottling is described in straightforward language. The book includes entries for 750 wineries, both historical and contemporary, more than 100 wine grape varieties from Aleatico to Zinfandel, and wine types from claret to vermouth. Each entry is given a historical context.

Who does not know the phrase 'Have some madeira, m'dear'? Madeira is one of the world's greatest wines, with a fascinating history few others can equal. Capable of evolution over decades and with seemingly indefinite longevity, precious centenarian bottles are sought by wine connoisseurs world wide, but to the ordinary wine lover more commercial wines offer a wide range of delicious and varied drinking. Once dismissed as a cooking wine, discriminating drinkers enjoy it on its own and, increasingly, as an accompaniment to food. Over a million tourists visit this small island every year, and expanding export markets indicate that the recent revival of interest in madeira continues to gain strength. This book, originally published in 1998, was short-listed for the Andre Simon Award and quickly established itself as a wine classic. Alexander Liddell, recognised as the leading authority on madeira, has known the island and its wine for over forty years, and this completely revised new edition brings matters up to date.

The first definitive guide to contemporary French wines and producers in a deluxe two-book package, from a two-time James Beard Award winner.

This comprehensive and authoritative resource takes readers on a tour through every wine region of France, featuring some 800 producers and more than 7,000 wines, plus evocative photography and maps, as well as the incisive narrative and compelling storytelling that has earned Jon Bonné accolades and legions of fans in the wine world.

Packaged in a deluxe slip case and Built upon eight years of research, The New French Wine is a one-of-a-kind book set exploring the world’s most popular wine region. First, examine the land through a thoroughly reported narrative overview of each region—the soil and geography, the distinctive traditions and contemporary changes. Then turn to the second book, which is a comprehensive reference guide to the producers and their wines, similarly detailed by region.

From Burgundy to Bordeaux and everywhere in between, this is sure to be the resource on modern French wine for decades to come.