Join Joy Sterling on a stroll through the vineyards and gardens of California's Iron Horse Vineyards, into her kitchen and to her table. Filled with charming anecdotes, a year's worth of news from the grapevine, and imaginative menus and recipes, this is a delightful window into her life as wine lover, epicure, philosopher, and hostess. Vintage Feasting February 14. The vineyards are asleep. Our Valentine's Day feast is fresh, cracked Dungeness crab soup cooked with Fume Blanc, served with garlic mayonnaise and bubbly.... In settings suffused with the scents of Giverny-like gardens, Joy shares secrets of tasting and cooking with wine, reveals her own experiments with menus and vintages, and explains why certain pairings of food and wine endure. And she exults in life's surprises, like the magical cluster of rare morels that appeared one day under a century-old Douglas fir and became an exotic ragout. Whether it's savoring the intense aromas of crushed violets in a young Cabernet Sauvignon; recalling a culinary adventure at Paul Bocuse's restaurant; drinking in the Provence scents of zinnias and lavenders; or concocting a Halloween dinner of turban squash, Vintage Feasting is a treasure of fascinating lore, succulent menus, memorable wines -- and a zest for enjoying life that leaves us refreshed, delighted, and inspired anew.

Slow Wine Guide USA is a new and revolutionary guide to the wines of California, Oregon, New York, and Washington. Thanks to the help of a handful of expert contributors, we've selected the best wineries from each state and reviewed their most outstanding bottles. The idea behind Slow Wine is simple: it acknowledges the unique stories of people and vineyards, of grape varieties and landscapes, and of their wines. The awareness that wine is more than just liquid in a glass helps wine lovers make better, more conscious choices and enhances the very enjoyment of this beverage. Since its beginnings in Italy twelve years ago, Slow Wine has combined its tasting sessions with equally important moments of exchange and debate with producers. The direct contact with winegrowers and winemakers allows for a genuine, authentic, and always up-to-date report on what's happening in America's vineyards and cellars. Each winery receives a review divided in three sections: the first one is dedicated to the people who live and work at the winery, the second to the vineyards and the way they're farmed, and the third to the finest wines currently available on the market. The very best wines are awarded the Top Wine accolade. Among these we have the Slow Wines - which beyond their outstanding sensory quality are of particular interest for their sense of place, environmental sustainability or historical value - and the Everyday Wines, representing excellent value at prices within $30. The most interesting wineries on the other hand are awarded the Snail, for the way they interpret Slow Food values (sensory perceptions, territory, environment, identity) while offering good value for money; the Bottle, to wineries whose wines are of outstanding sensory quality throughout the range; the Coin to those estates offering excellent value for money.

For over 20 years the most widely used wine textbook in higher education courses, The University Wine Course provides a 12-week program for learning about wine in-depth, from sensory evaluation to the science of viticulture and winemaking. Written and organized in a user friendly style, this book serves as a comprehensive-yet-easy resource for self-tutoring. Includes chapter exams and answers, study guides, lab exercises, final exams and extensive references and bibliography. Illustrated with appendixes on Wine & Food, Label Reading, Do-It-Yourself Labs, Student tasting notes and more. Dr. Baldy is a USDA award-winning professor of sciences who has operated her own vineyard and winery and has taught wine appreciation for academic credits to university students for over 20 years. A Teacher s Manual is available from the publisher."

With exclusive insight from the owners of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, this monograph traces the fascinating history of their prestigious Burgundy vineyards and rare wines.

Romanée-Conti, the world’s finest and rarest pinot noir Grand Cru, hails from the gently-sloped vineyards of Burgundy’s Côtes de Nuits. The story of this unique vineyard dates back some 1500 years and is inextricably tied to its UNESCO world heritage Climat (the ideal position and soil conditions that grace its location) combined with annual weather conditions. Together, they significantly define the character of a given vintage. The saga of successive vintages recounted here―and illuminated through co-owner Aubert de Villaine’s detailed harvest reports since 1996―bears witness to the vigilance and thoughtful decision-making throughout the growing cycle and harvest season that is necessary to ensure that the vines produce the finest grapes.

This engaging monograph traces the history of winemaking on the site and pays homage to the colorful Prince de Conti who added―in addition to his name―fame and prestige to the wine’s already celebrated reputation. This volume offers new insight into this exceptional, cult wine.

Here is a practical, comprehensive guide to winemaking, wines, and wine appreciation, written by an expert uniquely qualified by many years of experience in the field. Looking at winemaking as a craft as well as an art, Philip Jackisch augments a wealth of information and theory with many detailed examples. "It is now possible for anyone with access to grapes or other ingredients of decent quality to make consistently palatable or even excellent wines," he writes.

In clear language aimed at the amateur winemaker, Jackisch explains the science behind wine and its application to winemaking. At the same time, he includes important material for commercial winemakers. Jackisch covers each step in the process of winemaking, from growing or purchasing grapes; choosing equipment; fermenting, aging, and storing the wine; to keeping records. By exploring in detail the various factors that affect wine quality, he shows which elements in wine production can be controlled to achieve certain sensory results.

Among the other subjects he discusses arc specific types of wine, ways of evaluating wine, common problems in cellar operations and how to prevent or correct them, and wine competitions. Five appendixes supply additional technical information. Since 1985, Modem Winemaking has proven invaluable for winemakers, both commercial and amateur, for wine educators and students, and indeed, for anyone who wants to know more about wine.

Americans learned how to make wine successfully about two hundred years ago, after failing for more than two hundred years. Thomas Pinney takes an engaging approach to the history of American wine by telling its story through the lives of 13 people who played significant roles in building an industry that now extends to every state. While some names - such as Mondavi and Gallo - will be familiar, others are less well known. These include the wealthy Nicholas Longworth, who produced the first popular American wine; the German immigrant George Husmann, who championed the native Norton grape in Missouri and supplied rootstock to save French vineyards from phylloxera; Frank Schoonmaker, who championed the varietal concept over wines with misleading names; and, Maynard Amerine, who helped make UC Davis a world-class winemaking school.

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.

As the global wine industry reinvents itself for twenty firstOCocentury palates, Washington is poised to become as important and influential as California on the world stage. National and international attention has brought interest in the stateOCOs wines to an all-time high. Yet, in just the past few years, a tidal wave of change has rolled over the stateOCOs wine industry. To keep wine enthusiasts thoroughly up to date, Paul Gregutt has now completely revised and expanded his critically acclaimed guide to WashingtonOCOs best grapes, vineyards, wines, winemakers, and wineries. With twice as many winery and vineyard profiles, updated tasting notes, and new recommended producers for each grape variety, this edition of "Washington Wines and Wineries" will continue to be the definitive reference on the subject."

Wine critic and writer Steve Heimoff, inspired by Robert Benson's "Great Winemakers of California" (1977), traversed the state of California to record lively and informative conversations with more than two dozen winemakers and grape growers who represent today's leaders and visionaries. While Benson's book captured a wine industry on the brink of exponential growth and recognition, Heimoff surveys a multibillion-dollar business with a global reputation and new issues to face. Heimoff has followed this industry for more than twenty-five years, visiting all parts of the state and monitoring changing styles and trends, and his interviews provide an oral history of contemporary California winemaking. He reveals the personalities, intellects, philosophies, and passions of the individual winemakers, as well as their opinions on recent high-alcohol vintages, globalization, and the 'cult' wine phenomenon. Through this intimate and engaging book, wine lovers can sit in on the back and forth as Heimoff and his vintner subjects talk informally about their favorite subject: wine. The interviewees include: John Alban, Mark Aubert, Heidi Peterson Barrett, Andy Beckstoffer, Greg Brewer, Merry Edwards, Elias Fernandez, Gina Gallo, Rolando Herrera, Genevieve Janssens, Kathy Joseph, Greg La Follette, Adam and Dianna Lee, Dan Morgan Lee, Bob Levy, Rick Longoria, Javier Tapia Meza, Gary, Jeff, and Mark Pisoni, Kent Rosenblum, Ted Seghesio, Doug Shafer, Justin Smith, Tony Soter, Brian Talley, Michael Terrien, Randy Ullom, Margo van Staaveren, and Bill Wathan.

'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.

More than 4,500 corkscrews spanning three centuries are organized into 59 chapters featuring over 3,000 color photos. This huge volume gives details of the corkscrews presented in a reader-friendly form: you'll find descriptions and markings, as well as patent and registered design information. Part 1 has 18 chapters and focuses on the early history of the corkscrew, including more than 900 corkscrews primarily from the 18th century and even corkscrew sale sheets from that era. In Part, 2 over 3,600 corkscrews are organized in 41 chapters according to types, including Bar & Wall Mounted, Bells, Bows, Rack & Pinion, Screwless Extractors, Whistles, and a final chapter called Worthy of Mention. The three authors represent their own collections as well as those from other enthusiasts in North America, Europe, and Australia. The book is a compendium of knowledge unprecedented in the history of corkscrew collection.

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

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.

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.

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 world's most respected wine critic, the essential guide to wine in 100 pages Wine is now one of the most popular drinks in the world. Many wine drinkers wish they knew more about it without having to understand every detail or go on a wine course. In The 24-Hour Wine Expert, Jancis Robinson shares her expertise with authority, wit and approachability. From the difference between red and white, to the shape of bottles and their labels, descriptions of taste, colour and smell, to pairing wine with food and the price-quality correlation, Robinson helps us make the most of this mysteriously delicious drink. Jancis Robinson has been called 'the most respected wine critic and journalist in the world' by Decantermagazine. In 1984 she was the first person outside the wine trade to qualify as a Master of Wine. The Financial Times wine writer, she is the author/editor of dozens of wine books, including Wine Grapes (Allen Lane), The Oxford Companion to Wine (OUP) and The World Atlas of Wine (Mitchell Beazley). Her award-winning website, www.JancisRobinson.com has subscribers in 100 countries.

Inspired by a deep passion for wine, an Italian heritage, and a desire for a land somewhat wilder than his home in southern France, Robert V. Camuto set out to explore Sicily's emerging wine scene. What he discovered during more than a year of traveling the region, however, was far more than a fascinating wine frontier. Chronicling his journey through Palermo to Marsala, and across the rugged interior of Sicily to the heights of Mount Etna, Camuto captures the personalities and flavors and the traditions and natural riches that have made Italy's largest and oldest wine region the world traveler's newest discovery. In the island's vastly different wines he finds an expression of humanity and nature-and the space where the two merge into something more. Here, amid the wild landscapes, lavish markets, dramatic religious rituals, deliciously contrasting flavors, and astonishing natural warmth of its people, Camuto portrays Sicily at a shining moment in history. He takes readers into the anti-Mafia movement growing in the former mob vineyards around infamous Corleone; tells the stories of some of the island's most prominent landowning families; and introduces us to film and music celebrities and other foreigners drawn to Sicily's vineyards. His book takes wine as a powerful metaphor for the independent identity of this mythic land, which has thrown off its legacies of violence, corruption, and poverty to emerge, finally free, with its great soul intact. Watch the Palmento book trailer on YouTube.

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.

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'.

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.