California is the nation's great vineyard, supplying grapes for most of the wine produced in the United States. The state is home to more than 700 wineries, and California's premier wines are recognized throughout the world. But until now there has been no comprehensive guide to California wine and winemaking. Charles L. Sullivan's A Companion to California Wine admirably fills that gap—here is the reference work for consumers, wine writers, producers, and scholars. Sullivan's encyclopedic handbook traces the Golden State's wine industry from its mission period and Gold Rush origins down to last year's planting and vintage statistics. All aspects of wine are included, and wine production from vine propagation to bottling is described in straightforward language. There are entries for some 750 wineries, both historical and contemporary; for more than 100 wine grape varieties, from Aleatico to Zinfandel; and for wine types from claret to vermouth—all given in a historical context. In the book's foreword the doyen of wine writers, Hugh Johnson, tells of his own forty-year appreciation of California wine and its history. "Charles Sullivan's Companion," he adds, "will provide the grist for debate, speculation, and reminiscence from now on. With admirable dispassion he sets before us just what has happened in the plot so far."

An authoritative guide to wine production in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, highlighting geographical, philosophical, and commercial variations throughout the region. It consists of a series of introductory essays, discussing in depth key topics such as prohibition, cybersales, wine auctions,microbiology, labor, and viticulture, followed by more than 500 A-Z entries, including individual wineries and winemakers, regions, grape varieties, technical terms, and more. The text is complemented by 20 beautiful full-colour illustrations, and by an extensive map section. The text is closelylinked, for example by the use of cross-references, to the Oxford Companion to Wine, to which it serves as a complementary volume.

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.

This concise and accessible history of a true American, and Californian, wine grape varietal illuminates its mysterious origins and relates its compelling journey from humble obscurity to cult following.

"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."--

This user-friendly and highly discerning Field Guide focuses on the Golden States most popular and newsworthy wine regionsfrom Napa Valley to the Central Coast to fast-growing Baja. This full-flavored guide will please the palates and temperaments of beginning and experienced wine enthusiasts alike, with all the breadth and expertise readers expect from Sunset. Based on rigorous in-the-field research by two of Sunset magazines most respected staffers, the recommendations are intentionally selective, rather than comprehensive, directing readers only to Californias best wineries and wine-country travel experiences. California Wine Country has all the bells and whistles of a classic travel guide: compact size, gorgeous maps, concise itineraries, and colorful illustrations. Plus easy-to-follow listings for everything from cant-miss wineries to must-see, off-the-path discoveries. And, of course, all the essentials for planning an exceptional trip: information on lodging, restaurants, routes, destinations, and activities.

From the author of the acclaimed Angels’ Visits comes an inside look at how a handful of ingenious winemakers has transformed—and been transformed by—the California wine industry over the past four decades. In the 1970s, a group of idealistic baby boomers was attracted to the seemingly romantic world of winemaking. Over the course of nearly forty years, however—as competition from abroad increased, wine eclipsed beer and spirits as American adults’ beverage of choice, critics came to control the marketplace, and corporatization took over the industry—these young aesthetes would learn that wine is an unforgiving business. They would have to be clever to survive in an increasingly cutthroat atmosphere, and no one was more innovative than Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyard—the court jester and bleeding conscience of California wine, its most original and amusing figure. But Grahm is only one of the restless visionaries who, having chosen wine as the vehicle through which to fulfill their dreams, ended up changing the rules of the industry by adapting to its demands. From high technology to hardball entrepreneurship, from handicapping scores to holistic farming, each vintner operates by his or her own definition of an ideal wine. In this lively, sweeping account that spans the early seventies to the present day, David Darlington employs a sharp journalistic eye to profile a group of wine pioneers. A tale of vision and disillusion, brinksmanship and pragmatism, nature and business, politics and culture, An Ideal Wine is a fascinating look at an ever-evolving industry that reflects the values of our society and our civilization.