Wine Blog

New York looks to wine sales to close budget gap – Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times

New York looks to wine sales to close budget gap Los Angeles Times Those who support grocery store wine sales point out that not everyone in the state lives in New York City, where it's common to be just a few minutes' walk … and more »

Wine: From Grape to Glass
The ultimate guide for wine lovers who want to understand where their favorite wines are grown, how they are produced, and how best to savor them.

Internationally acclaimed wine expert Jens Priewe has written the book for the contemporary wine consumer who drinks what he or she likes–one day a grand, awe-inspiring vintage; the next, an unknown wine from a country whose name has only recently appeared on the wine maps of the world. Priewe explains why some wines cost hundreds of dollars while others cost only ten. He provides a key to the complex language of wine and illuminates the science of wine making while honoring the art that creates great wines.

About half of the book is devoted to the wine-making process itself, including everything from why wine grows best in poor soil to why a wine matures faster in a small barrel than in a large one. The other half, including the new topics covered in this edition, examines the best wines of the world, country by country, and guides the reader to an understanding of the intricacies of wine tasting and appreciation. The text has been fully updated throughout and is illustrated with more than 1,000 color images from computer graphics that explain the invisible processes of wine making to photographs of individual vineyards by the world’s best wine photographers. Wine will quench the thirst for knowledge that true wine lovers feel rising within them whenever they uncork a bottle of fine wine.

Other Details: 1,000 full-color illustrations.

Customer Review: A Wine Authority and Stunning Images
I manage an online multimedia class on Wine Appreciation and this book is the benchmark. Comprehensive simplicity is achieved throughout, and the images are the best of any wine book on the market. For each region, there are ariel photos, where each winery site is identified for famous areas like Berdeuox, Napa, the Piedmont, etc. This is a perfect book for anyone who loves wine, regarless of prior knowledge.

Customer Review: Great content, beautiful photographs
What first stuck me about this book is its visual beauty. Every single page has illustrations, maps, or stunning photographs which cover every imaginable step in the wine-making process. This book manages to give a wide overview of the considerations that go into making a wine, from “grape to glass”, but also provides a fascinating level of detail. This book would be perfect for a wine lover who wants to know more, or even as a reference book for a library.

‘Idol’ finalist Janell Wheeler: ‘I’m proud I went out the way I did’ – USA Today

MiamiHerald.com

'Idol' finalist Janell Wheeler: 'I'm proud I went out the way I did' USA Today Janell Wheeler, 24, left her job as a wine-sales representative behind to claim her piece of the American Idol empire, … 'American Idol' eliminates initial four ninth-season semifinalistsReality TV World Nazareth man didn't get a whole lotta loveAllentown Morning Call 4 "American Idol" Hopefuls Sent PackingNBC Dallas-Fort Worth SheWired all 945 news articles »

Wine becoming a value-added success story – Daily Republic

Washington Post (blog)

Wine becoming a value-added success story Daily Republic The wine —whose label features a picture of a chestnutcolored donkey laden with flower baskets — received major recognition by taking “Best of Class” and … Red Carpet Wines at Cuvée 2010Pulse Niagara Sip and sway the local wayTacoma Weekly all 18 news articles »

Soils for Fine Wines
In recent years, viticulture has seen phenomenal growth, particularly in such countries as Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Chile, and South Africa. The surge in production of quality wines in these countries has been built largely on the practice of good enology and investment in high technology in the winery, enabling vintners to produce consistently good, even fine wines. Yet less attention has been paid to the influence of vineyard conditions on wines and their distinctiveness-an influence that is embodied in the French concept of terroir.
An essential component of terroir is soil and the interaction between it, local climate, vineyard practices, and grape variety on the quality of grapes and distinctiveness of their flavor. This book considers that component, providing basic information on soil properties and behavior in the context of site selection for new vineyards and on the demands placed on soils for grape growth and production of wines.
Soils for Fine Wines will be of interest to professors and upper-level students in enology, viticulture, soils and agronomy as well as wine enthusiasts and professionals in the wine industry.

Customer Review: Soils For Fine Wines
A great book on beginning growing. To get the full understanding about what Mr white is talking about the book Science in Agriculture I feel, should be read first. Great section,along with the pros and cons, of different types of irrigation. Seems to lean a little heavy on the soils of California. For the person not growing grapes but enjoys good wine it is an excellant sorce of how the wine gets its flavor. The principles presented will aid anyone growing almost anything.

Customer Review: A long-needed book
In “Soils for Fine Wines” Robert White sets to provide information needed for better understanding of how soils and their properties relate to management and wine-grape production. This book is a long-needed one indeed; most other viticultural books are discussing soil as an environmental factor only in passing.

The book begins by explaining how the soil is formed and how it relates to the environment; how it changes with time and how it should be managed sustainably. Then it goes into a deeper analysis of the soil’s makeup and structure, with a particular emphasis on understanding the vine root habitat. This is very important if a viticulturist is to understand effect of soil management practices on vine growth and production. Then the book details the supply of nutrients, explaining how these move into plant roots and what affects their availability. The reader is also given a brief introduction into precision viticulture and organic viticulture. The next section discusses soil, water and vine interrelationship, understanding of which is paramount for good irrigation management. The book contains information on various aspects of soil quality (physical, chemical and biological). The book then deals with soil as an important attribute for site selection and vineyard establishment. The final chapter discusses soil as it relates to the quality of the final product – wine. Here the author gives a well-balanced overview of the current state of knowledge of what is known as ‘terroir’ and he takes the reader on a journey around the wine-producing world by providing regional examples of how the soil and wine attributes seem to be related.

The book is well-written and easy to follow, although some might find it a bit technical at times. However, good explanation of technical terms is provided throughout and the book also has a number of illustrations and photographs that are helpful for easier understanding of the text.

I can recommend this book to students and professionals in viticulture and wine science. It is a long-awaited text dedicated specifically to vineyard soils and the way they affect grapevines and management strategies. This book will also be of great interest to anyone who wishes to better understand the link between environmental conditions and wine.

Food & Wine Events in the East Bay and Beyond – San Jose Mercury News

Food & Wine Events in the East Bay and Beyond San Jose Mercury News Cooking and Grape Harvest Tour in a Castle in Puglia, Italy — June 12-19 and Oct. 2-9.¿ Attend hands-on and small group cooking classes, taste amazing wines … and more »

Another group weighs in on wine selling in grocery stores – The Post-Standard – Syracuse.com (blog)

WIVB

Another group weighs in on wine selling in grocery stores The Post-Standard – Syracuse.com (blog) … grape growers, consumers, and grocers called New Yorkers for Economic Growth and Open Markets stated Wednesday that the Wine in Grocery Stores plan is … Poll: NYers want wine sold in grocery storesBusinessWeek Wine retail debate continuesGlens Falls Post-Star Wine-ing About Grocery Stores Selling VinoNBC New York WCAX all 42 news articles »

Passions : The Wines and Travels of Thomas Jefferson
This is a biography of Thomas Jefferson at leisure, enjoying two of his passions–wine and travel. Twelve of the sixteen chapters cover Jefferson’s five years in France where he served as our minister and traveled through France, England, Germany, Italy and Holland. “Passions” was selected by Robert M. Parker, Jr. as “1995 Wine Book of the Year,” and was the winner of the 1995 “Veuve Clicquot Wine Book of the Year” competition. It is a marvelous account of America’s first wine connoisseur and gourmet.

Customer Review: INSIGHT INTO THOMAS JEFFERSON’S LIKES
This was given as a gift, and I’ve received many thanks and raves from my sister and brother-in-law about the book. Both not only are history majors, they are in a group that studies wines. They plan to use this book as a subject at their next meeting.

Customer Review: America’s First Wine Connoisseur
Wine was a lifelong passion for Jefferson, not just drinking it, but also planting vineyards at Montecello and in his Paris garden. The book details his experiences with wine and is enhanced by vintage prints.
Sixty-five pages at the back, document where the author found the information in the book (letters, books, documents). Also appended are measures for English, German, French and American wines at that time and the standardized guage for foreign wines (a pipe, a bull, a hogshead, and an ohm). The author lists the contents of Jefferson’s travel box and clarifies what the items were used for. A glossary further helps the reader with unfamiliar words.
An interesting glimpse into the passion of an interesting man.