Local Winery CEO Named to National Grape, Wine Board The Missourian St. James Winery CEO Peter Hofherr has been appointed to the board of directors for the National Grape and Wine Initiative (NGWI). Hofherr's two-year term as a board member at large began in January 2012. NGWI is an industry-driven partnership with …

Winemakers striking pay dirt – Staunton News Leader

Winemakers striking pay dirt Staunton News Leader Out-of-state visitors — 1.6 million of them in 2010 — stop to try some of the one million gallons of wine produced annually in Virginia, which ranks fifth in the nation in grape wine production and number of wineries. The more than five million … and more »

Grape Growing
Customer Review: SUPERB Info! For serious grape growers – more info than any other I’ve encountered in EASY to understand format!
Superb information. Easy to understand yet comprehensive. This is a “must have” for grape growers. Only reason I’m getting rid of it is area I now live doesn’t support grapes [outside of muscadine which grow like a weed]. This covers everything the others don’t.

Customer Review: Disappointed
Very disappointed in this book. I found it a shallow and pretentiously technical book.

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Wine by Design (Interior Angles)
There is a revolution currently underway in the world of wine. Established and new vintners are discovering the dual marketing advantage of coupling exquisite, name-brand designer architecture with the winery tour.  Internationally renowned architects, such as Frank Gehry, Herzog & de Meuron, and Santiago Calatrava, have all designed wineries that focus on the experience of wine production for the visitor while providing brand recognition in the form of architecture. 

Celebrating the new alignment that the wine industry is making with design, Wine by Design highlights the most exciting new designs for wineries and spaces of wine from throughout the world including Australia, Chile, USA, Canada and the established vineyards of Europe.

It also emphasises the way design is making headway into wine retail and wine bars, as well as the trend for conspicuously displayed spaces for the storage and consumption of wine.

Customer Review: A great pairing of Wine & Architecture
I bought this as a Christmas gift for one of my many wine loving friends and just had to get one for myself. It tackles a unique subject – winery architecture – and gives you a good but not too in depth description of the wine making region, the wine facilities, and the wines themselves. It is full of great colour photography, site plans, and a broad selection of wineries around the world. The architecture featured is modern and not what you expect of typical wineries…the Gehry sketches alone are worth the price of the book! Want to impress your friends? Leave this book out on your coffee table. Better yet, pull this book out and enjoy while you sip on a Rioja red.

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Newsday

California wine country getaways for two Newsday News Newsday > News Content Preview Newsday 7 day/Optimum Online ® subscribers click here for full access Not a Newsday or Optimum Online ® subscriber? Click here California wine country getaways for two Published: January 26, 2012 12:38 PM By The … and more »

The Art and Science of Wine

How wine is made, from field to cellar to bottle.

Great wine is a complex blend of nature, art and science. In this updated new edition of a classic book, the “how and why” of a wine’s creation are examined in detail.

Acclaimed wine writers James Halliday and Hugh Johnson analyze the art and science behind the winemaking process. They start with the fundamental role of terroir the complex combination of characteristics that give a wine its personality. The latest developments in pruning and irrigation are then covered, along with the recent emergence of vineyards in cooler regions and the rise of organic wines.

Wine production in the cellar is detailed for nine specific styles, from light-bodied whites to full-bodied reds, along with sweet, sparkling and fortified varieties. The authors present the choices facing vintners at every step. The science of maturation is discussed, along with the industry’s raging debate over the merits of natural cork, plastic cork and screw cap seals. The book also covers:

• A year in the vineyard
• Quantity vs. quality
• National attitudes and regional characteristics
• Mechanization
• The chemistry and analysis of wine.

The Art and Science of Wine is filled with full color photographs and illustrations. With text that reflects the latest winemaking technology and discoveries, this lively book is both accessible and highly informative.

Customer Review: Beautiful, a steal
This is a beautiful, steal of a book (some independent sellers are offering <30% of the price Barnes and Noble wanted when I originally bought it the first time!). If you're like me and really want to know the intricacies of wine production (not just tasting notes, etc.--which this book also contains), this is a handy and educating book to have. Yes, it is paperback, but the front cover is a thick, glossy card stock and the pages inside are glossy as well. Nice for a coffee table or a bookshelf, but even better for your brain!

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Alcohol and nutrients explain heart health benefits of red wine
Many individuals who have received unhealthy cholesterol test results have been advised to drink red wine in moderation. Numerous studies have shown that this beverage has positive effects on heart health. However, these studies have largely

The Italian Wine Guide: The Definitive Guide to Touring, Sourcing, and Tasting (Dolce Vita)

Customer Review: Where to Go, What to See, Drink and Eat
If you are serious about Italian wine and/or food this is great book to have in your library.

The book does a nice job of explaining the wine varietals from particular regions of Italy. They also tell you which years are outstanding, very good, fairly good and unsatisfactory by wine. This book is very helpful for a trip to your favorite wine store.

If you are interested in wine tours while in Italy the book gives descriptions of wineries and which one offer tours and whether you need to make reservations or not. I also appreciated the wine store names, addresses and phone numbers that are listed by region. My husband appreciated the similar listings of golf courses. Their listings of antique fairs were also useful.

When I was booking our last vacation, I compared the hotel and restaurant suggestions with other guides and found that they were similar. It is always nice to have multiple sources for information.

I think that this book has something for everyone. If you never plan to visit Italy this book is very useful with its general information about Italian varietals and which years to purchase.

Customer Review: Excellent source of information about visiting Italy’s wine regions
Tbis book gives all the information needed to actually visit Italian wine regions and the wineries themselves.

Wineries in Italy are generally not set up to receive tourists as in Napa. Prior arrangements usually need to be made just to visit, not to mention an actual tour and on-site tasting.

The book is organized by region with specific address and contact information for some (but not all) wineries. You might not be able to find the exact winery that produced an obscure bottle that you found at Trader Joe’s but you can find one near it and probably just like it.

The book is a heavy softcover octavo with glossy pages and many pictures. There are also paid advertisements for wineries and vinotecas grouped with the editorial content. This is not a drawback but is helpful to know which places actually welcome visitors (some don’t). The famous Sassicaia winery at Tenuta San Guido in Toscana for example, does not. I found that the binding is poor and pages have a tendency to fall out but I may have gotten a bad example. The book is somewhat heavy (about two pounds) but on balance I would say worth actually carrying with you on your trip to Italy.

The Touring Club of Italy is an organization similar to AAA which publishes maps and guidebooks in addition to offering other travel services. They have a useful website (in English and Italian) at touringclubdotcom.

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Wine Analysis & Production
This accessible volume provides practical information on wine analysis and production. It covers the full range of techniques, from quick screening assays to wet chemical and instrumentation analysis, as well as interpretation of results. Emphasizing a step-by-step approach to procedures, the authors:

• - examine analyses commonly performed in the United States, Europe and Australia:
• - discuss viticultural considerations as they relate to winemakeing as well as sensory evaluation and the importance of each anolyte in the spectrum of winery operations:
• - present new procedures including ‘quick’ qualitative tests for the presence of various constituents:
• - explore updated information on sensory evaluation of wines, use of enzymes in winemaking, health aspects and more, and – offer a chapter featuring laboratory procedures, listed alphabetically and extensively cross-referenced.

International in scope, Wine Analysis and Production is essential for winemakers and laboratory personnel worldwide. Students of enology will find it an incomparable resource.

Customer Review: Must have book for winemakers
This book is must have for anyone who is in wine production business. The authors discuss viticultural considerations as they relate to winemaking as well as sensory evaluation and the importance of each analyte in the spectrum of winery operations. I bought this book with “Successful wine marketing” and have greatly benefited from these two books.
Here is the content of the book: Preface o Introduction o Sensory Analysis of Juices and Wines o Grape Maturity and Quality o Hydrogen Ion (PH) and Fixed Acids o Carbohydrates o Alcohols and Extract o Phenolic Compounds and Wine Color o Nitrogen Compounds o Sulfur Dioxide and Sorbic Acid o Volatile Acidity o Metals, Cations and Anions o Sorbic Acid, Benzoic Acid, and Dimethyedicarbonate o Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide and Nitrogen o Tartrates and Instabilities; Fining and Fining Agents o Sanitation o Basic Principles of Microbiology in the Winery o Cork o Analytical Methods
I strongly recommend this book to winemakers and wine marketers. It is a classic!

Customer Review: Wine Analysis and Production
Clearly and concisely written for the amature wine maker or student of enology who is serious about learning the technical aspects of great wine production.

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Wine
Wine is much more than a self-titled book about a drink; it is an all encompassing tome which details every conceivable aspect of what it takes to become a connoisseur. This newly updated edition of an international sensation is jam-packed with information, yet easily organized to find exactly what you are looking for. Abundantly illustrated, this massive volume covers the history of wine, wine production, wine cellars, the enjoyment of wine, and also serves as a reliable buying guide. With gorgeous full-color photographs, readers can experience a satisfying journey through the wine growing countries and regions of the world. Newcomers to the passion of wine will find this book an invaluable resource and wine aficionados will be able to discover new wines and regions. Features:

More than 1,200 full-color illustrations and photographs.
150 detailed maps of the world’s wine growing countries and regions, including Canada, Japan, and China.
Extensive new information about new European countries.
Updated with new producers, tables, maps, and photographs.
Information on up-and-coming wine growing countries around the world.

Customer Review: Perfect for Students in the Profession
Contains a lot of great information. The first few chapters are about the History and Production of wine and include a great amount of detail. The pictures really help to show certain aspects, such as the photo progression of ripeness and grape bunches WITH the leaves, and pruning.

The chapters are written and edited by various experts in that region, so accuracy is quite high. The edition I just read is the 5th (2004) edition, so there should be a new edition within the next two years or so.

I bought this NEW for $6!!! What a deal!!!

Customer Review: Like A Large Glass Of Wine, To Be Enjoyed a Sip At A Time
I honestly believe that Domine has done an excellent job in compiling and authoring WINE. The book contains a plethora of information and is effectively enhanced with color photographs that allows the reader to better follow along with the details of wine and its production (in Europe.) To be repetitious, its as if the author never left the Old World to discover the abundance of quality wine, production methods and information awaiting his readers on “this side of the pond.”

This should not be the first book purchased by a person new to wine, although it could be. A person’s interest in any subject may begin with the purchase of a first book of the beginning level in order to learn more. Increased proficiency in the subject matter leads to more advanced books. In the case of Domine’s WINE, the information a person new to wine needs to know is adequately covered in the first 150 pages. The book should then be put away. As an interest in wine and wine tasting continues, the book should be a steady resource of reference. Unlike a Ludlum novel which is meant to be read cover-to-cover, WINE is a reference book for all levels of Oenophiles. I can hardly imagine that any person purchases this book, reads it once, then disposes of it.

The holidays are coming. I know what you should be asking for. (Joseph Broski, Dionysian Society International – NJ)

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Crushed Grapes: Put a Cork in It? Not So Much – The Ledger
I tend to be a traditional guy when it comes to things like opening wine. I like to use a corkscrew; there’s something about the process involved that lets me know I’m going to drink something a little more special than milk or grape soda.

Wine Science, Third Edition (Food Science and Technology) (Food Science and Technology)
Understand the three pillars of wine science—- grape culture, wine production, and sensory evaluation– in the third edition of this bestselling title.

Author Ronald Jackson takes readers on a scientific tour into the world of wine by detailing the latest discoveries in this exciting industry. From grape anatomy to wine and health, this book includes coverage of material not found in other enology or viticulture texts including details on cork and oak, specialized wine making procedures, and historical origins of procedures. Jackson uniquely breaks down sophisticated techniques, allowing the reader to easily understand wine science processes.

NEW to this edition:

* Extensive revision and additions on: chemistry of red wine color, origin of grape varietyies, wine language, significance of color and other biasing factors to wine perception, various meanings and significance of wine oxidation
* Significant additional coverage on brandy and ice wine production
* New illustrations and color photos

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Wines of the World: Your essential handbook (Eyewitness Companions)
From Alsace to Western Australia, and from Piedmont, Italy to the Colchagua Wine Valley of Chile, Wines of the World delivers essential information about each of the 35 major wine-producing regions in the world. With detailed reports on the top producers; must-have vintages; maps; buying guides; and the style, characteristics, and flavors of hundreds of wines – this is an unrivalled, lavishly illustrated, and portable guide for anyone interested in learning more about wines.

Customer Review: Exploring Wines of the World
Earlier, I reviewed a book in the Eyewitness Companions series on French Wine. What better sequel than looking at wine throughout the world? This volume does a nice job of providing the reader with a background regarding wine and then conducting a country by country tour of the important winemaking countries of the world. As always, one gets breadth at the cost of depth. But the tradeoff appears to me to be well worth making.

The context for winemaking is complicated. The work says (Page 10): “Wine is a pure reflection of its `terroir’ [Page22--". . .a unique combination of climate, topography, and soil types [that] shapes the character of the vines. . .”], and no other single product sums up its cultural, geographical, and historical origins in quite the same way.” Wine apparently began being made in the Caucasus Mountains of Georgia. Over time, grapes and wine spread throughout many countries. Trivia: France leads in wine production, with Italy second, Spain third, and the US fourth (see Page 13). Wine consumption is greatest in France. The US ranks 17th among countries.

The first part of the book explores the history of wine, the “terroir” (how the climate, soil type, etc. affect the grape), the various types of grape (e.g., merlot, cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, riesling, and sauvignon blanc among many others), what happens in the vineyard, the winemaking process, and the style of wines (sparkling, rose, etc).

With that context as background, the book then begins a country by country examination of grapes and wines throughout the world. Countries featured include the usual suspects, such as France, Italy, Spain, the United States, Germany (and Austria and Switzerland), Portugal, and so on. In addition, new world production in Chile and Argentina are discussed as well as the wine industry in venues such as Australia and New Zealand and Greece, etc. In a short Amazon review, it is quite impossible to summarize all. So, here are a couple samplings of the discussion, focusing on a handful of countries. Part of the fun of this book, after all, is one’s personal exploration of wines of the world!

Spain: First, a background on Spanish wine, including Spanish Wine Law. Then, a region by region discussion of wines, in northern Spain, central Spain, and Southern Spain. For each region, a discussion of the characteristic variety of grapes, the types of wine, characteristics of those wines, and so on.

Chile: Again, the discussion begins with an enumeration of the “terroir” of grapes in Chile, then a listing of top producers in each geographic area, and a brief description of the major wine producers in the country. At the end, one does have a clearer sense of wine in Chile.
All in all, an enjoyable and relaxing tour of the winemaking world. Another typically well done product of the Eyewitness Companions series.

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Backroads of the California Wine Country: Your Guide to the Wine Country’s Most Scenic Backroad Adventures (Backroads of …)

Backroads of the California Wine Country is a great resource for those inexperienced visitors. Otherwise, these well-meaning travelers will miss the best of what the wine country has to offer: Scintillating scenery!

The photographs do a great job of picking up on the amazing sights. Here are a few of my favorites:

p. 6 — The moon rises over vineyards in Napa County’s Carneros region

p. 11 — A dramatic sunset over Napa Valley wine country

p. 13 — Cirrus clouds float above the hills of the Redwood Valley of Mendocino County

pp. 18-19 — The early morning sky glows orange in the hills above Ukiah

p. 22 — Orr Springs Road twists and turns through some of the most pristine and dramatic landscapes in wine country

p. 30 — This lovely tree-lined drive leads to Fetzer Vineyards, a wholly organic winery and the sixth-largest premium wine producer in the country

p. 31 — The warm valleys around Hopland offer an ideal climate for growing grapes as well as apples and pears

p. 34 — Mount Konocti, illuminated by the setting sun, looms large above this Lake County vineyard

p. 35 — Peaceful at sunrise, Clear Lake State Park

p. 35 — The vibrant flower gardens of Tulip Hill Winery

p. 38 — A distant moon sets beyond a winter vineyard in the Valley of the Moon

pp. 42-43 — Vineyards stretch across the Alexander Valley in northern Sonoma County

p. 47 — Downtown Geyserville is lined with charming buildings

p. 83 — A rainbow forms

p. 90 — Hot air ballooning

p. 94 — Winery at Groth Vineyards

p. 99 — Grape vines and mustard plants

Nice work, Mr. Crabbe!

The text is equally inspired with a nice mix of California history, wine background, local features, and suggestions for activities you can enjoy. The text is also well endowed with maps to show you the directions of the backroads that you are being encouraged to pursue.

Here are some of the unexpected materials:

p. 24 — Seabiscuit’s home in Willits

p. 36 — Organic farming methods

p. 45 — Cyrus Alexander’s founding of the Alexander Valley

p. 61 — Jack London in the Sonoma Valley

p. 89 — The soil of Rutherford

p. 108 — Apple Hill, east of Placerville

p. 117 — The Gold Rush

p. 125 — Covered bridges

p. 133 — Steinbeck’s world

Here are the areas covered:

The Redwood Valley in Mendocino County
Anderson Valley
Hopland and the McDowell Valley
Lake County
Alexander Valley
Dry Creek Valley
The Russian River Valley
Green Valley
Valley of the Moon
Sonoma Valley
Northern Napa Valley
St. Helena
Eastern Napa Valley
Yountville
Oakville
Mount Veeder
Town of Napa
Wooden Valley
Los Carneros
El Dorado County
Shenandoah Valley
Calaveras County
Santa Cruz Mountains
Carmel Valley
Salinas Valley
San Juan Bautista
Paso Robles
Edna Valley
Santa Barbara County
Santa Ynez Valley

Nice work, Ms. Misuraca!

Don’t miss this gorgeous volume. It’ll transform your life if you follow its advice.

Customer Review: Excellent Value
I lived in the Bay Area for several years and to be honest, the Wine Country is not really my cup of tea. However, the images in this book by Gary Crabbe are amazing and makes me feel as if I were there and enjoying myself. It takes a truly dedicated photographer to make such a wonderful collection of images of Wine Country. Many photographers have published photos of the Wine Country but these are some of the best photos I’ve seen from there.

The text by Karen Misuraca is well-written as well. It’s informative going over a touch of history without over doing it and takes you on a literary road trip through the heart of the Wine Country. The photos and text compliment each other well and the book has a fair amount of both. In 160 pages, it’s packed with meat as it works both as a photo book and travel guide.

If you’d like a personally signed copy, Mr. Crabbe is selling them through his website as well.

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Thursday’s Letters to the Editor – Santa Rosa Press Democrat
He cared enough about 32 million uninsured Americans to fight to get them access to health care. He made Congress extend unemployment benefits, and he signed the mean-spirited comments about the Mabrys’ wines, nothing could have been farther from

Reflections of a Wine Merchant

the book is essentially a collection of stories about people rosenthal has encountered over the years, and how their story fits – or doesn’t fit – into rosenthal’s importing business and view of what the wine world should be. for instance, the story of a family/producer in piedmont embodies everything he loves about wine, while a relationship with a producer in burgundy crumbles as they insist on making changes he doesn’t feel are for the best. the stories are generally interesting, however i don’t feel they’ll appeal to those who aren’t truly interested in the subject matter. (however if you’ve made it to this page, you probably ARE interested in the subject matter.)

i echo the sentiment that rosenthal spends a bit of time ranking on people by name. it’s not really vengeful stuff as some other reviews have implied, but the problem is that it’s not really done with a lot of finesse or class either. it doesn’t portray the author in the best light, and makes you question his own personality to some extent. this doesn’t destroy the book, but it does detract from the experience a bit.

finally, i feel the book doesn’t have a ton of focus. there’s not a really strong thread running through it. i know it’s a collection of stories, but considering the experiences rosenthal has had over the course of the last 30 years, in addition to his very strong feelings about what wine should be, i think the book could have driven home more of a message. maybe rosenthal didn’t want this to be too agenda driven, but i thought the result made it a little light.

all this said, this is worth reading, especially if you’re a fan of rosenthal’s views on what wines should be. come to think of it, you should probably read it if you *don’t* share rosenthal’s views on what wines should be.

Customer Review: Neil Rosenthal is the real deal.
Neal Rosenthal is the real deal, and so is Alice Feiring, whose My Battle for Wine and Love or How I Saved the World from Parkerization. Both echo themes about the authenicity and sense of place in truly great wines and rail against the tragic (for real wine lovers) imposition of industry homogeneousness and wine manipulation over the real thing.

Both these books are deep–not frivolous, as some people would like to paint Alice Feiring’s book–complex and filled with nuances that everyone who really cares about great wine should know and appreciate. Neither book is jammed with appreciation for overripe fruit, residual sugar, palate numbing alcohol levels and, Thank God, neither comes in a horrid new oak binding (barrels where supposed to be aging vessels, not gross flavoring agents that override grape varieties, terroir, etc.).

My prediction is that these two books are going to have an enormous impact on young (and not so young) sommeliers, wine directors and wine buyers (especially non-retail types, who don’t use Parker scores to flog wines), because they both espouse the greatness and distinctiveness of terroir-driven, authentic, artisan wines that have a sense of place. Since these are not mass market Parkerista wines, I think this philosophy will not have an immediate effect on the Parker consumer, but it will have on restaurant wine lists run by younger sommeliers, who believe it or not have been fed up with tasting Parkerista wines for quite some time. They will seek terroir-driven wines to lend distinction to their lists and push these wines as those which help set their wine lists and restaurants apart.

Restaurant goers will discover these wines and begin to look for retail stores that carry them. It will not be long before the already choppy anti-Parkerista waters build into a very big wave, which, pardon me, copycat American wine journalists will soon see as a bandwagon to jump on, at least those who still have a palate left after tasting all the overripe, sweet, over-oaked, alcoholic junk that they have been barraged with over the past decade or so. And with greening and organic movements growing stronger in response to environmental changes, more and more conscientous wine drinkers will begin to question the manipulation of wines.

Neil Rosenthal: “. . . proof that there is some seriously fine terroir to be found in California and elsewhere, terroir that merits being left to express itself rather than being dominated and destroyed by human manipulation in the form of superextraction or immersion in new oak barrels or any of dozens of other laboratory tricks that “correct” what nature gives us.”

Alice Feiring: “. . . At stake is the soul of wine. This is giant corporation vs. independent winemaker. This is international and homogenous vs. local and varied. This manipulated and technical wine vs. natural and artisanal. . .wine is being reduced to the common denominator. . .I visit producers who make wines that inspire love and devotion. . . I unmask the modern way–the reverse osmosis, the tannin addition, the yeasts, the enzymes, the cold soaks, the sawdust, oak chips, the barriques, the micro- and macro-oxygenation, the rotor fermenters, and the cherry drops. There will be scientists and consultants, who help create cookie-cutter wines for the mass palate. I will deal with those who say terroir (the magic that brings soil, climate, vintage, and winemaker together in a bottle of wine) and natural winemaking are simply excuses for making bad wine.”

Neal Rosenthal and Alice Feiring are hero and heroine!!! Buy both these books and take a trip through the world of real wine, you will never turn back.

And as to the reviews that claim Neal Rosenthal’s book is filled with bad writing–sounds like some of you have been drinking too much of the wine that Neal disdains.

Gerry Dawes
Blog: Gerry Dawes’s Spain: An Insider’s Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel.

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