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Title Author Description

Amicis Winery Guides: Dream Tours of Napa & Sonoma 		Ralph Amicis "Amicis Winery Guides: Dream Tours of Napa & Sonoma is being hailed as the best winery guide book in the region. Don't  set out to visit your favorite wineries, or to discover new ones without it!

More than just a survey book, or a daytrip guide, 'Dream Tours' includes valuable guidance about enjoying the tasting room experience, easy to use mapped tours for both counties, a comprehensive winery directory, plus restaurants and hotels."
 

Moveable Thirst		 Rick Kushman,
Hank Beal		 Join the authors as they spend time in the Napa Valley between bud break and harvest visiting every open to the public by walk-in tasting room (141 of these at the time of their project) in the valley. Insightful and often humorous commentary accompanies each one of their winery reviews. One of the authors is a "newbie" and one is the "expert". Learn about wine, the people in the industry and tips on "tasting Napa".
 

Moon Napa Valley		 Philip Goldsmith For those specifically focusing on visiting the world famous wine growing region of the Napa Valley, Moon Handbooks features the "Napa Valley" spotlight. This book is essentially contained within their much more exhaustive in focus, "Northern California Wine Country" (see below) but the advantages of this book are price and its much smaller size. This is a very good introduction guide to the Napa Valley with not only a plethora of information about wine, but accommodations, the incredible food selections in the valley (check out all those 1-3 starred Michelin restaurants!) and local activities and attractions.

Did you know one of the largest Bay Area art museums is located within the Carneros district of the southern part of the valley, or that there is a petrified forest and a geyser in the northern part of the valley? Small and large wineries are listed, on the beaten path and off the beaten path wineries are also featured. Wine regions are organized by each town in the valley starting from the town of Napa in the south to Calistoga in the north.
 

Lonely Planet
Napa & Sonoma Encounters		 Alison Bing Based on our large project in Napa (The Napa Wine Project) we try to review as many related books as possible. Recently this one came across our desk. Napa & Sonoma Encounter is a mini guide featuring the best of the Sonoma and Napa wine regions. Locations are organized by individual valleys each of which is a prominent wine producing region in its own right. This is the perfect guide for those new to these particular wine regions. Not only are wineries spotlighted but the book provides information about restaurants, lodging, tourist attractions and indulgences such as hot springs and spas. The book also contains a pull out map of Sonoma and Napa County as well as several more detailed maps.
 

New Classic Winemakers
Of California		 Steve Heimoff Join author Steve Heimoff as he visits with a number of prominent winemakers, all based in California. The reviews are less an interview but are written in more of a conversation prose. Reviews are in-depth, focused and personal. Sections of the book and specific winemakers are divided into decades starting with the 1970's through the 1990's. The forward was written by Bill Harlan, esteemed Napa Vintner.
 

Moon, Northern
California Wine Country		 Philip Goldsmith Northern California Wine Country covers the major Northern California wine regions from Santa Cruz to Livermore up through Napa and Sonoma to Mendocino County in the north. Many wine guides either do to little or try to cover to much; this book strikes a nice balance between some of the off the beaten path wineries as well as those with more of a public presence. In addition the descriptions of the wineries are more detailed than a number of guides which is refreshing to find.

If you are new to wine be sure to hit the "wine 101" section towards the back of the book. This information covers a variety of topics from price to varietals, to marketing, to an overview of the winemaking process and how to taste wine like a pro. Nice tips, spotlights on special wineries, and of course food and lodging information is provided for each wine region. For someone who has spent hundreds of hours touring select wine regions in Northern California, this book is well researched and organized.
 

Romantic Napa Valley		 Autumn Millhouse Looking for a romantic getaway to the wine country? Why not Napa - take the initial plunge with a purchase of Romantic Napa Valley. Let author, Autumn Millhouse share her undiscovered secrets for top romantic wineries, restaurants activities and more. Highlights include information and photos about each of Napa's small towns, wine education, and top romantic hotels. Autumn is a Napa native who knows the valley inside and out. Her knowledge is entirely first hand - great photos!
  

Travel Temptations: Sip California		 Lena Katz Having personally visited and tasted with someone from nearly 600 commercial producers within Napa County to date, whenever a wine tasting book comes across our desk our ears perk up - especially when such book provides information about the Napa Valley. This book covers all the major wine tasting regions of California listing top vineyards, wineries, culinary treats and related wine country attractions.

What is refreshing about this book is that it lists a number of totally off the beaten path wineries that only a "local" would know about. Napa has been written about more times than a dead horse and it is always nice to read about our favorite wine region from a unique angle. Among the most valuable of this books contributions are local individuals who contribute their suggestions in the form of quotes and or interviews. Pay attention to their "favorites"! This is a must read for both oenophiles as well as those new to wine.
 

The Critic		 Peter May A murder mystery of a famed American Wine critic takes place in the vineyards of South West France. This wine critic was found literally pickled in wine hanging in the vineyards. Additional murders soon follow. Join Scottish investigator Enzo Macleod as he tries to track down this horrible crime. Enzo even takes a side trip to the wine country of California in the "hunt".
 

Unquenchable		 Natalie MacLean Join wine writer Natalie MacLean's wine and travel world as she jets from one continent to another, from one wine region to the next exploring her passion for wine and highlighting some of the best values out there. Her style of writing is engaging, lively, and informative to the wine novice and educated consumer alike. She meets with owners and winemakers and explores the "stories" behind the wine.

The book highlights the uniqueness, differences, and challenges that winemakers face in their respective regions. It is a wine book with truly a global perspective. At the end of each chapter/region Natalie highlights top producers, pairings and lists other resources and recommended related reading materials. Wine lovers will delight in this latest "chapter" of Natalie's wine writing career.
 

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