Written by James O. Gump, professor emeritus of history at the University of San Diego, this book explores Andre’s early life, growing up in Russia including personal experiences, hardships and his viticulture and enology training, all of which built character traits that would ultimately lead to a distinguished and influential career as a winemaker. Written from a rich historical perspective, this account of Andre’s life highlights the significant influence he had on not just Napa Valley but also the American wine industry as a whole. His consulting, vineyard decisions and […]

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Covering many of the world’s wine regions, this book highlights some 400 wineries worth visiting. Compiled by Chris Losh, editor of the UK drinks magazine Imbibe, Chris has been writing about wine and spirits since 1995. An excellent read for those who love to travel and drink wine – plenty of wineries are highlighted in the world’s top wine regions including, Australia, Europe and parts of the USA and Canada. But wineries are profiled in regions one may not always associate with wine – despite these regions having a very […]

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Wine Country Women of Napa Valley was written by Michelle Mandro with a forward by Amanda Harlan and the excellent photography contributed by Donna Kopol Bonick – three women who have strong connections to the valley and its lifestyle. A book of this topic could well be many times its thickness – however this book covers select women the author knows and has worked with who are making valuable contributions to Napa Valley. Profiles focus on winemakers but also others in the lifestyle business. The front cover photograph immediately catches […]

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The latest edition (no 11) Explorers Guide Napa & Sonoma is a detailed look at some of the best restaurants, wineries and experiences that the wine country in this part of the state has to offer. Written by husband and wife Peg Melnik and Tim Fish. Both are accomplished wine writers: Peg writes for the local Santa Rosa based newspaper, the Press Democrat and Tim writes for the Wine Spectator. Not a huge book but it is richly endowed with plenty of insider tips and places not to be missed […]

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While Napa is only about 25 to 35 miles long (depending on who you reference) and contains somewhere between 350 to 500 physical wineries (again depends on your source) – this tiny slice of the state is immensely rich in visually stunning landscapes, qualitity of wines, personalities, culinary excellence, premium accommodation, and diversity of experiences mostly centered around food and wine. From Napa with Love, written by Alexis Swanson Traina (same family that created the Swanson meals, formerly associated with Swanson Winery in Napa Valley, married to Trevor Traina, ambassador […]

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Travelers and wine lovers get your hands on this book – forty of North America’s greatest wine regions are highlighted focusing on the USA and to a lesser extent, Canada. From west coast USA and Canada to East Coast USA and a few locations in between – Lonely Planet’s latest release of Wine Trails, United States & Canada offers a glimpse into these regions – highlighting select wineries and producers. Both larger established and newer wineries are profiled. With wine country comes food – and their ‘Where to Eat” section […]

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There is plenty of keep the one absorbed from start to finish in Jennifer M. Fraser’s exciting book, Crush, A Wine Thriller. The story features Paige Munroe, normally an investigative journalist often covering war stories. In this book her investigative role is initially reduced to ease her back into the ‘world’ after recovering from a war time injury. Assigned to cover and promote select wineries in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, her assignment seems fairly mundane in comparison to her normal outings. However, her investigative prowess quickly rises to […]

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‘Do not buy this book’! It will change the way you look at the wine industry and will certainly make collectors of high end wines think twice about their purchases. Author Dinkelspiel has created a mesmerizing look at greed, deception and crime throughout California’s storied wine history. Central to the story is Mark Anderson, a wine aficionado whose nefarious activities in the wine world culiminate when he sets fire in 2005 to a wine warehouse he managed in Vallejo – severely hurting a number of vintners including the loss of […]

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52 perfect wine weekends await … brought to life by Wine Trails, a hard-cover Lonely Planet published guide to 327 wineries spread throughout 20 countries. From France to the United States, this book covers the best of the old world with the new world. Coverage provided for each region is refreshingly not overwhelming – a short introduction is listed followed by a handful of recommended wineries (often both small and larger). The coverage provided is intended to be used for weekend visits – with each section providing an approximate 2-day […]

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Wine Folly, the Essential Guide to Wine covers a wide range of wine topics with the core of the book being a varietal breakdown – categorized by wine styles. Each varietal is listed with various visual and verbal descriptions – including possible flavors, dominant flavors, where it commonly is grown and the style of how it is usually made. This book will make a timely gift for the holidays especially for someone fairly new to wine. When it comes to wine, the best philosophy is to keep an open mind […]

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This is Dr. Richard Peterson’s first book – and you wonder why it took him so long to write a book – until you finish it. Then you will understand perfectly. Throughout his career he has done everything but sit idle. If one grows up with a connection and appreciation of the land, one keeps that throughout his entire life. Dick’s upbringing was during the Great American Depression outside of Des Moines, Iowa. From the outside, his family was painfully poor scraping by in the late 1930’s with his fathers […]

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Unquenchable by 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 […]

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Moveable Thirst by Rick Kushman and 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”.

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Lonely Planet Napa & Sonoma by 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 […]

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Moon Napa Valley by 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 […]

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