Book Description
For the home wine-maker ready to . . . begin turning out consistently professional-quality wines, this book contains about all the information one is likely to need.-- Ruralite Country Bookshelf.
Customer Reviews:
Complete resource.......2007-05-26
We wanted a resource for the wine process from growth to the glass.
Everything you need is in here.
Almost perfect.......2007-01-18
This book tells you everything about growing grapes and producing fine wine. It even deals with the choice of grape-varieties suited for your climate. It is almost perfect. I think many Europeans will read this book, and it would have been perfect if it included the Meditteranean countries in the tables of climate-zones and selection of suitable varieties. It is very difficult to find this (about Europe) on the internet. But a great and very useful book.
From Vines to Wines, a very accurate title........2006-11-03
This is a very informative book, I can not wait to start my own wine grape vine.
Easy reading.......2006-11-03
I purchased this book for my 12 yr.old grandson. We have found the illustrations and explainations to be very clear and easy to follow. The book also has extensive useful information to help the beginner as he grows in knowledge,
Great Book. Quick Shipment. Greaat seller........2006-08-30
The book was delivered in a timely manner, well packaged. Would buy from this seller again.
Book Description
This essential and groundbreaking reference gives a comprehensive overview of one of the most fascinating, important, and controversial trends in the world of wine: the scientific and technological innovations that are now influencing how grapes are grown and how wine is made. Jamie Goode, a widely respected authority on wine science, details the key scientific developments relating to viticulture and enology, explains the practical application of science to techniques that are used around the world, and explores how these issues are affecting the quality, flavor, and perception of wine. The only complete resource available on the subject, The Science of Wine: From Vine to Glass engagingly discusses a wide range of topics including terroir, biodynamics, the production of "natural" or manipulation-free wines, the potential effect of climate change on grape growing, the health benefits of wine, and much more.
Covers some of the most hotly debated issues including genetically modified grape vines, sulphur dioxide, the future of cork, and wine flavor chemistry
More than 100 illustrations and photographs make even the most complex topics clear, straightforward, and easy to understand
Engagingly written for a wide audience of students, winemakers, wine professionals, and general readers interested in the science of wine
Customer Reviews:
A must read for wine geeks.......2007-01-05
A generally well-written, informative, balanced, and certainly provocative look at a wide variety of subjects. Brings a welcome dosage of reality to wine, a topic that tends to produce flights of fancy in those who discuss and comment on it (me included), but at the same time the author is careful not to destroy our dearly-held beliefs. In other words, reading this book will enhance your drinking and thinking about wine. I did find myself wondering about how well some of the studies/experiments cited in the book were designed, and I kept hoping for the author to comment on that subject...
Out to Pasteur.......2006-06-27
I'm not much of a scientist. In fact, my career as a doctor ended abruptly in the first week of college when I discovered that a required chemistry course also required my attendance three days a week at 8:00 AM. So I approached this book with trepidation on several levels. Would it be pitched too heavily in science-speak for me to understand? Was it really more of a textbook than consumer's guide? Was it a soulless sucker punch for the reductionist school of winemaking so hideously embodied in companies like Enologix that use modern "science" to manufacture high-scoring Parker wines? Truth be told, I would probably have never gone near it but for a favorable blurb in a recent issue of Decanter magazine.
Well as Johnny Carson might have said, "Wrong, brettanomyces breath". This is in fact an astoundingly wonderful book for anyone with a passion for wine. It's too detailed and complex for beginners or people who don't really care about some of the factors that affect the taste and quality of wine. But it's also a remarkably humane pitch for the application of the scientific method to wine growing and wine making without in any way denigrating the mystery or romance that enshrouds the subject. Maybe a better quote would come from Joe Friday: it's "just the facts, Maam," wherever the facts that underlie the magic of wine can be ascertained.
The chapters in The Science of Wine systematically address the major factors and issues that contribute to the quality of wine from the vineyard to the winery. Each one is structured like a consumer-friendly, mini-version of an article in a refereed scientific journal. The author starts out with a description of what he will talk about, states his hypothesis, and then examines the evidence before ending with a conclusion. After a while I picked up the rhythm and realized it reminded me of the hundreds of clinical study write-ups I read while working in the marketing department of a pharmaceutical company.
What's really cool about this book is the way it tackles so many controversial subjects head-on, assessing the available evidence on the way to proving its points. It seems at times like the author has read and interviewed everyone who has written a scientific paper on wine anywhere in the world (especially Australia) in the last 10 years, and he quotes these authorities extensively. Here are a few of the critical topics he systematically examines and a quick summary of his findings (close your eyes now if you don't want to know the answers):
Brett-it's everywhere-you can run but you can't hide
Terroir-sorry, no one's ever proven you can taste the soil in the wine, so stop thinking the minerals come from the Kimmeridgean limestone
Sulfites-they don't cause headaches, try drinking less
Global warming-the Rhone will be making Algerian wines and Burgundy will have 15% alcohol before much longer
Tasting-humans can't discern more than about 4 flavors at a time (don't tell Parker or the Spectator)
Terroir-oops, since it isn't the soil,you're probably tasting reduced sulfur compounds
Actual rate of cork taint: about 5%
Best closure on the planet right now: screwcap
Average effective lifespan of a synthetic cork closure: 2 years
Biodynamics-no proof yet
Just to prove I'm not a complete spoil sport, here are some of the other subjects you'll get to learn about (this time without the answers):
Impact of oak
Micro-oxygenation
Wine and health
Precision viticulture
Regulated deficit irrigation
Pruning and trellising systems and more!
I suppose the major weakness of the book isn't what's covered, but what's still undiscovered. If you come to it hoping for the definitive answer to every question you've ever had about wine, you'll be disappointed. A lot of what we'd like to believe is the truth about wine has yet to be definitively proven, so many chapters end with the promise of future revelations instead of a real resolution. That certainly leaves room for a revised edition in 5 years! And truthfully, a few chapters have passages that are written in impenetrable scientific jargon that most of the book assiduously avoids. Finally, while it's a pretty book from an art director's viewpoint, the layout often presents massive amounts of block type on a page and the many sidebars, while illuminating, are as visually distracting as they are helpful.
All that being said, this book is well nigh indispensable for a wine lover. If you meet this criterion, and you know who you are, you need to get your own copy. Me personally? I feel like I need to start re-reading it right now to figure out how to scientifically approach the lovely bottle of A-F Gros Echezeaux I'm drinking tonight.
FINALLY: High-Tech Discussions on Wine.......2006-05-23
I am in the wine trade and a MW student. This book compiles some very high-tech arguments on various topics in an organized, compelling, and clearly-written style. It was a joy to see all of these topics in one book, rather than searching 100s of journals and university studies on the web! I was able to use my new found knowledge immediately in discussions with colleagues--sounding like a true expert.
A great read for true "wine geeks".
Book Description
Outstanding in breadth and coherence, this definitive review is designed to embrace the entire scope of wine culture, including vine horticulture, winery design, wine processing, wine quality control, wine analysis, and wine marketing.
Winemaking: From Grape Growing to Marketplace, Second Edition, translates current literature and scientific developments into useable knowledge which grape growers, wine makers, wine educators, and wine marketers can apply towards their individual needs and tasks.
Presented in an easy-to-use, step-by-step format, the text guides the reader through the perils and pitfalls, appropriate alternative pathways, and major sources for equipment and materials within the winemaking industry. Throughout the text, pertinent regulations and permits enforced by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms are outlined. This excellent guide to winemaking will be of use to a wide audience, in particular:
-current and prospective vintners, both commercial and amateur - as an essential guide book in their cellars,
-wine connoisseurs - offers an in-depth understanding of crafting wine,
-professional marketers - provides a solid understanding of the rationale of methodology employed by grape-growers and vintners,
-students - searching for an initial overview of contemporary viticulture.
Among updates and new material the second edition includes information on marketing wines and on the use of computers in viticulture and winemaking.
As a whole, this book is an invaluable source into the elements of viticulture, enology, and marketing wine for both academia and industry. It also serves as a solid foundation from which to advance to more technical levels.
Customer Reviews:
Why is it out of print?.......2000-04-26
As a wine 'amateur' (French meaning - no French person would ever say they were a 'connossieur' of wine, as one can never know it), this book was great in teaching more of the nuts and bolts of the wine biz. Grab this online somewhere - hopefully Amazon.com's out-of-print service - but grab it - it is very interesting.
Excellent book on all aspects of winery business.......1999-04-29
This book touches on all parts of the winemaking business from vineyard costs to winery costs and designs to marketing your wines. It has a good section on analytical testing procedures and 50 pages of charts, tables and conversions that come in handy.
The section on vineyard costs details year by year expenses from start-up through year 7. I also found the feasibility and finance section very helpful in starting up my own winery. The section on government regulations was very helpful in warning any prospective winery owners of what the ATF and state regulators expect. There are plenty of examples of good record keeping that various governments expect you to keep on hand at all times.
Of course this book also has 117 pages of good winemaking details along with good sections on microbiology, winery equipment, barrels and label designs. If this book has any obvious fault it would be that it does not go deep enough into some of these subjects, but then it would be thousands of pages long instead of the 440 pages it is.
An all around great book on winemaking and the rest of the business that goes with a winery and it's operation. This book has lots of good business information in it that I have not seen in any other winemaking book. I recommend it for anyone who not only wants to make great wine but also is serious about starting his own commercial winery.
Poorly written and not worth the money.......1999-03-10
Here is good evidence why Indiana is not a mecca of fine wines. Mr. Vine needs to take a few classes at U.C. Davis or read any of Amerine's books. The faults are too many but he did do a good job by inserting Government Regs and a lot of tables that would be hard for him to screw-up.
Customer Reviews:
The only book of its kind, it helps to have a chem degree!.......1998-09-16
This is an excellent book, I recommend it to anyone who wishes to prepare wine from scratch. The book is written for the reader with knowledge of basic science concepts, especially a chemistry degree.
Whether planting one vine or one thousand, read this book!.......1998-08-24
Jeff Cox does what so few writers can do; he makes viticulture so interesting that you won't want to put this book down. That's saying a lot!
The whole book is a masterful handbook for the home or small commercial grower. From selecting the vines and a growing site to planting, growing, pruning, and harvesting to making wine, Cox literally packs the pages with useful information, tables and how-to illustrations. Even his appendix on grape pests and their control is written as a trouble-shooting guide based on symptoms rather than cause. This is both refreshing and useful.
If you can only buy one book on the subject, this is the one to buy.
The complete guide to growing grapes & making your own wine........1998-06-12
With enthusiasm and clarity, the author leads his readers, from the amateur to the accomplished winemaker, in his or her quest for flawless grapes and extraordinary wine. The process is not as daunting as it may seem. What matters most is finding the grape that gives wine you like and which thrives and ripens (consistently) in your climate. The author goes on to describe vineyard siting, soil preparation, culture, pruning, trellising, and pest control.
The second half of the book thoroughly describes the wine-making process: from crushing the grapes and pressing, to primary and secondary fermentations, racking, bottling, corking, cellaring, and evaluating the finished product.
This book will appeal to the person with a serious desire to grow grapes and make wine, the aspiring wine-making entrepreneur, the home gardener interested in the culture of grapes, the wine connoisseur, and the casual hobbyist. No matter what level of invlovement you want to have in the wine-making process, "From Vines to Wines" will satisfy your needs and curiosity.
Great Beginner's Guide to Growing Grapes and Making Wine.......1998-05-30
My family is in the process of starting a small vineyard and winery. Jeff's book was not only fun and easy to read, it has provided valuable information. I can recommend the book without reservation to anyone interested in growing grapes and making wine.
Average customer rating:
- Beautiful Book on Wine
- Well Worth a Look
- A Wonderfully illuminating peace of the art work.
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Cabernet: A Photographic Journey from Vine to Wine
Michael Creedman
Manufacturer: Diane Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Spirits
| Drinks & Beverages
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0756752884 |
Amazon.com
Many wine connoisseurs consider the complex flavors of a fine cabernet sauvignon to be unmatched by any other variety, giving it a widely held reputation as the supreme accomplishment in the art of winemaking. To create such a richly textured wine takes more than excellent grapes; it requires an incredible level of dedication and skill in every stage of the process. To produce this handsome book, photographer Charles O'Rear followed cabernet harvests across four continents, chronicling the elaborate journey from vine to bottle. O'Rear is a photojournalist who uses his camera much as a writer wields a pen--to tell a story. His choice of subjects, composition, and settings are clearly influenced by his many years contributing to National Geographic magazine. Here he presents an interesting series of subtle and imaginative full-color photos that capture the essence of the unique people and age-old methods they utilize to conceive this world-renowned wine. The accompanying text is sparse yet informative, and the famous winemaker Robert Mondavi provides a brief forward as well. O'Rear reveals an obvious affection for the title subject: "I have been fascinated with wine for most of my life..." he writes. "Yet, I still marvel at the mysterious process that somehow transforms a cluster of grapes into a divine nectar...." His book offers an appealing look behind the scenes of a complex procedure that few people fully appreciate when they pull a cork. --George Laney
Book Description
For over 30 years, photographer Charles O'Rear has been fascinated with wine and the process that transforms ordinary grapes into a world-class wine. To understand the making of two of the most renowned varietals, the bold red cabernet and the more delicate white chardonnay, O'Rear traveled 100,000 miles, visited four continents, talked with hundreds of winemakers, and captured thousands of unprecedented images. In many ways, these books are like the profiled wines themselves: full of character, lush beauty, subtlety, and surprise.
In CABERNET, O'Rear illuminates processes that the casual observer never has a chance to see. He and his camera are everywhere: looking down at vineyards from the window of a Cessna flying at 5,000 feet; tucked inside a stainless fermenting tank; or sprawled in the dirt of a September vineyard. Whether he's with the pickers in the field, the vintners in their aging caves, or the revelers enjoying the festivities of a successful harvest, O'Rear truly captures the essence of cabernet's mystique.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful Book on Wine.......2006-03-16
This is one of the most beautiful books on wine that I have ever seen. The photographs are simply outstanding. There is not a lot of text throughout the book, but the author correctly calls the text a photographic journey. This is a beautiful coffee table book that will be a hit with you and your guests.
Well Worth a Look.......2002-03-06
The important point here is the subtitle, which specifies "a photographic journey." This is a picture book and no more, but the pictures are fine and they are welcome. Most wine books, after all, skimp on photos (which are expensive to produce), and those they use are often pedestrian. Thus we seldom get a chance to see how beautiful is the world of wine-making. Here the photographer Charles O'Rear has traveled to many of the regions where the Cabernet grape is grown--Bordeaux, California, Chile, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Spain--to record and glorify the making of Cabernet from vine to bottle. There are plenty of panoramas here; vast views over endless vineyards are the bedrock of wine photography. But there are also lots of rewarding detail shots of pickers and their tools, winery interiors, grafting, and even the tally tokens used to record how much each picker has harvested. At one vineyard they are colored baskets; at another, plastic discs; at still another, ordinary clothes pins. All different, but all with the same meaning: They determine how much each picker is paid. These homely details, when added to the faces of the workers, invite you into the world shown in the vineyard panoramas. They're far more appealing that the inevitable "art" shots of wine glasses and barrel halls and ranks of bottles in a cobwebbed cellar.
The photos are generally so expressive it's not necessary to read the captions, which is a good thing. It seems to be a rule in picture books that captions must be made confusing and inconvenient wherever possible for the reader. Also, anyone who wants to actually read about wine is advised to go elsewhere. In picture books, the text is usually scanty and used as mere filler, and that is the case here.
--Bill Marsano
A Wonderfully illuminating peace of the art work........1999-04-02
A great way to travel from vine to wine for all wine lovers
Book Description
There's no denying it. Chile's fine wines have earned their place in the world of wine in recent years. Chilean wines have sparked tremendous interest throughout the world. Their success is now explained by this account of the origins and developments of an industry with a rich 450 year winemaking tradition.
Chilean enologist and prolific wine-writer Rodrigo Alvarado searches out the major landmarks and keystones of the history of wine and humankind and weaves them into a highly-readable tale that affords us an in-depth understanding of Chile's long-standing tradition of wine.
This text, beautifully illustrated by Chilean artist Raquel Echenique, is required reading for any wine-lover looking to become a true connoisseur.
Book Description
Inside the Minds: The Business of Wine is an authoritative, insider's perspective on the ins and outs of the wine industry and the future of the business, on a global scale. Featuring Presidents and CEOs representing some of the top vineyards across the nation, this book provides a broad, yet comprehensive overview of the current shape and future state of this fascinating industry. Discussing wine trends and changes, as well as the intricacies of delivering a quality product and profiting year after year, these authorities walk through the lifecycle of a wine, covering everything from harvesting and fermentation to distribution and marketing. Raising critical points around the essentiality of drawing consumers, developing relationships with retailers and distributors, and building a reputation, these leaders articulate the finer points around the industry now, and what will hold true into the future. The different niches represented and the breadth of perspectives presented enable readers to get inside some of the great minds of today, as experts offer a candid and unprecedented glimpse into this fully gratifying industry.
Customer Reviews:
Nice stories, not much to learn.......2007-02-16
I bought this book for my MW studies, and it is worth reading mostly because it gives an idea of what the contributors consider important in the wine world. I didn't find that many useful examples though, and would rather spend my money on a few issues of any of the trade magazines available for a accurate and up-to-date picture of the wine business.
Book Description
Based on the acclaimed thirty-nine-part San Francisco Chronicle series, an award-winning journalist follows the making of a bottle of Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc from its harvesting off the vine by immigrant workers in Northern California to its first tasting, capturing all that goes into the process of turning a grape into a fine vintage and selling it to today's connoisseurs.
Mike Weiss spent nearly two years with Ferrari-Carano, a California winemaker founded in Sonoma County just over twenty years ago by Don Carano, a casino and hotel mogul from Reno. The narrative in A Very Good Year follows Ferrari-Carano's Fume Blanc from barren vines in November to its first sampling by a customer at the Four Seasons in New York, and, over the course of the book, Weiss presents his unique insight into the making and marketing of wine today. BACKCOVER: “Superb. . . . Weiss tells a great story.”
—THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Finally, a wine book that explains all the ingredients. . . . You will marvel at the richness of what Mike Weiss . . . was able to capture and convey within this delicious book.”
—LOS ANGELES TIMES
“Compelling . . . A Very Good Year is both entertaining and comprehensive.”
—THE BOSTON GLOBE
“A sweeping book about tourism, globalism, environmental sustainability, immigration, and glamour. . . . The bottle of Fume Blanc . . . is like a Pandora's box. Open it up and out spill all the vanity, marketing savvy, self-mythologizing, acres of land, buckets of money, precise science, alchemical blending, and feudal working conditions that make up the California dream known as the wine industry.”
—SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
Download Description
A Captivating, Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Making of a Premium California Wine Situated amidst the lush soils of Sonoma County in the heart of California's wine country, the Ferrari-Carano Vineyards produce some of the best-loved wines in America. Founded by casino mogul Don Carano and his wife Rhonda just over twenty years ago, the winemaker has won praise from consumers and connoisseurs alike for its affordably priced premium bottles, particularly its Fumé Blanc. In A Very Good Year, award-winning journalist Mike Weiss goes behind the scenes at this renowned winemaker to tell the story of how a bottle of this wine is created, from the first grapes picked by the hands of Mexican migrant workers to the vintage's initial public tasting at the Four Seasons in New York. Weiss's intimate look at the 2002 Fumé Blanc reveals the delicate interaction between water, sunlight, soil, and climate that produces grapes with the precise flavors sought by its growers-as well as explaining how a winemaker's decisions during the fermenting processes can bring out subtle changes in the distinctive flavors, such as the grassy melon bouquet that is the hallmark of this vintage. Weiss also looks at how ""The Story"" of a winery drives its marketing identity, is reflected in such decisions as the shape of its bottle and the style of its label, and can often decide the crucial difference of whether it is included on the lists of the country's best white-tablecloth restaurants. Along the way, A Very Good Year brings to life the colorful characters behind Ferrari-Carano: an obsessive fourth-generation vineyard manager who can predict an early spring based on the behavior of local bass; a star winemaker who must decide the precise blending methods based on elaborate chemistry and a supposition of what reviewers want to taste; the effusive sales and marketing guru behind the powerful brand; and at the center of it all is Don Carano, a successful entrepreneur who has entered the wine business not as a millionaire dilettante but as an ambitious winemaker with an eye toward creating a vintage that will garner international acclaim. Insightful and intoxicating, A Very Good Year is a delight to be savored by the oenophile and novice alike.
Customer Reviews:
The nose is complex, but the finish is disappointing.......2007-01-01
I was looking for a change of pace in my reading selections, and thought that I was going to get it with Mike Weiss', "A Very Good Year, " a chronicle about the intricacies of the wine industry.
What I got instead was a curious kind of viticultural deja vu.
After only a few pages I found myself back in "Moneyball" mode - only this time instead of following a baseball team around for a year, Weiss treats us to a year at the Ferrari-Carano vineyards. With open access (generally speaking) to all participants in the operations, from Don and Rhonda Carano to the scores of Mexican vineyard workers and their migratory family lives, the author provides vivid descriptions of the numerous details that are required to produce a quality wine.
And, the details are many, and the decisions are numerous and critical, such as "the Story," label composition, marketing and pricing strategy, cork selection (an amazing process), type of vine selection, soil composition, sugar content, crop size, Spanish speaking requirements, vineyard hierarchical culture, weather patterns and even the politics behind scoring positive reviews by The Wine Spectator.
We are provided with (muted) insight of the relationship/infighting between the meticulous grower and the fastidious winemaker.
All of this is very interesting stuff. In fact, good and bad, Weiss makes you appreciate what it takes just to get a glass of wine to a consumer. Unfortunately, the book is confounded too often by a writing style that is a bit disjointed, often repetitive, and a little disorganized. There is too much intrigue [albeit restrained] about the operational personalities, and the field workers at Ferrari-Carano, and too little clarity regarding why some wines taste better and cost more than others.
In the end, the book becomes a metaphor for the wine it primarily covers, Ferrari-Carano's "Fume Blanc." After describing the complexities of all the tedious decisions surrounding vineyard operations, and their ultimate proclamations that the 2002 vintage is among their best, critics scored their flagship wine as a disappointment. But, I am not sure that we ever understand why, despite the perfect growing conditions, excellent fruit composition and the record crop yield.
In the same respect, I believe that wine making is such an interesting subject among wine drinkers that more clarity by the author would have yielded a better product. For instance, there is more detail regarding the lives and times of the Mexican immigrants than clarity regarding the fermenting process (too oblique). This is really what wine lovers want to know - why do the wines of one vineyard taste differently from other vineyards even when they use the same grapes, or share the same geography?
Still, even though the true-life ending of the 2002 Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc was a disappointment, "A Very Good Year" does provide a significiant amount of information regarding the significant challenges inherent in the wine industry, and is well worth reading.
The Business Behind the Wine.......2006-09-02
Mike Weiss doesn't know much about wine. He says so himself, and if he hadn't, there are enough misstatements in the first few pages of A Very Good Year to give him away. Nevertheless, he has written an enormously successful book that will offer new insights and perspectives to even the most sophisticated student of wine. Because Weiss sets himself a task that makes extensive knowledge of wine unnecessary, he isn't tripped up by his lack of expertise: "I had proposed looking deeply into a bottle of California wine in order to find the whole epic of contemporary California in a single bottle of its symbolic product, its face to the world." [p.5]
Weiss's book supports the premise of mine: that wine books aren't necessarily about wine, and it suggests that these books may sometimes have a broader purpose. In his case, the book explores George Bursick's very successful Ferrari-Carano 2002 as thoroughly as any good biographer would explore his subject. Weiss's biography is successful on two counts. First, it details the various skills that go into getting a bottle of wine to the table. Weiss is a good reporter, so he makes those skills come to life. We meet the winemaker and the winegrower. We see the cooperation and tensions between them. We see the reality of agriculture and the demands of viticulture, all wrapped up in an accountant's balance sheet.
Weiss also has a disarmingly frank view of the nature of wine marketing. His book opens with the words: "In the beginning was The Story." [p.11] Weiss acknowledges that in order to succeed in the wine business, you need a good myth as much as you need good wine. He reveals the laborious process of building the myth, of creating the right package, of fashioning--if not fabricating--the homey image that goes along with it. He tells us about the strategy of getting the wine into restaurants and about the endless series of incentives that make that placement possible.
But Weiss does even more than that: He gives us a taste of Emile Zola, Charles Dickens, and Tom Wolfe. We also meet the Mexican workers whose hands actually tend the grapes. We ride along with the noisy machinery of harvest and tiptoe through the toxic chemicals that sanitize the winery. His is an intensely real view of the wine world, a perspective that is distinct from the romantic treatment usually found in the wine press. And for that, it's all the more refreshing and worthwhile.
--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and the forthcoming
novel bang-BANG from Kunati Books.ISBN 9781601640005
Good Book.......2006-07-04
It's a great book in that it takes you from the start of the growing season all the way to the first bottles sold in NYC. It certainly kept my attention throughout, great book for wine lovers.
Sip 'n Read.......2005-10-03
If you haven't tasted the wine that Mike Weiss biographies in this book, go out and buy a bottle before you start reading. Otherwise you'll end up running off to the wine store in the middle of a chapter, like I did. Honestly, I tried to hold off but finally, I could only acquiesce.
Descriptions like melon and honeysuckle, apricots and whiffs of vanilla, tantalized my inner wine lover. I could not read this book without lingering over the grape and somehow I feel that Weiss challenged me to do so. To swirl and sniff, and yes, you may even find yourself chewing the 2002 Ferrari-Carano Fumé Blanc. (I did.)
If you've ever been intimidated by wine, this is a primer that eases your inferiority and sets you off on the coursework. The next time you go tasting, you will be more informed. You'll discover that making wine is a craft and selling it is an art. You'll learn some of the language of wine; the Brix and the thief, the cooper and the F. O. B. You'll read numbers too, and there are a lot of them. How much money does it take to open a viable vineyard? Why your favorite bottle might really cost what it does; the mark-ups and the middlemen, the short sells at Trader Joes. If you've ever wondered why Two Buck Chuck is so cheap, you find out and perhaps never touch the stuff again.
This book is a highly detailed account of `The Story' of an agreeable wine made from casino cash and Sonoma soil. The cycle is finalized on linen tablecloths at the Ritz Carlton. What makes this easy to digest is the fact that Weiss is not a wine `snob.' He is a thorough and engaged journalist who managed to encapsulate the trade and bits of wine making history alongside serious facts concerning the environment, economics and labor, and the finance and foolery that both big and small California vineyards are facing post 9-11.
According to Weiss, making wine is an uncomplicated enigma like any art form. An elephant can make a painting, but so could Rembrandt and Jackson Pollack. Weiss' chronicle seems fair because he is an outsider, never posing as a connoisseur. Yet, the knowledge he shares makes readers feel a little more like one. If you've never been to Sonoma, this book is an invitation to explore and imbibe. Next time you take a sip you may smell the grass and the honeysuckle of Northern CA. You might think about the calloused hands of Mexican farm workers, the fog or the sun setting on plump green rows of vines and fruit. Or, at least you'll want to try.
You'll get thirsty reading this book.......2005-08-22
I brought this book home from work and gave it to my husband to read. After finishing the book, he said that he thought I might like it. I'm very selective about the non-fiction I read, but drinking wine is one of my favorite pastimes, so I gave it a try.
The book chronicles the process of producing a California Fume Blanc wine from vine to table. The author's selection process narrowed his winery choice down to the Ferrari-Carano winery in Sonoma County. He felt that this mid-sized winery typified the process for the California wine industry.
Through interviews and observations, the author lets us get to know the people involved in the process-from the Mexican workers who tend the grapes to the top level staff and winery owners. From reading this book, I got the feeling that the final product is as much the result of the personalities involved in the process as it is the idiosyncrasies of the grapes, climate conditions and soils.
I felt that the writing was a bit uneven, but to be fair, as a fiction reader, I am used to being able to maintain speed and pace while I read. I did learn a lot about the California wine industry from Weiss's book. Wine itself carries an air of elegance and prestige that masks the work that goes into it. About ten years ago, I spent a day harvesting grapes for a local Maryland winery. That single experience changed my perception of the process. This book added more details that make me more fully appreciate the nectar of the gods.
Average customer rating:
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Australian Wine: from the Vine to the Glass
Patrick Iland , and
Peter Gago
Manufacturer: Patrick Iland Wine Productions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0646318551 |
Average customer rating:
- Fruit of the Vine
- Wish I was there.
- Too Few Seasons Among the Vines
- A Delightful Read
- A Guidebook for Dreamers
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Seasons Among the Vines: Life Lessons from the California Wine Country
Paula Moulton
Manufacturer: Frog, Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1583940820
Release Date: 2003-10-30 |
Book Description
Seasons Among the Vines explores the pleasures and pitfalls of following a lifelong dream. For Paula Moulton it was the dream of leaving the city for the California wine country to take up viticulture and gardening. In the process, she finds unexpected frustrations in running a farm and seeks help from some skeptical farmers who initially challenge her. As she finds her stride, her story resonates with her passion for the outdoors and the rewards of risk-taking. Organized by the seasons, the book shows how experimenting with vines can be a joyful reality, not simply an unattainable fantasy. Moulton's enthusiasm and "you can do it, too!" attitude add an inspiring touch to a compelling story of the rich rewards that authentic living can bring. This enchanting memoir is accompanied by photos and illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
Fruit of the Vine.......2007-10-06
"What you don't know won't hurt you." Paula Moulton and her husband decide they've had enough of the rat-race in the city. So they decide they will move to the lush California wine country to produce their own grapes for celebrated wine countries. But soon enough, they discover what they don't know will hurt you and your product.
Seasons Among the Vines is an exciting journey about farming that parallels life lessons for any reader. This is fascinating reading that covers soil texture and structure, grape vine anatomy, the connection between cows and lush fertilizer, bugs and funguses that attack vines, compost and cover crops that generate yielding soil for the perfectly desired grape, poisons that solve one problem only to produce a far larger problem to one's fruit, cohabiting with animals natural to farm areas, grapevine spacing and cycles of growth for certain types of grapes, trellis or cane/spur pruning systems of growing vines, proper and improper irrigation systems and so much more.
What, however, truly stands out is the love for farming and the robust engagement Paula Moulton has with learning all about this new world. Her passion in this process is infectious and her willingness to be taught from experts and her own mistakes focuses her humility and growth in this most formidable of industries. Love for it all stands out so very clearly that the reader finds one's self rooting for her success every step of the way and celebrating her initial victories.
Love that wine but love it even more after reading about this magical but real venture into the seasons and vicissitudes of producing the finest fruit for the dabbling tasters, drinkers and connoisseurs of this magnificent fruit of the vine, grapes for wine!
Reviewed by Viviane Crystal on October 7, 2007
Wish I was there........2007-07-25
Paula Moulton decides she's had enough of the city, and makes a decision that completely changes the way she and her family live. She paints vivid pictures through her descriptions of California wine country and the relationships she develops - with the people and the land.
While her husband works 80 hour weeks, Paula and her children learn to live with Mother Nature, not fight her. Through trial and error, she discovers what farming methods work for her, while cultivating her vineyard. Paula finds herself becoming caught up in the ebb and flow of the seasons, and how important each is, if she hopes to have a productive crop.
This book is vaguely reminiscent of Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes. It's anecdotal as well as educational. You'll find information and instruction about grape growing and wine making. It's a beautiful book, one you'll find yourself sharing with your friends.
Too Few Seasons Among the Vines.......2006-06-19
After seeing the film "Sideways" I found myself looking for a good book to read about winemaking and living in wine country. This book offers a tutorial on the nuts and bolts of how to grow grapes and produce wine, and as a memoir, interweaves the personal experiences of the author and the "Life Lessons" learned in the process.
Drawing from her father's interest in gardening and home made wine, and her mother's passion for natural foods and conservation, in mid-career Moulton moves from the city to the country and becomes an expert in biodynamic, dry-farming grape production, with an obsession for the natural health of her soil and vineyards. The book could stand on it's own as a textbook in natural farming techniques.
As a memoir, the story is even more interesting. Mrs. Moulton reveals that her initial childhood interest in gardening develops as a healing process after the death of her brother. Then later when Mrs. Moulton finds herself frustrated and fatigued from trying to raise a family and have a career in a fast-paced urban environment, she follows her grandmother's advise to "Find something you're passionate about and do it. Follow your dreams." To do so, she convinces her successful doctor husband to move to the country. "Wouldn't it be fun to speed your way to work on a beautiful country road?" she asks him, as she notes that he is a man who lives life fast, and is afraid of dying without accomplishing anything. So are the "Life Lessons" Moulton learned from her "Seasons Among the Vines" limited to seeking harmony with nature? Is the intended lesson in life we are to take from this book that you should follow your dreams no matter what? I think that was the intent.
At the conclusion of the memoir, the stress from farming has left the author with serious neck and spine problems, kids sick for a year from drinking infected well-water, a mostly absent husband, and doubts about the chosen lifestyle. Yet the solution the author chooses is to expand the farm to 60 acres, restore a 100-year old farmhouse, and grow yet more grapes. I wasn't convinced that following her dreams had brought Moulton any contentment. After searching for more reviews of the book, I was saddened to learn that her husband Chuck had lost control of his car and was killed in a head-on collision on a country road shortly after the book had been published.
In hindsight, this memoir was written too soon. Maybe there had not yet been enough seasons among the vines to learn all of life's lessons. Perhaps following one's dreams no matter what consequences follow can require too great a sacrifice. Maybe the lesson should have been to appreciate that which we already have, and to recognize when the pursuit of personal dreams comes at too high a cost to others as well as to yourself.
Hopefully, Mrs. Moulton has recovered. I wish her and her family the best. And this work, this book within a book, deserves a sequel.
A Delightful Read.......2006-03-30
I grabbed the paperback after several friends told me how wonderful the book was. I jumped on a cross-country flight recently and couldn't put the book down during the entire trip. I don't even remember landing. What I like best about the book is the way the author weaves the colorful and eventful memoirs of her life with insightful advice on organic farming and grape-growing in wine country. An unusual treat and a delightful read. I strongly recommend it.
A Guidebook for Dreamers.......2004-01-24
This is a great book for those of us who have always dreamed of abandoning the city life and buying a winery. Most of us won't ever actually do it, but it's fun to read about someone who really did. Well written, funny and touching.
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