CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY
Review by Barb & Ron Kroll
California Wine Country
(Fodor's) ISBN 978-1400017836 1400017831
This insider's guide to California hotels, restaurants, vineyards and wineries provides practical advice on where and when to go, where to eat and stay, and what to see and do.
Well-organized and easy-to-read, this guidebook contains everything you need to know about California wines and how to enjoy them.
Vineyard and winery tours
After describing the region's history, this 378-page soft cover book introduces readers to wine tasting, buying and shipping wine. Readers learn about grape growing, grape varieties and how wine is made.
California Wine Country contains a comprehensive list of Napa, Sonoma and Central Coast vineyards, organized by appellation and geographic region, with addresses and contact information. Each vineyard or winery includes information on location, wines, tours and restaurants.
Wine pairing
Color photographs and illustrations by Robert Holmes and Charles O' Rear portray the wine regions, wineries, restaurants and food specialties. Useful detailed maps identify regions, roads, towns and cities. Black-and-white historical photos document the development of the California wine industry.
Sidebars include barrel making, how to read a wine label, pairing food and wine, the wine aroma wheel, the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), driving tours and best picnic spots.
For each restaurant, the book lists menu items, prices for main courses at dinner, address and phone number.
Hotel addresses
The Wine Country lodgings section includes prices per couple, decor, addresses and phone numbers. A sidebar lists the best Wine Country spas.
A glossary defines vintners terms like noble rot, pomace, lees, racking and terroir.
Driving directions
The Southern Napa Valley section features an overview, a list of Napa appellations, driving directions and vineyards with addresses, phone numbers and hours of opening. You will find things to see and do, with maps for each appellation, including Napa, Yountville and Oakville.
Did you know? Learn how the director of The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola, created a viticulture empire.
Contents
Introduction
WINE COUNTRY THEN AND NOW
- Colonial Times
- Anglo Adventurers
- Fine Wine Emerges
- A Growing Business
- Troubled Times
- Prohibition and Depression
- State of Confusion
- Renaissance
- The Paris Wine Tasting of 1976
- The Statewide Boom
- Big Reds, Big Whites, Oak Blues
VISITING WINERIES: TASTING AND TOURING
- When to Go
- In the Tasting Room
- In the Winery
- In the Vineyard
SOUTHERN NAPA VALLEY
- Overview of the Napa Valley
- Entering the Napa Valley
- Town of Napa
- Yountville
- Oakville Appellation
- Stags Leap District
- Mount Veeder Appellation
NORTHERN NAPA VALLEY
- Rutherford Appellation
- St. Helena Appellation
- Spring Mountain Appellation
- Napa Valley Appellation
- Calistoga
NAPA VALLEY COUNTRY ROADS
- Outside Calistoga
- Over Mount St. Helena to Guenoc Lake
- Pope Valley and Chiles Valley
- Howell Mountain Appellation
CARNEROS DISTRICT
- Sonoma County Wineries
- Napa County Wineries
- Away from the Wineries
SONOMA VALLEY
- Town of Sonoma
- Wineries in Town
- Glen Ellen
- Glen Ellen Wineries
- Kenwood Wineries
NORTHERN SONOMA COUNTY
- Russian River Appellation
- Healdsburg
- Wineries in Healdsburg
- Dry Creek Valley Appellation
- Alexander Valley Appellation
BEYOND NAPA AND SONOMA
- Anderson Valley Appellation
- Livermore Valley and Lodi Appellations
- Sierra Foothills Appellation
CENTRAL COAST WINERIES
- Santa Cruz Mountains
- Monterey County
- San Luis Obispo County
- Santa Barbara County
WHERE TO EAT IN WINE COUNTRY
- Southern Napa Valley
- Northern Napa Valley
- Carneros District
- Sonoma Valley
- Northern Sonoma County
- Beyond Napa and Sonoma
- Central Coast
WHERE TO STAY IN WINE COUNTRY
- Southern Napa Valley
- Northern Napa Valley
- Carneros District
- Sonoma Valley
- Northern Sonoma County
- Beyond Napa and Sonoma
- Central Coast
- Chain and Motel Lodgings
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
- Area Codes and Time Zone
- Climate
- Fees
- Getting There and Around
- Hours
- Shipping Wine
- General Visitor Information
- Wine Tourism Information
- Wine Information
- Festivals and Events
BEST BOOKS AND FILMS
INDEX
MAPS
Authors
John Doerper has authored many touring, food and cook books on the U.S. Pacific coast, including Eating Well: A Guide to Foods of the Pacific Northwest, Coastal California, Washington Wine Country, Shellfish Cookery: Absolutely Delicious Recipes from the West Coast, and other titles.
Former executive editor of the Berkeley Guides, Sharron Wood is now a freelance food and travel writer of guidebooks and travel-based websites. She lives in San Francisco.
A resident of Mill Valley, California, Robert Holmes has illustrated over 35 books.
A photographer for National Geographic for over 25 years, Charles O' Rear has illustrated seven books on wine making, including: Wine Places ( 2005); Beautiful Wineries (2005); Napa Valley: The Land, The Wine, The People (2001); Chardonnay: Photographs from Around the World (1999); Cabernet: A Photographic Journey from Vine to Wine (1998); Fodor's Wine Country and Napa Valley (1989).