Title:

California Wine Country, 5th edition
(Fodor's, 2007) ISBN 978-1-4000-1783-6 1-4000-1783-1

Theme:

This insider's guide to the vineyards, hotels and restaurants of California's Wine Country provides practical advice on where and when to go, where to eat and stay, and what to see and do.

Sample Items:

The Southern Napa Valley section features an overview, a list of Napa Valley appellations, driving directions and vineyards with addresses, phone numbers and hours of opening. Each appellation, like Napa, Yountville and Oakville, lists things to see and do, including wineries and museums, with maps.

In Wine Country history, readers learn how the director of The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola, created a viticulture empire.

Notable Elements:

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 Wine Country restaurant, the book lists menu items, prices for main courses at dinner, address and phone number.

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.

Tone / Style:

Well-organized and easy-to-read, this guidebook contains everything you need to know about California wines and how to enjoy them.

After a California Wine Country 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 California vineyards, organized by appellation and geographic region, with addresses and contact information. Each vineyard or winery includes information on location, wines, tours and restaurants.

Visuals:

Color photographs illustrate the wine regions, wineries, restaurants and foods of California. Useful detailed maps identify regions, roads, towns and cities. Black and white historical photos document the development of the California wine industry.

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, Constance Jones and Sharron Wood

Photos and illustrations: Robert Holmes and Charles O' Rear

Claims to fame:

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).

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More information on Napa and Sonoma:

California Wine Country Romantic Getaway

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