Book Description
This user-friendly and highly discerning Field Guide focuses on the Golden States most popular and newsworthy wine regionsfrom Napa Valley to the Central Coast to fast-growing Baja. This full-flavored guide will please the palates and temperaments of beginning and experienced wine enthusiasts alike, with all the breadth and expertise readers expect from Sunset. Based on rigorous in-the-field research by two of Sunset magazines most respected staffers, the recommendations are intentionally selective, rather than comprehensive, directing readers only to Californias best wineries and wine-country travel experiences. California Wine Country has all the bells and whistles of a classic travel guide: compact size, gorgeous maps, concise itineraries, and colorful illustrations. Plus easy-to-follow listings for everything from cant-miss wineries to must-see, off-the-path discoveries. And, of course, all the essentials for planning an exceptional trip: information on lodging, restaurants, routes, destinations, and activities.
Customer Reviews:
A pick for any California visitor or resident who loves wine and travel........2007-06-18
There are plenty of wine travel books on the market, but what makes CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY special is several attributes. First, a coat-pocket-sized appearance with a hard cover lends to take-along tote and easy consultation, especially the numerous maps and charts with display the latest wine country wineries, hotels, restaurants and more. Review of hundreds of wineries from 11 top regions throughout the state also lend to travelers who plan on going beyond the usual Napa/Sonoma Northern California regions. From suggested touring routes to winery web pages, phones, descriptions of wines and more, CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY is a top field guide not to be missed: a pick for any California visitor or resident who loves wine and travel.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
California Wine Country: A Sunset Field Guide.......2007-05-14
Ordered this book as a gift and received it just before we were heading for visit to California. We decided to keep it and use it for ourselves. We visited areas "off the beaten path" and were delighted to visit some of the wineries highlighted and to find others on our own. Would have liked maps to have given greater detail, but that would be our only quibble.
Book Description
The rich and varied architectural history of the northern California wine country and the fertile soils that produce abundant vineyards has attracted those who are conscious of preserving the qualities inherent to the area. Wine Country Style takes an intimate look at the lifestyle of nineteen homeowners of the Napa and Sonoma valleys, an area of the country that shuns fast-food restaurants, billboards, and commercial motels. These residents understand that the fine attributes of well-designed architecture are the integration of personal taste with the microclimate and history of their surroundings. People in the wine country today are passionate about the excellent wines produced in the agricultural region in which they choose to live. These inhabitants have personalized the architectural forms that express who they are and how they live, while maintaining the heritage of the area through a variety of styles: Tuscan, French Country, Franciscan Mission, Mediterranean, Modern, Rustic, American Colonial, Victorian, Palladian, Italianate, Asian, with farmhouses, barns, and cottages completing the eclectic blend that comprises the architectural styles of the bucolic wine-making Napa and Sonoma valleys. Yearning for a rural lifestyle in climatic conditions and verdant landscapes much like that in Europe's wine country? Then this is a must-have publication, full of lush photography and descriptive prose, a perfect addition to a home reference library or coffee table. Eminent designer Mary Whitesides has designed everything from interiors and home furnishings to pottery and coffee mugs. Her Peruvian-inspired furniture collections are widely distributed and featured in museums, including the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. In addition, she was one of the four founding members of the Sundance Catalog and a partner in developing the Sundance look, as well as the author of Desert Style, Mountain Style, and Wicker Design for Gibbs Smith, Publisher. She lives in Park City, Utah.
Customer Reviews:
Not what I was hoping for...............2007-04-03
I have spent many weekends in Napa Valley and did not feel that this book captured the many beautiful homes and wineries it has to offer. The book was uninspiring and I have not picked up the book once since I first looked at it.
Phenomenal Book.......2005-11-20
Just like all the other books in Whitesides' books, this one is artistic, beautiful, and unique. A Fabulous Book!!
Great wine country architecture!!!.......2005-03-04
We are in the process of building a home and have wanted to incorporate the architecture of Napa Valley in our home. I have purchased several books and this is by far the best depiction of Napa Style!! I highly recommend!!
Average customer rating:
- The Grapes Grow Sweet
- I use it in my classroom!
- Beautiful illustrations and writing.
- A viticulturist
- A wonderful story as well as incredible art.
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The Grapes Grow Sweet: A Child's First Harvest in Wine Country
Llynne Tuft , and
Tessa Decarlo
Manufacturer: Studio 8/River Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0965609294 |
Book Description
The Grapes Grow Sweet, a family book, tells the story of five-year-old Julian, the fourth generation of a wine grape growing family, and how he spends his summer watching his family's vineyards ripen in the sun and then participating for the first time in the excitement of the grape harvest. Along the way, we learn about the different stages of the vine and the ecology of the vineyard, and a child's fascination with his family's vocation.
Customer Reviews:
The Grapes Grow Sweet.......2005-09-08
My son received this book as a birthday present when he was five years old. He was fascinated by the story and beautiful pictures. Since we live in the wine country, and watch the "grapes grow sweet" in real life, it was wonderful to have such a wonderful book to read. Now that he is eleven, he reads it to my grandson who is equally enchanted, and asks us to read it each time he visits.
I use it in my classroom!.......2005-09-04
As a resident of northern California I enjoy reading "The Grapes Grow Sweet" to my daughter, which describes a fall grape harvest from the perspective of a young boy growing up in a family vineyard. I am also a school teacher and use the book in my classroom. Many of my students have family members who are farm workers so they have background knowledge of life in a vineyard and can relate to the story being told. We spend a few days in my class each fall completing an integrated thematic unit that includes reading, descriptive writing and art. We finish the unit by bringing in different foods made with grapes that we can eat in class. Typically we have grape juice, grape jelly, raisins, grapes, etc. It is easily adaptable to the state standards and has amazing water color art that inspires the children to create their own works of art! The text offers descriptive writing samples to students by describing the pale green leaves, rattling, roaring tractor, shiny bunch of grapes, bouncing jackrabbit and sunbathing lizard. I look forward to fall each year and the opportunity to read "The Grapes Grow Sweet" with a new group of students.
Beautiful illustrations and writing........2001-02-23
"The Grapes Grow Sweet" is well-summarized in the other reviews, so I won't go into that. My four-year old and I really enjoyed this book he received as a present. The pictures are copy an Impressionist-era style (nice for adults) but have a lot going on in them, from the bees that constantly hover over the sweet grapes to the grape pickers rushing to fill the gondolas. I love the fact that the author doesn't talk down to her audience, she talks about gondolas instead of "big trucks" and grape cutting knives instead of "cutters." Every character has a different voice, and the aspects of family life, community pride, migrant farming, and the life of a four-year old are all highlighted without the author shoving it in your face.
I highly recommend this book to children 4-8 and their parents.
A viticulturist.......2000-08-18
I bought this book not knowing anything about it for my nephew who lives in a large city so he could have a book about what I do out in the country. I was VERY pleasantly surprised by just how nice a book it is. The story is great and the pictures are wonderful. It now tops my list for baby/childrens presents.
A wonderful story as well as incredible art........1998-12-07
Lynne Tuft is a fabulous artist. I think she should win an Emmy award for the best artwork of the year!!The story hooks you from the start, and she gives you such description that you can practically taste the grapes in your mouth and feel the summer heat and the years that Julian has waited to work in the fields! I would recommend this book to everyone because of the wonderful story as well as the incredible art.
This narrative proves that us kids and our parents are safe around wine despite what others may think! Lynne teaches us about the way it is when the grapes, which are made into wine, jelly, or jam, remember this book and all the hard work, long years, and effort put into it. If you read this book, I can guarantee many readings of pure enjoyment!! Estelle Wagner, Age 10, grade 6
Amazon.com
The Napa Valley is a famous vintner's paradise, with its long, warm summers and mild winters. Naturally, this also makes it a gardener's paradise, and longtime Napa winery owner Molly Chappellet has an intimate knowledge of each nook and cranny of this horticultural Eden. Napa Valley's oldest gardens were planted around 1860, at about the same time grapevines were introduced to the region, and though there are only a handful of these, their enormous oaks and antique roses perfectly fit the image of old Napa homesteads. The gardens at Schramsberg, Beaulieu, Spottswoode, Krug, and the Niebaum estate (now owned by Francis and Eleanor Coppola), to drop a few well-known winery names, fall into this category.
Chappellet and her collaborator, Richard Tracy, define "new gardens" as those developed since 1960, some by the enthusiastic new winemakers who brought new life to the Napa region. These gardens are numerous, breathtakingly beautiful, and have apparently provided abundant employment to a number of talented landscape designers over the past three decades. In many cases, a heroic amount of work was done to tame, for example, a rocky hillside into a proper Mediterranean-style villa garden, and Chappellet and Tracy note the details down to the individual plant names. The numerous color photographs, clearly often taken at daybreak and just before sunset, show off the calm, lush gardens to perfection.
Book Description
Visit the most exclusive and spectacular gardens of the California Napa Valley, where fragrant flowers, enchanting pathways, and astonishing vistas await at every turn. Gardens of the Wine Country transports you to this lovely region's 40 most glorious private gardens. Molly Chappellet and Richard Tracy walk us through the regal grounds of Beaulieu Vineyard and Francis and Eleanor Coppola's Victorian paradise. We tour the secluded gardens of Peter Newton, stroll among hundreds of rose bushes at the home of Maria Minetti Farrow, and call on many other gorgeous estates. Page after page of lush photographs reveal beautiful verandahs and solariums, ponds and boxwood hedges, wild vines and tailored flower beds. Gardens of Wine Country offers abundant evidence of the joyful dedication that such a fertile region can inspire in those who love gardens.
Customer Reviews:
An Absolutely Breathtaking Pictoral of Napa Valley Gardens.......1999-03-26
What an amazing glimpse into the world of Napa Valley Gardening. The author has brilliantly selected a wide variety of gardens, from the traditional Victorian gardens we expect, to the new age ideas of more modern gardeners.Molly says in the introduction that she fell in love with all of the gardens over and over...you can tell. Adding personality to the gardens, by telling us that each garden has the fingerprint of its owner...makes them really come to life...they seem much more like personal playgrounds than showpieces.A lovely book, perfect for anyone's spring/summer coffee table.
Book Description
California's famous wine country offers both casual and serious bicyclists spectacular views, charming small towns, celebrated cafés, and, of course, many of the finest and most beautiful wineries in the country. But finding the best rides hasn't been easy -- until Wine Country Bike Rides. For a romantic Sunday date or a relaxing family outing, for day-trippers or die-hard cyclists, here are more than 20 perfect rides through the backroads and countryside of Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties. Complete with an easy-to-follow map of each route and detailed information about more than 100 wineries and other sights along the way -- plus convenient places to rent bikes, eat, and stay the night -- this helpful guide includes all you need for a wine country visit that's refreshing for both body and soul.
Customer Reviews:
Wine Country Bike Rides.......2006-03-20
The best simple book you will ever want. Includes maps places to stay etc. Well worth buying,,,
good.......2005-09-15
Seemed to take an excessively long time to arrive, but the book was worth the wait. Good resource for planning a trip.
Not only a great writer but a wonderful person.......2002-03-05
I love the book and am impressed by the author in general.
Book Description
Enjoy the good life! Just a short drive from San Francisco, the glorious Wine Country is Northern California's favorite getaway. From wine-tasting to balloon rides, award-winning cuisine to grape-stomping festivals, the Napa and Sonoma Valleys are feasts for the senses. Or for a real splash, try a wine-and-water vacation in rural Russian River Valley, also covered here. Cheers!
* Winning Wineries - choice vineyards for tours and tastings
* Fine Dining - mouth-watering reviews of top restaurants and local favorites
* Where to Stay - spectacular spas, quiet campgrounds, cozy cabins and rustic ranches
* Perfect Weekends - special itineraries for cycling and river-running trips, plus the ultimate epicurean holiday
* Aroma or Bouquet? - learn how to talk wine like a pro
* Outdoor Fun - the best spots for hiking, horseback riding, golfing and gliding
Customer Reviews:
Very Helpful.......2007-07-09
Used the book for a two day trip to napa. It had great infomation and maps. The book is also the perfect size, as it will fit in a purse or your pocket.
A bit brief.......2005-09-05
Useful book but concentrates on only a few wine farms and producers.
Average customer rating:
- Don't go to Napa without this book!
- Great overview of Napa
- a great resource, even for locals...
- Fun in the wine country
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The Food Lover's Companion to the Napa Valley: Where to Eat, Cook, and Shop in the Wine Country Plus 50 Irresistible Recipes
Lori Lyn Narlock
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Similar Items:
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Frommer's Portable California Wine Country (Frommer's Portable)
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The Napa & Sonoma Book: A Complete Guide, Seventh Edition (Great Destinations)
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Napa Valley: The Ultimate Winery Guide--Revised and Updated, Fourth Edition
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The Napa Valley Book: The Insider's Guide for Visitors and Residents
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The Wine Lover's Guide to the Wine Country: The Best of Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino
ASIN: 0811836193 |
Book Description
This is the first of its kind: an insider's food guide to that gourmand's paradise, the Napa Valley. Author and longtime resident Lori Lyn Narlock goes behind the scenes to discover where chefs shop, the best places to take a cooking class, or where to get a grapeseed oil massage. With complete details on the where, when, how, and how much, plus dozens of artful black-and-white photographs, this indispensible guide for food lovers even includes 50 recipes honoring the region's local specialties. It's a mouthwatering roster of the best that Napa has to offer.
Customer Reviews:
Don't go to Napa without this book!.......2007-05-31
Have been to Napa many times - but was unaware of the many gems this book uncovers - an incredible and fun resource for the food and wine lover! I will be seeking out these finds in the future! Highly recommended.
Great overview of Napa.......2005-08-16
This book covers all the areas I was interested in learning about before our trip to Napa Valley. The reviews seem unbiased and thoughtful. We had visited Napa 18 years ago and while we already had a few ideas, reservations, etc., this guide gave us even more places to consider. I've "earmarked" so many pages and even took this guide with us. It also includes maps, addresses and phone numbers and/or websites. Some good recipes are in the back. A good companion guide.
a great resource, even for locals..........2003-04-24
As a regular visitor to the Napa Valley for the past 10 years, it's easy to think that one has 'seen it all.'
This book really reminded me what a special place the Napa Valley is, and how much there is to discover. Visitors and locals alike will find something new and interesting that they simply must try.
Take this book with you to the Valley, or read it before you go and find your new 'must try' discovery.
Fun in the wine country.......2003-03-26
This is a must have for anyone visiting or living in the Napa Valley. Well organized and cleverly composed. I found it most useful for locating the rare-to-find places and foods that make the Napa Valley so unique. It makes a great gift for all the food lovers in your life.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent introduction to Napa Valley/Sonoma - wine country!.......2004-03-03
This is an excellent overview of the heart of California wine country, Napa Valley & Sonoma. Loaded with lush photography and insight into the tradition of winemaking, the author takes another leap and provides you with fine dining and lodging selections in the areas as well. I especially liked the pictures of all of the labels and listings at the end of the book of all of the wineries from this area. This allows you to date and check off when you sampled that particular bottle as well as motivate the pursuit to sample all that these wineries have to offer. If you are planning a vacation to Napa or Sonoma, this is a must have.
Everything you need for a great weekend!.......2003-12-11
We picked up a copy of this book last month for us to use on a weekend away in the wine country. Now we have bought several more for gifts to give for Christmas, and our copy sits on our coffee table at home. The author has captured all I needed to know about Napa and Sonoma, wihtout getting to bogged down in details/history. There are recommendations on where to eat, sleep, things to do, the history of the wine industry, how wine is made, and stunning pictures. With 15 minutes you can get so much info you wish there were more coffee table books with this much substance and this well written, with up to date info, but not skimping on the glorious photos.
Book Description
A rollicking wine country travelogue paired with the only comprehensive guide to Napa’s public tasting rooms
Hank Beal is a wine pro–the executive wine buyer at an upscale supermarket chain. Rick Kushman is an ordinary joe–a guy who enjoys wine but doesn’t know a lot about it. Together, Hank and Rick set out to visit all 141 public tasting rooms in Napa during the course of a year. The result is A Moveable Thirst–an engaging, often hilarious book that’s one part Sideways, one part Frommer’s. The first part recounts their uproarious adventures on the road as Rick learns to sniff and spit like a true oenophile (but never stops asking stupid questions). The second part offers the most complete and detailed guide ever published to Napa’s wine rooms. For wine lovers and the more than 5 million people who visit Napa every year, A Moveable Thirst is a great read and an indispensable guide.
Customer Reviews:
Great book!!!.......2007-08-31
This book is part travelogue and part travel guide. I bought several books to help prepare and plan for my Napa trip. I felt that this one was by far the most useful, informative and entertaining. As stated in the book, Napa has over 140 public tasting rooms. It's very difficult to say that they are "good" or "bad" because it all depends on your style and what type of experience you are looking for. There is something for everyone and this book helps to convey not only the tangible facts of each winery (i.e. address, directions, cost, hours of operation, etc..) but also successfully conveys the "feel" and personality of each so that you can match the wineries to what typoe of experience you are looking for. I think this book gave a very different perspective. Thanks Rick and Hank!
The only wine book you'll need!.......2007-06-20
By far, this is the one that will have a lasting shelf/glove compartment life. It is written in such a whimsical and witty style that you can't help but turn the pages for more. Pour yourself a glass and enjoy this celebration of wine, celebration and discovery!
The Perfect Guide to Napa.......2007-06-08
My wife and I used the book on our trip. It is a wonderful tool and is entertaining as well. You felt like you had insider info on winereis and the people who work there. I hope they do a book on Sonoma, Central California and Oregon
Dreaming of the Napa Valley? - This Book is Great!.......2007-04-25
A Moveable Thirst is a funny and very informative look at wine tasting in the Napa Wine Country. For those of you who love wine, Rick Kushman has the unique ability to make you feel like you are in the tasting room, walking around - meeting people and completely enjoying yourself.
This is a must read for veteran wine lovers as well as those who would like to learn to taste and appreciate great wine. Kushman and Beal are hilarious as they tour the famous through the obscure. I can't wait to follow some of their footprints.
Fun read, great information.......2007-04-19
For those of us who love to eat, to drink, to wander, I can't think of any better company than these two guys. The book is just plain fun to read and even funny but it also gives a real sense of what each winery's tasting room is like. Given that I'm the type that has actually walked in to a tasting room and done all kinds of things "wrong", I could really identify with Rick's fear and awkwardness. This was a much more enjoyable way to learn "how" without being bored to death. I'd travel with these guys anywhere!
Book Description
On the heels of the hugely successful "California Wine Map", The Wine Appreciation Guild has just released the "Quick Access Napa-Sonoma Wine Country Map and Guide" spotlighting the wineries and vineyards of the country's wine capital. This full color, topographically precise map is the most comprehensive Napa-Sonoma wine map on the market with over 400 wineries and vineyards.
"Quick Access Napa-Sonoma" features a detailed listing of wineries and vineyards in Napa and Sonoma Counties, including name, address, phone, tastings and public or by appointment only tours. It also lists area tasting rooms and gourmet groceries. The map's simple accordion fold makes it easy-to-use, even when opened to its full size of 12 x 26 inches. And one doesn't have to be the rough and tumble itinerant to appreciate that it's laminated.
"The success of our recent 'California Wine Map' told us that people not only appreciate California's wine country, but also appreciate an accurate, well-made, user-friendly map," said H. Hesse, a mapmaker since 1967 and founder of Global Graphics. "The number one request we received was for a map focusing specifically on Napa-Sonoma and we were delighted to once again combine our passion for cartography with our appreciation of this beautiful area."
The California Wine Map became a quick favorite among the states professional wine country day-trippers. Charles E. Olken, wine writer for the Los Angeles Times called it "One of the best and least expensive guides on the market," and American Airlines American Way magazine declared it a "must have." Anthony Dias Blue on KFWB-FM (Los Angeles) said, "If you travel in search of wine, you're going to love the California Wine Map. This isn't just one of those slick brochures published by the local wine-country tourist board. It's a full-fledged, state-of-the-art, satellite-generated map of California made by a well-known cartography company called Global Graphics."
The California Wine Map was also highly recommended by The New York Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Oakland Tribune, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Wine & Spirits Magazine.
Global Graphics maps feature full color thematic cartography, based on satellite photography and global information systems, and use data from several sources to ensure information is up-to-date and complete. Global Graphics maps are among the most accurate and user-friendly on the market.
Customer Reviews:
Don't buy this map.......2006-07-08
worst map I have ever used. Save your money and pick one up at the wineries when you get down there - they are much more accurate (surprise!)
A must-buy for your next wine country tour.......2006-06-15
For my latest trip to Napa/Sonoma wine country, I purchased several books beforehand in the hopes that, among all of our choices, we'd be able to find the perfect, off-the-beaten-path winery. We did in Tres Sabores, although sadly most of their wine had been damaged in a fire.
Having a good book or two on the wineries and restaurants is helpful, but in the end, this map, with it's simple laminated 4-fold design, road map with wineries and tasting rooms labelled on one side, and on the other side, an alphabetical list of wineries, their hours and phone numbers, was the most useful.
Whatever the price, this clear and comprehensive tool is worth three times as much. And definitely stop by and have a chat with the folks at Tres Sabores.
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