The New Connoisseurs' Guidebook to California Wine and Wineries

by Charles E. Olken, Joseph Furstenthal

Overview

For this powerful successor to his best-selling guide to California wine, Charles E. Olken has joined forces with Joseph Furstenthal to craft The New Connoisseurs’ Guidebook to California Wine and Wineries. An encyclopedia, atlas, and buying guide combined in one comprehensive, authoritative work, this new guide delivers information and guidance that is not available in any other place. From first page to last, it is geared towards a wide range of consumers, yet also offers the depth and detail that made its predecessor one of the most frequently referenced works by wine educators and industry insiders. Now organized geographically into eight wine regions, the guide has been completely rewritten and expanded to provide the most current information on the state’s evolving wine industry—its history, grapes, winemaking, terminology, geography, and leading wineries.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520253131
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	10/28/2010
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	480
Product dimensions:	7.44(w) x 11.28(h) x 1.11(d)

About the Author

Charles E. Olken is the publisher and editor of the monthly Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine, described by the Los Angeles Times as the "oldest, most prestigious reviewer of California wines." Joseph Furstenthal is a writer, wine collector, and marketing specialist.

Table of Contents

List Of Wine Regions VII

List Of Maps IX

Preface XI

Using This Book And Its Wine Ratings XV

Part 1 A California Wine Primer

A Brief History of Wine in California 3

How Wine Is Made 17

Grape and Wine Types 27

Part 2 California Wine Regions And Wineries

Mendocino and Lake Counties 63

Sonoma County 85

Napa County 165

San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains, and Solano County 287

Monterey and San Benito Counties 311

San Luis Obispo County 329

Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties 345

Sierra Foothills 367

The Rest of California 381

Central Valley 382

The South Coast 394

The Reading List 403

The Language Of Wine 415

Connoisseurs' Guide Then And Now 433

Winery Index 437

General Index 443

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"An essential reference book for those interested in America's most important producer of wine."—Chow

"Those planning a visit to CA wine country might just find it an indispensable and time-saving reference."—1 Wine Dude

"I still have, use and enjoy my 1982 edition. Charlie is the dean of California wine writers!"

—Steve Heimoff

"Supplies what the websites don't: objective, blind-tasting notes and expert opinions on the wines. A very helpful guide."—Miami Herald

"Simply indispensable if you want to know the who's who of California wineries. "—Santa Barbara News-Press

Editorial Reviews

Indispensable. . . This new Handbook should prove to be one of my library's most important and most used editions for some time to come.

Tom Wark

Very personal compendium of California wineries, a solid leg-up for the aficionado.

Zester Daily

Supplies what the websites don’t: objective, blind-tasting notes and expert opinions on the wines. A very helpful guide.

Miami Herald

Those planning a visit to CA wine country might just find it an indispensable and time-saving reference.

1 Wine Dude

I still have, use and enjoy my 1982 edition. Charlie is the dean of California wine writers!

Steve Heimoff

Provides detailed information on the state’s producers and provides an in-depth history on wine production in the state. . . . Insightful.

Cheers

Accessible to the wine novice and the experiences taster alike.

Alaska Airlines Mag / Horizontal Air Mag

An essential reference book for those interested in America's most important producer of wine.

Chow

Simply indispensable if you want to know the who's who of California wineries. “

Santa Barbara News-Press

“Supplies what the websites don’t: objective, blind-tasting notes and expert opinions on the wines. A very helpful guide.

Miami Herald

“An essential reference book for those interested in America's most important producer of wine.

Chow

Before winery websites and online guides, there was Olken's The Connoisseurs' Handbook of California Wine. Over 30 years later, he and wine collector Furstenthal have delivered an updated and encyclopedic starting point with baseline information on almost 500 wineries, links to further readings, a glossary, and maps. The writing is approachable, but the intended audience truly is the connoisseur: there are no illustrations to captivate wine tourists, and the organization of the book by geography is more about wine terroir than travel. Despite the book's evident strengths, it seems designed in part to drive readers to research further online, including Olken's paid-subscription site (www.cgcw.com).Verdict Comprehensive but of limited appeal. Recommended for specialized collections.—Peter Hepburn, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago

Library Journal