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University of California Press

The New Connoisseurs' Guidebook to California Wine and Wineries

by Charles E. Olken (Author), Joseph Furstenthal (Author)
Paperback eBook
Price: $31.95 / £27.00
Publication Date: Oct 2010
Edition: 1st Edition
Title Details:
Rights: Incl. US and Territ, Canada, United King
Pages: 480
ISBN: 9780520947269
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About the Book

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.

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
LIST OF MAPS
PREFACE
USING THIS BOOK AND ITS WINE RATINGS

PART ONE
A CALIFORNIA WINE PRIMER
A Brief History of Wine in California
How Wine Is Made
Grape and Wine Types

PART TWO
CALIFORNIA WINE REGIONS AND WINERIES
Mendocino and Lake Counties
Sonoma County
Napa County
San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains,
and Solano County
Monterey and San Benito Counties
San Luis Obispo County
Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties
Sierra Foothills
The Rest of California
Central Valley
The South Coast

THE READING LIST
THE LANGUAGE OF WINE
CONNOISSEURS' GUIDE THEN AND NOW
WINERY INDEX
GENERAL INDEX

Reviews

“An essential reference book for those interested in America's most important producer of wine.”
— Chow
“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
“Those planning a visit to CA wine country might just find it an indispensable and time-saving reference.”
— 1 Wine Dude
“Very personal compendium of California wineries, a solid leg-up for the aficionado.”
— Zester Daily
“I still have, use and enjoy my 1982 edition. Charlie is the dean of California wine writers!”
— Steve Heimoff
“Accessible to the wine novice and the experiences taster alike.”
— Alaska Airlines Mag / Horizontal Air Mag
“Supplies what the websites don’t: objective, blind-tasting notes and expert opinions on the wines. A very helpful guide.”
— Miami Herald
“Provides detailed information on the state’s producers and provides an in-depth history on wine production in the state. . . . Insightful.”
— Cheers
“Simply indispensable if you want to know the who's who of California wineries. “
— Santa Barbara News-Press
“A comprehensive look at many of the leading wineries throughout the state.”
— New York Times
"I have depended on Charles Olken's Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine for more than 35 years. This new Guidebook is a perfect complement. No other book comes close to its thoroughness, accuracy, and usefulness. It is a must for travelers in California's wine country."—Charles L. Sullivan, author of Zinfandel

"Olken's perspective on California wines is unmatched: he spans the landscape from the postwar pioneers to the newest garagistes, and wine criticism from before Parker to the age of blogs. This new guidebook is informed by his 35 years of careful, candid, and comprehensive attention to California wine."—John Winthrop Haeger, author of Pacific Pinot Noir