Sep 22 2009

The Sideways Guide to Wine and Life [64-page Squarebound Paperback Edition]

Published by at under Wine Books

A lighthearted companion to the best-reviewed film of the year—a pocket-sized illustrated guide to the locations and wines featured in Sideways including maps, winery listings, tips for drinking wine, and OscarĀ®-winning dialogue.

Yesterday, you didn't know Pinot Noir from film noir.

Now, after seeing the marvelous movie Sideways, you are living the life uncorked, and this is the perfect little book to celebrate your own sideways journey. Inside you will find:
• Wine recommendations, tips for tasting wine, and a list of bottles featured in the film
• Places and wineries to visit in the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County that were featured in the movie
• Excerpts from the OscarĀ®-winning screenplay
• Web sites and information for planning your own trip.

This hilarious and useful guide is fully illustrated in color with movie stills, location stills, and delightful drawings by artist Robert Neubecker, who created the film's poster.

Originally created as a specialty item for wineries and tourist sites, The Sideways Guide to Wine and Life has been featured widely in articles (USA Today, The New York Times, and Wine Spectator) about the Sideways phenomenon and the surge in Pinot Noir's popularity across the country. Now available in an expanded trade edition for the first time, this is a terrific gift and countertop book year round.

Customer Review: Not Worth Even $6.99

There is nothing really wrong with this guide, except that it's a waste of money, even the $6.99 it cost to buy. If you've read the book or seen the movie, or both, then there is really nothing in this guide that will be useful. There is only one reason that this guide exists, and that is take another few bucks out of the pockets of Sideways fans. I should have paid attention to the other reviews that are saying the same thing I am. From this reader/reviewer's standpoint, there is no good reason for this guide to have been published.

Customer Review: A mild vintage...

According to the introduction, "The Sideways Guide to Wine and Life" is meant to be a "celebration" of the movie, the novel, and wine country. If so, since the booklet is about an eighth of an inch thick and around the size of a CD case, it's a short and sweet one.

Those expecting a compilation of interesting trivia about "Sideways," along with details about wine and how it relates to life, will be disappointed. Much of the booklet consists of dialogue from the movie, various stills, and illustrations by the guy who did the poster. There are also some wine-related character quotes from the novel and the screenplay. The most interesting parts were a crude map of Miles and Jack's odyssey through the Santa Ynez Valley (including the addresses, websites, and phone numbers of their stops), a list of wines from the film, and some basic tongue-in-cheek wine tips.

This would be a nice little stocking stuffer for the wine lover and "Sideways" fan in your life. But don't expect transcendence. If you liked the movie and had to choose between this and the novel, then get the novel. It will be much more quaffable.

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