Louisa and Alex Hargrave were pioneers. Fresh out of Harvard in 1969, in love with each other and their dream of owning a vineyard, they searched the West and East coasts before they bought a run-down 1680-vintage potato farm in 1973, on Long Island's North Fork-and planted ten thousand vinifera vines. At the time, experts said that growing wine grapes on Long Island was impossible. Today, the region is famous for its premium wines.

In The Vineyard, the Hargraves learn the joys and hardships of country life. They suffer droughts and storms while learning to navigate the glamorous but treacherous international world of wine. Along the way, they discover that theirs is both a scientific and a spiritual endeavor. Struggling to raise a family, Louisa draws strength from her work in the vinerows. Reveling in the bounty of harvest, the laughter of her children and the magic of a newly blended wine, she tells the bittersweet story of how she and her husband fulfilled their dream.

Customer Review: The Vineyard

Nice read. This book will be inspiring to those who are contemplating getting into the winery business, and will be interesting to those who just enjoy wine.

Customer Review: Grapes of wrath

My parents chose to own and run a small vineyard. As a contemporary of the author, it is easy for me to empathize with the problems of building a vineyard from scratch. That may best explain why I picked up this book. The author and her husband are of a blue blood vintage. Family money allowed them to embark on this experiment, quite the dilettantes at the start. Hargrave and her tall husband had tried other ventures or career options, including an organ (and I don?t mean Wurlitzer) cookbook. My stomach is still turning at the thought. Nothing seemed to click. The two were peripatetic students, travelers, house sitters, Ivy leaguers, quasi trust fund babies, with colorful roots of their own. Louisa Thomas is the grand daughter of five-time Socialist candidate for president of the United States, Norman Thomas. One thing they learned from their stab at cooking organs was that the wine allowed the unpalatable food to go down a whole lot better. Inspired in part by this finding, along with a desire to forego hard liquor, husband and wife made a go of starting a vineyard on Long Island. Only this time the process was very serious, engaging and almost enslaving. They mastered the delicate, detailed process of acquiring the right vines, grafting, plucking, fermenting, storing and marketing the wine. They produced great wine; they earned (or at least somehow garnered) great publicity. They hired a lot of people with diverse, difficult and demanding backgrounds. Husband and wife divided the tasks as best they could, each to his or her apparent comparative advantage, she the hands on technician, he the business officer. Along the way, unintentionally it seems, they transformed themselves from soul mates to business partners. Raised on a ?grape farm? myself, where my family lived twenty years, her story is spot on ? the planting and pruning, dealing with fungus and pesticides, curbing the weeds, managing the harvest, living with weather that both killed and enhanced the crop ? and evoked long dormant memories and, in some cases, wounds. Grapes are much less romantic when they go into jelly, but also a whole lot easier, especially if you don?t make the final product yourself. The Hargraves immersed themselves in the task. They learned fast, worked hard, and seemed to prosper, even if at times it was by the skin of their grapes. My initial skepticism turned to admiration but, having lived some of their life, never envy. The saddest part of an otherwise noble accomplishment is the fact that the husband and wife efforts apparently killed their marriage. It is not very clear why. As the sole author, the wife is a bit coy on this. It may have been fruitful to read the husband?s side of the full story, not just the demise of a good, working partnership. This is a very human, humane story.

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Customer Review: Gift for Mom

I bought this book for my mother for Christmas. She wanted a picture book about the wine country in CA so she could paint some of the scenes. She had just visited my sister in S.F. and loved every minute of her visit. She LOVES this book. It contains beautiful photographs of Northern California and she looks forward to painting many pictures.

Customer Review: Buy it for the pictures, not the text

This book is obviously intended to be purchased for its beautiful pictures, and does a great job at covering all wine regions in California - not just Sonoma or Napa, but Mendocino and Lake Country down through San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties.

If you are looking for a book with some great photos of wineries and vineyards across California, then I can heartily recommend the book. However, some of the text leaves much to be desired, with some obvious omissions and flatly incorrect information. Some examples:

On grape varieties: Petite Sirah is identified as being the same as Syrah and Shiraz (it isn't). Pinot Gris and Gewurtztraminer are not mentioned at all, but I would consider them more important than Sylvaner in California white grapes.

On locations: Livermore Valley is "to the west in Alameda County", which must surprise people living in the eastern half of the county. Woodside Vineyards in Woodside and Thomas Fogerty Winery in Portola Valley are listed as being in Santa Clara Country (they are in San Mateo County). Morgan Hill and Gilroy are identified as being in Santa Cruz County (they are in Santa Clara County), and there are others too.

The choices of wine labels are odd too. In a list of wine labels for a particular geographic area, often the wines come from someplace else. In the Mendocino County section, a wine made from Lodi (in the Central Valley) is listed. The San Francisco Bay section shows labels from three Monterey wines.

Despite these faults, the book is definitely interesting - containing many nice photographs, and reasonble listings of wineries with contact information in all parts of California, even fairly obscure ones missed in many books, such as the wineries in Santa Clara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Nevada, and Calaveras counties.

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The wineries of Northern California are as varied as the wines that emanate from the region's bountiful soil. In BEAUTIFUL WINERIES OF THE WINE COUNTRY, author Jennifer Barry and acclaimed photographer Charles O'Rear present a magnificent visual tour of more than 50 distinctive wineries in Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties. Featuring a variety of building styles—Victorian and historic farm, European influenced, and California contemporary—this small-scale, full-color coffee-table book is a thoughtful gift for architecture enthusiasts and the perfect keepsake for wine lovers and visitors. From sweeping landscapes to the tiniest architectural details, BEAUTIFUL WINERIES OF THE WINE COUNTRY captures the beauty and spirit of this multicultural locale.

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Easy To Use Informative Saves You Time & Money THE GRAPE ESCAPES is your ticket to a fun-filled and successful Paso Robles Wine Tasting Adventure! Whether you are a tasting novice, a wine lover, or a connoisseur, this entertaining guidebook helps you make the most of your limited time in the Paso Robles wine country by identifying: The Best Wine Tasting Itineraries The Best Red and White Wines The Best of Specific Wine Varietals The Best Tasting Rooms for Great Wines Under $15 The Best Unique or Unusual Tasting Rooms The Best New Wineries You May Not Know About The Best Places to Taste One-on-One with the Winemaker The Best Vineyard and Winery Tours The Best Wine Clubs for Discounts and Special Perks The Best Tasting Room Gift Shopping and Picnic Sites The Best "Winery Dog" Greeters The Best Tasting Rooms for Group Excursions AND MORE . THE GRAPE ESCAPES saves you money. 28 of our recommended wineries and merchants will give you free tastings and/or special discounts (up to 25%) when you present this guidebook during your visit. You cannot afford to be without this guide to the Paso Robles area's Wineries and Tasting Rooms!

Customer Review: "The Best" makes your tasting easier

I believe I know Paso wines pretty well; this book makes me want to go back and check out a few wineries. Bob and Cindy certainly did their homework and their conclusions about "The Best ____" can be argued, but they've picked wineries you sure don't want to miss when you visit the area.

Lots of footwork went into it, and lots of great stories - that they share - come out of it. A fun read! Now go out and find some more of your own "bests".

Customer Review: A tasty choice

Even though I have been to Paso Robles Wine Country a number of times I found this guide to be extremely helpful in deciding upon new places to visit! The free tastings were great, the commentary helpful and the way the book is arranged helps you decide how to spend what is usually limited time. Cheers to authors, Bob and Cindy!

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Brimming with both magnificent vistas and practical information, Napa Valley is the ultimate guide to a rich region. This new edition is not only fully updated, it includes three marvelous new winery profiles and boasts a fresh interior design -- and a fetching new cover. Whether it's a garden to die for, a tour that tops all the others, spectacular views, or a combination of virtues, these are the places worth seeing, and going back to again and again. Along the way, author Antonia Allegra delivers a lively survey of winemaking and local history and suggests great places to visit. Sidebars give directions, visiting hours, and highlights, and an appendix lists nearly every winery in the area. Illustrated with spectacular full-color photographs on practically every page, Napa Valley is as beautiful as it is informative -- a treasure for those who know Napa Valley as much as for those planning to visit.

Customer Review: Essential

This book is all you need to visit Napa. The explanations are great, and the pictures are excellent. If you do not know where to go or which ones to visit in a short stay (needless to say that you can't visit ALL of them unless you are planning to move in), after reading the book you have all the information to make a plan. I loved the detail explanations about the wine tours. Did I mention that the pictures are excellent?

Customer Review: Glossy, beautiful, informative

First, let's ignore the oxymoron of the "ultimate" guide's fourth edition - if that first edition was so "ultimate," how come three (so far) came after?

The format is straightforward: two or four pages per winery, with glorious photos of the vineyards, buildings, or other distinguishing features of each winery. The tourist's basics are spelled out on the first of that winery's pages: address and contact information hours of operation, tour arrangements, typical offerings in the tasting room, and tasting fees. A brief, enthusiastic description follows, often with a sound bite or two from the owners.

It's a great help in planning your wine country vacation, or reminder of the good times you had in the Napa valley. Don't expect serious criticism or comparison of the wines - that's for a different book. Do check the information presented, since it's been at least three years (as of this writing) since the most recent edition came out. But dig in and enjoy, since that's what wine and travel are all about.

//wiredweird

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The only comprehensive, up-to-date guide to wineries of the eastern United States!

Look out Napa Valley. From Maine to Virginia, a surprising number of vintners are producing impressive wines worthy of a celebratory toast. Or two.

Once thought to be a region dominated by quaint farm wines, the eastern U.S. now boasts a number of highly coveted wines. Pinot Noirs and Merlots, Rieslings and Gewürztraminers are being bottled all along the Atlantic, so even the most discriminating wine drinker can find something to please the palate.

Here is the only comprehensive, up-to-date directory to nearly 300 wineries across New England and the mid-Atlantic. Wineries in thirteen states are covered: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Invaluable as both a buying and touring guide, East Coast Wineries offers insights into the winemaking world and puts the reviews of the experts at your fingertips. Features include:

A short history of the winery
A listing of wines offered by that winery, plus recommended buys
Reviews by wine experts from major newspapers, magazines, and journals
Directions and hours of operation
A listing of annual wine festivals and other special events

Whether you're a wine connoisseur or a beginner, East Coast Wineries is the book to read. Cheers!

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The Wine Roads of Texas is the premier guide to wines made in the nation s fifth-largest wine producing state. In his foreword, Robert Mondavi sees distinct parallels between the wine industries of Napa Valley in the 1950s and Texas today. For the second edition of this book, the inspiration for the three-part PBS series of the same name, Austin wine writer Wes Marshall scouted new wineries from Big Bend s Davis Mountains to the bayous of East Texas, from Dallas to Del Rio, from Galveston to Lubbock. This time there were nearly twice as many wineries to visit. Marshall met the vintners, listened to their stories and carefully tasted more than 1,000 wines to pick the best. He clues you in with: maps and directions to 82 Texas wineries, plus the dramatic stories of their origins, survival and growth; where to find food, shelter and fun on 22 wine trips through Texas; Picks of the best Texas wines; and tips on how to taste wine.

Customer Review: This is essential Texas wine tour book

We started touring Texas wineries before we knew of his book, and we wish we had had it in the beginning. There is a short article on each winery, arranged by region, that includes basic information as address, phone, web site, etc as well as a small location map. We have found that the book makes the trip much more enjoybalbe knowing more of the background of the winery and the vintner. Some of these vintners are real characters as well as being hardy pioneers. The book begins with a general history of the wine industry in Texas and an introduction to the varietals grown in Texas. Although only briefly mentioned, T. V Munson from Dennison is very important to the wine industry history in Texas as well as France. The musemum in Dennison is worth a visit especially since its future is in doubt. If you want to tour the wineries, don't go without this book. It is not the complete history, but he certainly makes the trips more interesting.

Customer Review: a must have

This is by far the most thorough account of touring the Texas wine country you will find. I was completely impressed at the detail provided for each and every winery including a description each of the wines they produce. Also includes lodging and restaurant recommendations along the way.

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From the beloved Ultimate Winery Guide series, we bring you the first and only illustrated guide to the wine countries of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, a region increasingly known not only for its popularity as a tourist destination, but for its maverick winemakers and award-winning wines. Essential for the millions who tour and taste each year, the book features detailed profiles of 30 wineries, extensive resource and directory information, and over 100 gorgeous color photographs, making it equally compelling for locals and visitors.

Customer Review: Great Gift

My dad loves Australian wine. He's a trained sommelier but focuses much of his wine attention to Australian wines. I live in the Pacific Northwest (Seattle) and I know that the wine up here is pretty good. I gave my dad this book as a gift to help him build his knowledge and appreciation of Pacific Northwest wines.

He loves the book and already has a list of wineries he has to visit next time he's here.

Informative with some outstanding photography.

Customer Review: Great Pictures and Wine

My wife I and I loved this book, as it combined fantastic pictures of popular wine regions of the Pacific Northwest along with historical information and the winery background. Get this book if enjoy looking at good photography and want to see what the area looks like. Do not get this book if you want to know the location and background of every single winery in the area (honestly, there are better ways to get this information). This is a book you will keep around on the coffee table for years as opposed to the typical winery guide book which can get out of date in only a few years.

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Meet the lucky dogs who work and play in the stunning Napa Valley vineyards. Whether they're racing through the vines, snacking on ripe grapes, or greeting guests in the tasting rooms, winery dogs make the winemaking process magical. The rich photographs and engaging stories make these books treasured keepsakes to be read again and again.

Customer Review: dog lovers

These photos are fabulous. The book is a large size that is perfect for a table top. It would make a great gift for a dog lover. Just beautiful!

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In comparative tastings, wines from California's Central Coast rival those from such renowned regions as Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Napa, yet they also offer superb value. This is the first comprehensive guide to one of the world's most dynamic and beautiful wine regions-and the setting for the award-winning movie Sideways. An excellent, one-stop resource for touring and tasting at convenient wineries located from Monterey to Santa Barbara, the guide is organized into county-by-county alphabetical listings for this up-and-coming region.

Wines and Wineries of California's Central Coast includes:
* Profiles of nearly 300 wineries personally visited by the author
* Profiles of individual vintners
* 5 maps
* Winery ratings, plus author and winemaker recommendations
* Visitors' and contact information for each winery
* Discussions of regional wine history and terroir
* Descriptions of designated American Viticultural Areas and grape varietals

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