The Mountain Winery in Saratoga, Calif., recently renovated its outdoor stage but concerns over safety have delayed the reopening and pushed back several shows.

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The essential insider's guide to every major wine-growing region in the world, this book offers dozens of helpful Top 10 lists covering a broad range of topics, including Best-Value Producers, Greatest-Quality Wines, and Most Exciting or Unusual Finds. The book is a must for every wine serious enthusiast who wants to keep up with the constantly changing and ever-expanding world of wine. AUTHOR BIO: Tom Stevenson has been writing about wine for nearly thirty years and is the author of more than 20 books. He's been nominated Wine Writer of the Year on three occasions and received the coveted Wine Literary Award, America's lifetime achievement award for wine writing.

Customer Review: Best Appellation book around

This is the third edition of this book I have purchased. It only gets better and better.

For information regarding appellations, grapes, and wine in general, I prefer this as my number one book.

Customer Review: Great reference tool

I am a gigantic nerd, so this book is great, but for normal people that just want the information...it might have too much minutia.

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In Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea, his fourth volume to explore “the hinges of history,” Thomas Cahill escorts the reader on another entertaining—and historically unassailable—journey through the landmarks of art and bloodshed that defined Greek culture nearly three millennia ago.

In the city-states of Athens and Sparta and throughout the Greek islands, honors could be won in making love and war, and lives were rife with contradictions. By developing the alphabet, the Greeks empowered the reader, demystified experience, and opened the way for civil discussion and experimentation—yet they kept slaves. The glorious verses of the Iliad recount a conflict in which rage and outrage spur men to action and suggest that their “bellicose society of gleaming metals and rattling weapons” is not so very distant from more recent campaigns of “shock and awe.” And, centuries before Zorba, Greece was a land where music, dance, and freely flowing wine were essential to the high life. Granting equal time to the sacred and the profane, Cahill rivets our attention to the legacies of an ancient and enduring worldview.

Customer Review: Why it's all Greek to us

Many of us had our first and our only exposure to Greek culture and thought somewhere around October of our sophomore year Western Civ class. The ancients seemed dry, dusty and far removed from the hurly burly of our modern concerns. Tom Cahill gives us a not very deep survey of Greek life, but he does a nice job of making their world positively lively, seeing much of the passion and complexity that animates our own. That said, "Why the Greeks Matter" sometimes seems tedious, sounding more like Cahill's personal (if informed) judgment about the Greeks. About 2/3 of the way through, I wasn't sure I'd bother to finish.

Taking his starting point as the myths they fashioned and the stories they told (with emphasis on the Iliad and Odyssey) Cahill draws a male-oriented, martial culture whose women lived at the margins of a world dominated by husbands, sons and brothers. Cahill sketches Greek attitudes toward ruling, partying and thinking. Whether under a hereditary ruler called a balileos (chieftain) or a non-hereditary tyrannos (only later take as pejorative), the entire population of Athens gathered weekly to empanel juries and voice opinions on matters large and small. The Symposion, originally a drinking party, started (opines Cahill) as a way for the aristocracy to forget their state of constant warfare, and evolved toward wineless erudition. The great Greek comedic and tragic playwriting evolved from worship services into citywide contests and safety valve for societal pressures. Even Plato's dialogs owe much to the forms and conventions of the stage.

The chapter on writing was particularly interesting. Greek's vowel-rich accessibility allowed children, women and slaves to read, and may have encouraged a tolerance for disputation that led to democratic forms of government. Cahill's exposition of the Odyssey is a tender reappraisal of Homer as a writer. I'm not privy to the great debate on whether Homer existed, or whether he was literate, but Cahill makes a good case that the Odyssey -- with all its weepiness and longing for home -- is an old man's reflection on the more martial, young man's spirit of the Iliad.

Cahill parades Greek philosophers and scientists, whose semi-theological and contradictory notions laid the foundation for the more systematic thinking of later scientific eras. Pre-Socratic philosophers, unfettered by prior teachings, began to lay out the scientific field on which we now play. Pythagoras's explorations into the divine basis for all things, leading him to discover the theorem about right angles that bears his name. Cahill gives us Socrates, gadfly and incisive questioner, seen through the lens of his disciple Plato, who used a theatrical device, the dialog, to frame his prose thoughts. Cahill gives an overview of the development of Greek sculpture, from the Egypt-inspired, stylized nude koroi, to the more adventuresome forays into nude male and female sculpture. Cahill's description of the hyper-bawdy Greek theater, with it's aroused satyrs and comically over endowed choruses, gives us a different

The book's weakness, I think is threefold. One, Cahill seems to be giving us his personal opinion much of the time. In one sense, this is helpful, in that it allows us to see a wide swath of time with a single viewpoint, with Cahill fulfilling the role of omniscient judge of quality. On the other hand, the opinions are only his. Secondly, the subject matter is so broad, complex and unruly. We're talking about making unified sense of a culture that spanned Plato to Euripides to Pericles to Demosthenes -- and those were the smart folks. Third, Cahill the question of why Greek war making (or philosophy or partying) matters would require us to know more about what other cultures felt about these human pursuits. While there is much about Greek life, as put forth by Cahill, that seems familiar to us, is that because of a unique Greek contribution or because we and the Greeks share common humanity and worldview? The accumulation of these problems made picking up the book sometimes seems daunting.

Cahill ends with a discussion of the decline of Greek thinking. Having lost a number of wars with Sparta, being colonized by Rome and tames by Christianity, the Greek impetus for curiosity and experimentation fizzled out. But it was a great ride while it lasted".

"Why the Greeks Matter" may have fallen short in answering the question posed by the title, but it at least made the Greeks lest of a dusty lot, and more alive and relevant. Mission accomplished, I should say.

Customer Review: Sailing the wine Dark Sea

Thomas Cahill write excellent history of all Europe. Read most and still reading another, but he makes everything interesting, and real. Too much history can be killed by the authors, but not Cahill. He brings it light and fun to read. I am reading all his histories.

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In this intimate and uproarious story, two daring New Yorkers convert an ancient, abandoned farm into a world-renowned winery.

Finding your dream house with a vineyard in Tuscany is like searching the woods for porcini mushrooms: a labor of love. Such feats require patience, discernment, resolve, and an indestructible sense of humor.

The Mátés' future home and wine estate lies amid breathtaking scenery in a community brimming with warmth. In Italy's most prestigious wine zone, Montalcino, they restore a thirteenth-century friary nestled on two hills within sixty acres of forest, olives, and potential vineyards. Here they plant fifteen acres of vines, build the winery, and learn from their famous vintner neighbors, like Angelo Gaja, the secrets of how to grow the best grapes and make superb wines. Within the first years, the Máté wines receive international acclaim.

This highly entertaining tale of how two dreamers struggle and thrive in idyllic Tuscany will enrich the lives of travelers and wine lovers alike.

Customer Review: A Vinyard in Tuscany

A Vinyard in Tuscany by Ferenc Mate is the second in a series on life in Tuscany. In a genre loosely known as expats move to Tuscany, Mate is truly in a class by himself. If Frances Mayes is the standard ,then Ferenc Mate far excells her in poetry , lyrical description , humor and sensitivity. If after reading this book, you don't want his life then you better check your pulse. A love song to Tuscany and the art of wine, makes Frances Mayes akin to watching paint dry. Read The Hills of Tuscany as well which he wrote about first moving there 20 years ago.

Customer Review: Funny, descriptive and entertaining

Ferenc Mate's second book on Italy (buy the first one "Hills of Tuscany" also, they are distinctly a matched set to be enjoyed one after the other) is, if possible, even better than the first one. He had a wonderful understanding of Italian culture and is able to convey that to his reader. If you have ever visited Italy, or are planning to, then his books are a must read. One of the things I really like about Mr. Mate's writing is it is appealing to both men and women. I love being able to discuss a book with my husband. In fact with this one, it is the first time I have heard my husband laugh out loud while reading. At first I thought he was choking and when I ran into the room he said "honey, it's the part where he is driving the tractor". Michael and I spend two weeks in Tuscany every May and truly, in this book, the essence of the Montalcino area is captured and wrapped up like a Christmas present for the reader.

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Steve Raichlen Best of Barbecue Signature Series. Author of the Barbecue Bible and How To Grill, and host of BBQ University on PBS, Steven Raichlen brings his best tools to your grill.
Wine & great barbecue share much in common-they both owe their soulful flavor to wood. They've brought wine & barbecue together in this unique fuel: red wine barrel chunks for smoking & grilling.

Toss a few of these convenient size pieces on your fire and get ready for an extraordinary flavor of oak smoke with red wine overtones. When grilling steaks, chops, and seafood, toss a handful of chunks on a hot bed of charcoals, or on a gas grill, place directly over one of the gas burners under the grill grate. Anyways you use them, the wine and smoke flavors are out of this world.

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Giuliano Hazan and Marilisa Allegrini are proud to announce the launching of their Red Wine Vinegar. After several years of collaboration in creating a successful cooking school outside of Verona, Italy, Giuliano and Marilisa will now seek out the best specialty foods Italy has to offer and import them into the United States. Gustiamo offers a A&H's Red Wine Vinegar made with wine from the Valpolicella region produced by Allegrini. It is a superlative vinegar aged several months in oak barrels. Its rich flavor adds zest to salads, vegetables, and meats.

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A comprehensive guide to the delicious world of Italian wine

Customer Review: excellent source

This book is a review by people who know the wine, the history and what the wine should be from year to year. It provides a great perspective on the state of Italian wine and it's place in the industry.

Customer Review: A bit of a mess and far too much convoluted detail...

I see the validity of the points of the other reviewer here, but I'll be frank, this book is just not set up well and nor does it have any type of approachability for even the wine professional. If you're looking for any kind of a casual book, this is NOT it. You will have to wade through literally hundreds of pages and indexing (in a horribly small print) to find anything you are looking for or will find useful.

See my FULL review for the 2006 edition of this book if you'd like more examples. I've used both it and the 2008 for very specific things. But in general, I'll never purchase another from this series and will probably have very little reason to use either of them again. They are just not easy to use or approachable.

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Chandler-based Kokopelli Winery is expanding and opening a Kokopelli Winery & Bistro in Surprise.

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Written by a vintner and science editor with twenty-five years experience, The Way to Make Wine is the most readable and reliable handbook among the many winemaking guides. In engaging conversational prose, Sheridan Warrick shows that making your own wine is not only easy, but also fun. Geared to everyday wine lovers who want to drink well, save money, and impress their friends, this book reveals everything needed to make delicious wines--both reds and whites--from start to finish.
Warrick demystifies winemaking by explaining the nuts and bolts and demonstrating that if readers can replace a faucet washer or cook a pasta sauce, they can make food-friendly wines that cost less than the bottles they're now opening. He enables amateur vintners to equip a home winery, procure top-quality grapes, run a flawless fermentation, and enjoy their wine--its nose, its body, and finish--with renewed awareness and appreciation. At the same time, the author points experienced home vintners to new skills, describing top wineries' techniques. Rich with insiders' know-how, this book also divulges the many advances that have been made in the past few decades and makes clear that, with enologists' innovations, home winemaking is easier than ever. With straightforward illustrations of key steps, this book offers one-stop shopping for anyone who's ever dreamed of making table wines at home.
two step-by-step sections: one for beginners, one for experienced home vintners
sidebars offer quick tips and key elements of winemaking lore
includes the only clear and comprehensive guide to minimizing the use of sulfites in wine
section on suppliers and labs provides a wealth of information on sources of fine wine grapes

Customer Review: Very informative book on winemaking

This is a well-written book detailing the steps for producing quality wines at home. I have made wine for several years now and I found many helpful suggestions to make my vintage even better. It works well for the novice as well as the veteran wine-maker.

Customer Review: Perfect for the ambitous home wine maker

If you want to make home made wine and you actually want to make something decent this book is great. You shouldn't really need another book.

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