An in-depth look at the history, wineries, and wines of Napa Valley with a special emphasis on tasting notes of older vintages.

A rollicking wine country travelogue paired with the only comprehensive guide to Napa’s public tasting rooms Hank Beal is a wine pro–the executive wine buyer at an upscale supermarket chain. Rick Kushman is an ordinary joe–a guy who enjoys wine but doesn’t know a lot about it. Together, Hank and Rick set out to visit all 141 public tasting rooms in Napa during the course of a year. The result is A Moveable Thirst–an engaging, often hilarious book that’s one part Sideways, one part Frommer’s. The first part recounts their uproarious adventures on the road as Rick learns to sniff and spit like a true oenophile (but never stops asking stupid questions). The second part offers the most complete and detailed guide ever published to Napa’s wine rooms. For wine lovers and the more than 5 million people who visit Napa every year, A Moveable Thirst is a great read and an indispensable guide.

A wine country odyssey. In 1976, the picturesque, agrarian Napa Valley was all but unknown to those who didn't live there. That changed dramatically when Steven Spurrier and Patricia Gallagher decided to host a blind tasting of American and French wines in Paris. When wines from California defeated those of France, the world was shocked, an industry reawakened, and Napa Valley exploded in a frenzy of growth and development. Families who had farmed for generations battled to hang onto their land, and many paid a steep price as the area transformed into one of the world's premier wine-growing regions. Join author Mark Gudgel as he explores the trials and tribulations of Napa's meteoric rise to prominence.

Set against the legendary background of the lush California vineyards, Vintage is a vibrant family saga with strong characters and swiftly moving action. In this drama of American growth from the late 1800's to 1970, filled with racial strife, political intrigue, social drama and a great love story, the Napa Valley takes on mythic significance. This special land becomes to the men and women who work here either a generous mother or a bitch goddess, and functions as a microcosm of the tensions, frustrations and ambitions of a growing America.

Everything you could possibly want to know about wine, in one fully up-to-date A-Z volume! The Oxford Companion to Wine is a uniquely comprehensive and in-depth A-Z reference book on every aspect of wine: more than 4,000 entries covering topics from history through geography, geology, soil science, viticulture, winemaking, packaging, academia, technology, and regulations to people and places, tasting, writing, and the language of wine. The system of cross-references takes the reader from one entry to another, showing how all these topics are interconnected in the fascinating story of wine in its most traditional and modern forms. This new fifth edition, which benefits from the knowledge and experience of over one hundred new contributors, all experts in their field or geographical region, is expanded by 272 new entries, and every existing entry has been reviewed, updated, and polished. The text is more international than ever, written for wine lovers of every persuasion, including those who love wine but want to know more in order to increase their enjoyment of this endlessly fascinating liquid, and those who are intent on studying wine, professionally or privately. This is a huge treasure trove of knowledge, for the first time breaking the barrier of one million words, but the alphabetical format and the links between the entries make it easily navigable, and the language, while not shying away from complex science, is intended to open the door to every curious reader looking for answers on every question they have ever wanted to ask about wine.

This is the third edition of this popular guide to California's Napa Valley. It contains everything you need to know about America's favorite wine and food destination. You'll discover the most popular tourist attractions as well as those that locals try to keep secret. With this book you won't miss a thing. Whether it's your first visit or your tenth, you'll find new and enjoyable things to do. Lodging, wineries, spas, restaurants, parks and camping, walking and biking, sightseeing, shopping, events, arts, entertainment and nightlife. Plus: historic attractions, maps, photos, kids' attractions, drive-it-yourself tours, more than 700 website links, a list of Napa Valley wineries, and a special 50-page supplement on Napa Valley wines, vineyards, winemaking, wine tasting, understanding a wine label, and a glossary of wine terms and pronunciation. It's everything you need to become an "instant Napa Valley insider."

Margaret Barlow investigates a series of unfortunate incidents at L'Abbeye Ste. Denise, a 200-year-old winery nestled among the sprawling hills and vineyards of the magnificent Napa Valley.