Back Lane Wineries of Sonoma [Paperback]

Tilar Mazzeo (Author), Paul Hawley (Photographer)

Book Description

Release date: March 3, 2009

Many wineries in Sonoma are large retail operations offering wines that you can buy just as readily on the shelves of your local store. Often, these are beautiful places, and a part of the California wine-tasting experience is sitting on marbled Italianate terraces overlooking acres of perfectly pruned vineyards, basking in the warm sun and the intense loveliness of it all.

Just as exciting and but far more difficult to spot, however, are the small, back-lane wineries, places that the critics, industry professionals, and locals revere but that few visitors ever see. These are wineries run by the same people who grow the grapes and make the wines.

This is a guide to wineries where you can find excellent handcrafted wines made by on-site proprietors, often with only a local distribution and limited production, places where wine tasting gets down-to-earth–no one needs to show off how developed his or her palate is. These are often also where sustainable and organic viticulture is being pioneered. Above all, these are wines that are likely to be a new experience; amid the back-lane wineries of Sonoma, there are still discoveries to be made.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Oenophiles will enjoy this pocket-sized guidebook.. with insight into small, mostly family-run operations that are—for the most part—unknown to the average visitor. In addition to large color photos of the featured wineries and local landscape, the guide provides background information on the personalities."   —Novus Vinum, Gayot.com

"This is the quintessential guide to those back lane wineries of Sonoma County where you can taste handcrafted wines by on-site proprietors, who often have only a local or regional distribution and a limited case production. Often, these are wineries where sustainable and organic viticulture is being developed. These are wines that you can keep a secret or brag to your friends that you’ve found the new best-tasting wine. Get a copy for your reference shelf for when family and friends visit and ask for a unique wine tasting experience." --Sonoma Sun

"Napa gets all the glory, but to the west lies another wine-tasting area, Sonoma. Each year about 7.5 million tourists visit the region. The lovely towns of Sonoma, Healdsburg and Glen Ellen are well-known in their own right, but there are plenty of other towns and 'small, back-lane wineries,' as author Tilar Mazzeo says, that are also worth visiting. These are the places that the critics and wine aficionados love but few visitors are aware of. Many of the wines here are hand-crafted and made by on-site proprietors. In fact, most wineries in the book make fewer than 10,000 cases of wine a year; some produce only 100 or so." --The Chicago Tribune

"In Back Lane Wineries of Sonoma, author Tilar Mazzeo steers the reader away from the crowded commercial wineries to charming, one-of-a-kind boutique establishments...This book is invaluable for touring North Bay, as Sonoma is known to the locals. There's also a list of restaurants and 'picnic provisions.' The photos of the sun drenched valleys and vineyards exert their own restorative power." --The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

"Back Lane Wineries of Sonoma takes day trippers to the rambling, quirky, yet loveable Sonoma wine country. The author set out to pique the reader's interest in the smallest producers, and achieves the goal with charming descriptions of the proprietors with alluring photos." --Napa Valley Marketplace Magazine

About the Author

Tilar J. Mazzeo is the author of Back Lane Wineries of Sonoma (The Little Bookroom),The New York Times best-selling "oenobiography "The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It (Harper), and the forthcoming Back Lane Wineries of Napa (The Little Bookroom, Spring 2010). The Widow Clicquot has been recognized by Gourmand as the Best Work of Wine Literature in the United States for 2008. A member of the International Food, Wine, and Travel Writers Association, her work has appeared in Food and Wine magazine. She divides her time between the California wine country and the East Coast, where she is a professor of English at Colby College.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Little Bookroom (March 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892145693
• ISBN-13: 978-1892145697
• Product Dimensions: 4.6 x 0.9 x 6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #462,530 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > Travel > United States > Arizona > General

More About the Author

Tilar J. Mazzeo is the author of Back Lane Wineries of Sonoma (The Little Bookroom),The New York Times best-selling 'oenobiography 'The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It (Harper), and the forthcoming Back Lane Wineries of Napa (The Little Bookroom, Spring 2010). The Widow Clicquot has been recognized by Gourmand as the Best Work of Wine Literature in the United States for 2008. A member of the International Food, Wine, and Travel Writers Association, her work has appeared in Food and Wine magazine. She divides her time between the California wine country and the East Coast, where she is a professor of English at Colby College.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent guidebook for visiting Sonoma wineries! March 24, 2009

By Jonnell R. Simpson

Format:Paperback

We just returned from a vacation in Sonoma. Of the three guidebooks we brought with us, this is the one we turned to most. We have visited Napa a couple of times, but we weren't as familiar with Sonoma and had no idea where to start. The author lived in Sonoma for 6 years and the book has the feel of a local guiding you around the area. We were interested in discovering the little-known hidden gems the locals know about (but most guidebooks don't cover) and this was a perfect resource. Divided into sections by appellation, there's a concise, informative description of each winery and wines produced, with information on visiting (hours of tastings or tours, if you need to make an appointment, phone numbers, web sites, etc.) The amount of essential information and the way she captures the personality of the wineries in just a few paragraphs is impressive. We found these descriptions right on point each time.

The section on Dry Creek Valley alone kept us busy for an entire day, visiting wonderful wineries we probably would have missed. We were not disappointed with any of her recommendations. All of the wineries we visited were friendly and welcoming, with good to excellent wines. Her advice on not being shy about contacting the "appointment only" wineries is well-taken. Our tastings at these wineries was usually done by the winemaker or a family member and provided a unique opportunity to learn about the wine.

The photographs in the book by Paul Hawley, son of one of the winemakers featured in the book, are charming. If you are truly interested in discovering smaller, lesser known (but very worthy of knowing) wineries in Sonoma, this is the only book you need!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must buy July 8, 2009

By Catherine A. Ponzio

Format:Paperback

We have been to Sonoma multiple times and wanted a different experience. We purchased this book before our trip to Sonoma a couple of weeks ago in July 09. It literally made our vacation!!
Every winery we tried was wonderful, we were able to speak with the staff and enjoyed their stories, we never had more than one couple with us during wine tasting. The restaurant guide is also very good - we highly recommend the underwood cafe in Graton CA. This book was quite a find.

Jean-Claude & Cathy Ponzio

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars From a wine country tour guide April 22, 2010

By P. H. Bloom

Format:Paperback

My son, Ben, is a Sonoma region tour guide. I sent him a copy and he reports:
I got it last week but was so busy I didn't open the package until a couple days ago. It's actually surprisingly good...actually does talk about some of the places I go and mentions some others that have been on my list for a while. At the very least I can use it as a reference for factoids (sorry to use an awful word but it seems the most appropriate) on places that I can refer to as I drive into their driveway. It's beautiful, yet small and sturdy, just the right size to become a new resident in my chauffeur's bag.