California Wine For Dummies (For Dummies (Cooking)) (Paperback)

~ Ed McCarthy (Author), Mary Ewing-Mulligan (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Discover the nuances of California wines and increase your drinking pleasure

Want to be a California wine connoisseur? This friendly guide gives you the knowledge you need to appreciate these fine wines, showing you how to taste them, select a good bottle, pair wine with food, and much more. You'll see why certain wine regions are renowned and how to further enrich your wine-drinking experience.

• California wine 101 — understand the range of California wines, what makes them unique, and what a varietal wine is

• Review the regions — explore the major wine regions of California and what makes each one special, from the soil to the climate

• Open the bottle — become fluent in the Big Six: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel

• Go beyond the basics — appreciate Pinot Grigio, Viognier, Syrah, sparkling wines, and more

• Round out your wine experience — pair and share wines, learn about the proper glassware and serving temperatures, and prepare for a winery visit

Open the book and find:

• An overview of California wine today

• Wine recommendations for all budgets

• Explanations of wine label language

• A map of wine regions

• Tips for aging and collecting California wines

• Winery tasting etiquette

• The ins and outs of recent vintages

• Top wine country travel destinations

About the Author

Ed McCarthy, CWE, is a wine columnist for WineReviewOnline.com and for Beverage Media. Mary Ewing-Mulligan, MW, is President of the International Wine Center in New York. Together, they are the authors of many For Dummies wine guides, including the perennial bestseller Wine For Dummies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies (April 20, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470376074
• ISBN-13: 978-0470376072
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #293,323 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sparkling Guide to the Golden State's Wines, July 11, 2009

By	Sharon Kapnick "wine writer" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Like actors who are perfectly cast, the husband-and-wife team of Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-Mulligan are the ideal pair to write the "Dummies" wine books. Ewing-Mulligan, the first female MW (Master of Wine) in the U.S., is president of the International Wine Center in New York City and U.S. director of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). Both are Certified Wine Educators with many years of teaching experience between them. They know how to organize a book and bring clarity to a subject. And they know their subject backwards and forwards--as well as sideways and upside-down.

"California Wine for Dummies" is especially good at presenting the nuts and bolts: the regions (including the American Viticultural Areas [AVAs]) and what they're known for, the varietals, the six star grapes, the up-and-coming grapes and the supporting cast. Blends, rosés, sparkling and dessert wines are also featured. "Pairing and Sharing California Wines" presents vital information on food-and-wine matching, vintages, aging and collecting. Sidebars include subjects like advice for travelers, glassware, serving temperatures, producers that deserve special attention, how to taste wine like the experts do, etc. The authors don't always agree on everything and occasionally offer his and hers opinions.

As you probably know, California produces a wide gamut of wines, from the plebeian to the divine, with prices ranging from $2 to $750. The authors guide you to the most reliable producers at all price levels. Although it's not always easy to find delicious, inexpensive California wines, their Top Value recommendations feature some lovely wines that cost less than $12 or $15. Other categories include Moderately Priced (usually less than $20), Moderate-Plus (usually $50-$100), and occasionally Luxury (over $100) wines.

BOTTOM LINE: Since, as the authors write, "almost 70% of all the wine consumed in the U.S. is California wine," this book fills what was a surprising void in the "Dummies" line-up. "California Wine for Dummies" is a must-buy for those interested in wine. Much of it merits studying-even memorizing!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five-star California wine guide from America's first couple of wine writing., May 22, 2009

By	Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg "www.becomin... (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

Our first wine loves were Californian. While we have since taken a virtual trip around the world through tasting grape varietals from outer reaches of the globe, Ed McCarthy & Mary Ewing-Mulligan's CALIFORNIA WINE FOR DUMMIES is a delicious homecoming. Meticulously researched and thoughtfully written, this book is an ideal overview to the pleasures of America's #1 wine state. Highly recommended for all wine book collections.

CALIFORNIA WINE FOR DUMMIES - Table of Contents

Part I: The Big Picture of California Wine
Chapter 1: Introducing California Wines
Chapter 2: What's in the Bottle
Chapter 3: Decoding the Label
Chapter 4: California's Major Wine Regions

Part II: The Headliners
Chapter 5: Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc
Chapter 6: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Their Blends
Chapter 7: Pinot Noir
Chapter 8: Zinfandel

Part III: More Reds, Whites, Pinks and Bubblies
Chapter 9: Pinot Grigio, Rhone-Style Whites, and Other California Whites
Chapter 10: Syrah, Petite Sirah, Other Varietal Reds and Red Blends
Chapter 11: Bubbly, Rose, and Dessert Wines

Part IV: Enjoying California Wines
Chapter 12: Pairing and Sharing California Wines
Chapter 13: Making a Winery Pilgrimage

Part V: The Part of Tens
Chapter 14: Answers to Ten Common Questions about California Wine
Chapter 15: Ten Top Travel Destinations and Attractions

4.0 out of 5 stars A great place to start your California wine education, July 22, 2009

By	Mary (California) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Amazon Verified Purchase

California Wine For Dummies is an educational book for wine enthusiasts of a beginner level.

The book is organized into 5 parts and 15 chapters. Chapters 1-3 cover a background of California wine production with lots of statistics, what is in a varietal wine and which grapes are the most grown and harvested in California, and how to decode California wine labels

Chapter 4 covers the major wine regions of California which issentially means there is a section for Napa (5 pages), Sonoma (7 pages), and everything else (11 pages).

Chapters 5-11 cover different varietal wines and a bit about blends. These chapters also include the author's favorite examples of each varietal. They have LOTS of favorites. I think that it's good to offer examples and favorites (I think that lots of readers want guides of this type to assit them at the store as well), but it might encourage a reader to only seek out those wineries, which is pretty sad.

Chapter 12 covers pairing, collecting, storage, and a basic vintage guide.

Chapters 13 and 15 contain travel information.

Chapter 14 is sort of an FAQ (Are California Chardonnays Too Oaky? Are $100 wines worth the price?)

My opinion of the book is a bit mixed. I am very happy that I bought it because it does contain a lot of useful information and overall I am quite pleased with it. But I dislike that Chapter 4 was really about Napa and Sonoma and didn't contain as much information about the other regions in California. I think that these other regions are offering great values and should be explored and studied a bit more. After all, the book explains that Napa represents only 4% of California wine production.

So should you get this book? If you are at all interested in California wine, especially if you are a beginner my answer is a loud and clear YES! There is a lot of great information contained in these pages.

But I really do hope that subsequent editions of this book contain more information about other wine regions that are representative of production numbers.