California has become the hottest wine producing area in the world, and it happened in less than 25 years. Now the acclaimed Wine Spectator columnist and critic Matt Kramer traces the dramatic progress of the California winemaking industry—the who, how, why, what, and where. No one is better equipped to provide insight into the ways in which West Coast vintners are working to create extraordinary wines, and to explain the myriad developments in character, quality, and technology that have taken place. Kramer’s book provides the first comprehensive look at how new approaches to wine making have contributed to California’s current high status in the world order of wine.
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About the Author
Matt Kramer has been a full-time food and wine writer since 1976. His columns appear in every issue of Wine Spectator and Diversion magazines. He is also the longtime wine critic for The Oregonian and previously a wine columnist for The Los Angeles Times. Kramer is the author of the Making Sense series, which includes Matt Kramer’s New California Wine, Making Sense of Burgundy and The classic Making Sense of Wine.
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33 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Matt Kramer's New California Wine starts with a section that describes the thinking and mentalities behind the California wine industry (he named this part "Thinking California"). He then goes on to describe California's American Viticultural Areas (AVA) and different activities going on in each in a part named "Drinking California". He mentions quite a number of wineries - in ways that offer details that go beyond the usual, dry descriptions often found elsewhere. The "Thinking California" part of the book provides the reader with an excellent overview of the state of California wines - the thinking that has evolved the European wine mentality/tradition as opposed to the California approach to the crafting of fine wines. Kramer's writing style is quite entertaining - he's descriptive with word choices that vividly portray California. At the start of key parts of the book he sets the scene with a quote and then moves into descriptions that inform and entertain. In "Thinking California" his insights into changes and evolutions that have transpired in California wines through descriptions of the history, the wine plant, the climate, and the soil provide an overview helpful when thinking about California wines. In "Drinking California" he gives descriptions of areas (AVA) and different wine operations. Quite a lot of detail that I'll use when planning my next visit to California - the kind of detail one might want when doing advance planning - necessary when visiting wineries. As a native Californian who now lives in Europe I've tried to answer questions about California wines - what I've learned from Mr. Kramer gives an understanding of and a perspective about California wines that I'll find helpful. I'm glad I bought the book and consider its price to be a good investment.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By Citizenrobot
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have already nipped into this book several times, especially before trips to nearby Santa Barbara wine country, and Kramer has never steered me wrong yet. Based on his recommendations, I experienced some great wines at Foley and Longoria - not really a GUIDE BOOK per se, no fancy graphics or easy to turn to index pages, but Kramer does have his own wine guide for this. I highly recommend for wino-folks living right here on the left coast.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Briarfields
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
By far, the most complete and easily read book of its type. It puts all of the recent changes in the California AVA's in perspective.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Unimpressive
Matt Kramer has a lot of opinions. Unfortunately, his opinions appear to have evolved at a distance. Read more
Published 8 months ago by san franciscan
5.0 out of 5 stars
For serious winelovers!
Purchased as a gift for someone who loves everything about wines and the information/stories that go with them!
Published on July 10, 2010 by Star A. King
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