Moon Northern California Wine Country (Moon Handbooks) [Paperback]

Philip Goldsmith (Author)

Book Description

Series: Moon Handbooks | Publication Date: December 21, 2007

San Francisco resident Philip Goldsmith knows the best way to experience Northern California's wine country, from buying fresh produce at Rutherford Gardens to getting swirling and sniffing lessons at Goosecross Cellars to enjoying a hot-air balloon ride over southern Sonoma. Goldsmith provides great trip ideas such as One Week in Wine Country, A Romantic Weekend, and Outdoor Highlights. Packed with information on dining, transportation, and accommodations, Moon Northern California Wine Country has lots of options for a range of travel budgets. Every Moon guidebook includes recommendations for must-see sights and many regional, area, and city-centered maps. Complete with information on scheduling an appointment at the Lincoln Avenue Spa for a relaxing mud bath for two, biking through Deer Creek Valley, and sampling cabernets throughout the county, Moon Northern California Wine Country gives travelers the tools they need to create a more personal and memorable experience. With expert writers, first-rate strategic advice, and an essential dose of humor, Moon guidebooks are the cure for the common trip.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

After putting in more hours working on the student newspaper at the University of London than for his degree in chemistry, it was no surprise that Philip Goldsmith found it easier to get a job as a journalist than a scientist. Little did he know that more than a decade later he would once again be reading about chemistry, albeit the chemistry of wine. When he's not writing, traveling or working hard to extend his life at local wineries, Philip often seeks out misadventure in the great outdoors of the wine country, whether mountain biking in the Santa Cruz Mountains, hiking in Napa, or rafting down the angry Russian river in Sonoma.

Product Details

• Paperback: 375 pages
• Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing; 2nd edition (December 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598800787
• ISBN-13: 978-1598800784
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,006,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Northern California Wine Country, April 11, 2009

By 

N. Phillips (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Moon Northern California Wine Country (Moon Handbooks) (Paperback)

This is a great book for those wondering where to go and what to do in the wine country, and also a pretty good resource for winetasting in general. I've lived in Northern California for most of my life and always wondered where to go. I was sick of going to the same 3-4 wineries in Napa every year. So I bought this book. It does a great job of describing the history and general feel for wine regions I had heard of but didn't know anything about - such as Carneros, Dry Creek, Russian River, Anderson Valley, and Santa Cruz. The author is apparently a wine-writer, which comes through in this book. For example, he explains the difference between organic and biodynamic wine making and recommends wineries that do both. He also discusses the art of winetasting at great length, which I found helpful. When he lists a winery, he mentions the wines that the winery is known for and suggests tasting certain wines. There is a glossary with dozens of winetasting terms. He has some useful suggested itineraries. We enjoyed the "Classic Cabernets" and "Pleasures of Pinot" self-tours. And the book's maps are useful. Even though I usually use my car's GPS unit to find wineries and restaurants, some of the addresses aren't in my maps so I have to rely on the maps in the book, which are pretty accurate. The maps are also useful to plan an itinerary. One word of caution - I would double check the hours of wineries, even though they are listed in the book, because they seem to change. Same goes for the restaurants. But otherwise its a great book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Used This One, June 4, 2011

By 

villie - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Moon Northern California Wine Country (Moon Handbooks) (Paperback)

Bought five different books for trip to Napa and Mendocino. Used this one and it served well--- all the big stuff and some of the small attractions.

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremeley Well Researched and Written, February 4, 2011

By 

P. Strayer (Oakland CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Moon Northern California Wine Country (Moon Handbooks) (Paperback)

The author has done an excellent job of capturing the flavor of various wineries and offers frank advice about the character of local towns and lodging. Well done. I would also recommend, if you are a bit more serious about the wineries, checking out the The New Connoisseurs' Guidebook to California Wine and Wineries (New Connoisseurs Guidebook) which is more encyclopedic in the wineries it describes, but is for the more serious tourist. If you got both, that might be the perfect combo.