A Moveable Thirst: Tales and Tastes from a Season in Napa Wine Country [Paperback]

Rick Kushman (Author), Hank Beal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 16, 2007

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

There are 141 wine tasting rooms open to the public in California's Napa Valley, and Kushman, the TV columnist for the Sacramento Bee, decided he was going to visit them all with Beal, an executive wine buyer for a supermarket chain, offering his expert perspective. Both men are listed as coauthors, but it's Kushman alone who narrates their tours. He offers plenty of engaging vignettes, along with practical advice—don't wear white if you haven't gotten the hang of spitting yet—and accessible mini-lectures on subjects ranging from the history of white Zinfandel to the proper technique for fermenting wines in oak barrels. The stories, originally published as a series of newspaper columns, are consistently upbeat, reveling in Napa's image as "the heartbeat of American winemaking," and even Kushman marvels at how polite everyone at the wineries is during their visits. The generous spirit extends to the detailed tasting room guide that follows the main narrative, where about the worst they'll say is that the service in a popular place gets slow during busy hours. So the ratings won't tell tourists if one tasting room is better than another, but they do offer a workable idea of what to expect at each venue. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Back Cover

A ROLLICKING WINE COUNTRY TRAVELOGUE

Plus, Get the Lowdown on 141 Napa Tasting Rooms, From Top-Name Wineries to Hidden Gems

Hank Beal is a wine pro—the executive wine buyer at an upscale supermarket chain. Rick Kushman is an ordinary Joe—a guy who loves wine, but doesn't know a lot about it. Together, they set out to visit all 141 public tasting rooms in Napa during the course of a season. The result is A Moveable Thirst—an engaging, often hilarious book that's part Sideways, part Wine For Dummies, and part Frommer's.

The first half recounts their uproarious adventures on the road as Rick learns to swirl, sniff, and spit . . . but can't stop asking stupid questions. The second part offers the most comprehensive and detailed guide ever published to Napa's wine rooms, with incisive information on everything from service and atmosphere to tasting tools and picnic prospects. Complete with invaluable tasting tips, it's the only book you need to map out your own Napa Valley wine adventure.

NAPA KNOW-HOW ON THE GO

• Learn from Hank's patient expertise and Rick's often-naive but relentlessly enthusiastic questions as they make their way around Napa tasting rooms
• Find out how to charm the servers (hint: never, ever quote from Sideways),encourage generous pours, learn about wine, and have fun
• Pick up essential wine-tasting dos and don'ts, from "Carry a cooler. Don't cook your wine" to "Eat. Seriously, eat"

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471793868
• ISBN-13: 978-0471793861
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #528,708 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dreaming of the Napa Valley? - This Book is Great!, April 24, 2007

By 

Matthew Perry "Matt Perry" (Davis, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Moveable Thirst: Tales and Tastes from a Season in Napa Wine Country (Paperback)

A Moveable Thirst is a funny and very informative look at wine tasting in the Napa Wine Country. For those of you who love wine, Rick Kushman has the unique ability to make you feel like you are in the tasting room, walking around - meeting people and completely enjoying yourself.

This is a must read for veteran wine lovers as well as those who would like to learn to taste and appreciate great wine. Kushman and Beal are hilarious as they tour the famous through the obscure. I can't wait to follow some of their footprints.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Guide to Napa, June 7, 2007

By 

Al Muto "WineNut" (Chicago Area) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Moveable Thirst: Tales and Tastes from a Season in Napa Wine Country (Paperback)

My wife and I used the book on our trip. It is a wonderful tool and is entertaining as well. You felt like you had insider info on winereis and the people who work there. I hope they do a book on Sonoma, Central California and Oregon

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Only thing missing is the accompanying glass of wine, November 11, 2007

By 

Dee Sondergard "Wine obsessed" (Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Moveable Thirst: Tales and Tastes from a Season in Napa Wine Country (Paperback)

Fabulous book. Loved the details about the visits and winemakers. Read it and took notes and learned a bunch. Not only do you get to virtually visit the vineyards and wineries but you get to learn about the all the seasons of the wine year. I was on the edge of my chair waiting for them to visit a place I'd been to - or to persuade me to visit one I hadn't considered. I've been to Napa on vacation 4 times but this will be my companion the next time. The only thing missing was a glass of wine to go with it. And maps - please add maps.