Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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

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.

By far, this is the one that will have a lasting shelf/glove compartment life. It is written in such a whimsical and witty style that you can't help but turn the pages for more. Pour yourself a glass and enjoy this celebration of wine, celebration and discovery!

While this is the 93rd book on wines that I've read since October of 2006, it also ranks as one of the most informative and enjoyable. It's a virtual cornucopia of wine information, providing the reader with a pretty good overview of how great wines are made and the challenges of growing grapes, all under the guise of covering the wineries and tasting rooms of Napa Valley and its associated AVAs (American Viticultural Areas).

For anyone planning a visit to Napa, this book is a must read. The first 190 pages cover the authors' experiences touring Napa wineries for a summer, while the last part of the book provides comprehensive touring information on the tasting rooms, including such topics as wines, hours, directions, cost, ambiance, etc. In addition to picking up many invaluable insights on where to go for tours and tastings, you'll also learn a wealth about wine and the wine people of Napa....all done in a highly amusing and entertaining style. This book packs more insight into the world of wine than many books written by knowledgeable authorities on wine. That makes this book a must read for anyone who just wants to learn about wine in an entertaining read.

You'll be hard pressed to find a more informative and more enjoyable book on Napa Valley wineries. It's much more than a great touring guide. Enjoy!

Mark Vincent

This book is part travelogue and part travel guide. I bought several books to help prepare and plan for my Napa trip. I felt that this one was by far the most useful, informative and entertaining. As stated in the book, Napa has over 140 public tasting rooms. It's very difficult to say that they are "good" or "bad" because it all depends on your style and what type of experience you are looking for. There is something for everyone and this book helps to convey not only the tangible facts of each winery (i.e. address, directions, cost, hours of operation, etc..) but also successfully conveys the "feel" and personality of each so that you can match the wineries to what typoe of experience you are looking for. I think this book gave a very different perspective. Thanks Rick and Hank!

This is a fun book to read. Part personal story and part tasting room reviews, it combines interesting information about wine making, the stories behind the people and the wineries, and details about each tasting room. It is well-written but in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way. It's very approachable and teaches about the wine business without making you feel like you are an idiot. One of the authors is a professional in the wine industry, the other (the primary author) is a journalist with little experience other than he likes to drink wine. After reading this book, and knowing something about wine, I still learned a lot and was greatly entertained. I now want to plan another trip to Napa Valley as there are many new places that I want to check out! I have recommended this as a must-read to many friends as they plan their own trips or are just looking for a good book.

It's hard not to like an amicable story of two friends on a quest to tour every tasting room in the Napa Valley in a single year. A comfortable self-deprecation by the narrator, amusing insights into the behavior of other visitors to the Valley, snippets of interesting conversations with vintners and servers, all overlaid with continued uncertainty about whether the year's grapes will survive the unusual weather and provide the basis for more good wines. Only the most hard-hearted of readers wouldn't want to join Rick and Hank on one of their tasting adventures.

But there is a sense that a bigger book was waiting to be written. The thesis of the book seems to have been "It's fun to wander around the Napa Valley". Well, duh. Perhaps a bit more attention could have been given to how the vintners adjust to changing climatic conditions, or how the Valley accommodates the newcomers who change their life to be nearer to Napa, or how local government tries to reconcile the rural character of the Valley with the increasing tourist stream.

I won't discourage anyone from reading this book. If you have a rainy Sunday afternoon, a nice bottle of pinot noir, and are looking for a light, fun read, you can do little better. But if you're looking for something with a bit more oak and tannin, you should look elsewhere.

I was looking for a comprehensive book on the Napa wineries and this book is perfect. It gives straight forward information on the atmoshere, hours, costs, and website for all the wineries- a great guide book tht I hightly recommend.

Very detailed and spot on review of tasting rooms across Napa. We lived in the area for two years and would take this handy guide on our weekend adventures to Napa. Wish they would write one for Sonoma County. If you're thinking about planning a trip to Napa any time soon, be sure to pick a copy of this book up.