Customer Reviews

Napa Valley: The Ultimate Winery Guide--Revised and Updated, Fourth Edition

5 star:		(8)
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As a California native, and a person who has lived in the Napa Valley and Sonoma County wine country for years, I keep my copy of "Napa Valley The Ultimate Winery Guide" in the trunk of my car. It is not only my guide to wineries in each particular geographic section of Napa Valley, but also my resource for tracking down a certain vintage or type of wine.

It also assists me in planning short excursions during which I may want to visit an art gallery along with a winery, and long weekend tours with friends when I want to give an overview with a bit of everything Napa Valley has to offer: a small town not well-known by tourists, a French-Chateau, the best view in the Valley, wonderful walks and, always, pointers on events--both fixed offerings at each winery and seasonal goings-on. The detailed information and directions make this guide a user-friendly pleasure.

In short, this is a convenient reference book on how to get the most out of Napa Valley...whether you are a resident who hasn't yet had the opportunity to discover all of Ms. Allegra's wonderful finds, or a visitor wanting to pack a variety of the Valley's best into a day or two.

This is a must for anyone visiting Napa Valley, or vicariously enjoying an armchair tour through the beautiful photographs.

"We have a day or two. There are 200+ wineries. How can we best enjoy a quality visit of the Napa Valley"?

While directing the Napa Valley Wine Auction, this question was often posed to me by prospective visitors. What a pleasure it was and is to point guests in the direction of Antonia Allegra's fine book, Napa Valley: The Ultimate Winery Guide. It is a splendid resource for discovering or simply remembering the wonders of this world-renown wine region.

Antonia Allegra's award-winning writing style, reminiscent of MFK Fisher, complemented by the stunning photography of Richard Gillette is as inviting as the lush landscapes of the Napa Valley itself. Touring alternatives, including many hidden gems, are selected from the favored 50 wineries. While offering seasonal variation, tours are thoughtfully presented to appeal to a wide range of possible reader interests be they wine-making, architecture, gardens, panoramas, art, grape-growing or regional characteristics. Even cave-dwellers will find a dream tour in these pages. As a guide, a gift or a treasure, readers are certain to find satisfaction in the Artistry of "Napa Valley: The Ultimate Winery Guide". I've purchased dozens as gifts, and most recently carried several copies of Allegra's book on a luggage-sparse trek of South America where it became a wonderful tool for communicating the otherwise indescribably rich wonders of this valley I have the good fortune to call "home".

LN Russell

This is a coffee table book, not a guide. I thought that this would be something I could tote along with me while my husband and I explore the valley. Better left at home. Nice show piece, but that's about it.

Having never been to the valley, this book was an invaluable help in breaking down the different wineries into catagories of interest other than just wine tasting, and the suggestions were right on the money. A must for any first time goer, and a great source for all else.

5/8/2001

NAPA VALLEY: The Ultimate Winery Guide Revised and updated Third Edition by Antonia Allegra Photography by Richard Gillette Forward by Robert Mondavi

In her book, NAPA VALLEY: The Ultimate Winery Guide, Antonia Allegra features 29 of her favorite wineries. She bases her selections on how she feels they will become an enjoyable learning experience as well as a fond memory. Richard Gillette's splendid photography makes this a feast of photos, a collection to keep and share.

Allegra's book is filled with winemaking stories and local history. Each property, with its ancient and contemporary art, fills ivy-covered halls, Victorian landmarks and ambling chateaus. These are mixed amongst magnificent castles, an old California abbey and a Greco-Roman temple. Humble mission abodes and California plantation homes lend their appeal, as well.

Allegra devotes a separate chapter to each winery, with a side bar telling access details, hours of operation, tasting times -- charges, if any -- types of wine offered and website information. She also indexes each winery as to region, town, visiting seasons and special attractions. In a section entitled, Triangle Tours, Allegra suggests three easily seen wineries during a single day's Napa Valley outing.

This Guide is as beautiful as it is helpful. (end)

First, let's ignore the oxymoron of the "ultimate" guide's fourth edition - if that first edition was so "ultimate," how come three (so far) came after?

The format is straightforward: two or four pages per winery, with glorious photos of the vineyards, buildings, or other distinguishing features of each winery. The tourist's basics are spelled out on the first of that winery's pages: address and contact information hours of operation, tour arrangements, typical offerings in the tasting room, and tasting fees. A brief, enthusiastic description follows, often with a sound bite or two from the owners.

It's a great help in planning your wine country vacation, or reminder of the good times you had in the Napa valley. Don't expect serious criticism or comparison of the wines - that's for a different book. Do check the information presented, since it's been at least three years (as of this writing) since the most recent edition came out. But dig in and enjoy, since that's what wine and travel are all about.

//wiredweird

If you travel to the Napa Valley without this book, you will commit the unpardonable vacation crime of being uninformed about the must-see, must-taste nooks and crannies of your destination. You can purchase other Napa Valley books, but they won't be this well-written, this beautifully rendered, and this chock-full of mouth-watering recommendations and tips. The authors are true food and wine insiders, and they're not impressed by trendiness for its own sake. If you want the most interesting winery experience possible in the Napa Valley, check out this book.

This is the only book you need to know everything you need to know about winerys in the Napa Valley plus a little local lore and some beautiful pictures. If you want to know where to go and what you will find after you get there this guide is for you. Someone has done their research (things change so fast in the Valley) because we found this information very up to date--we could count on it. I've won more that one argument concerning time or price or location based on the information in this book!

Wonderful pictures and great insight into the Napa Valley. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has visited Napa (as a rememberance) or to anyone planning a visit (great for planning your visit). The book included my favorite wineries from my last visit and gave me great ideas of which ones I must see next time. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

This book is all you need to visit Napa. The explanations are great, and the pictures are excellent. If you do not know where to go or which ones to visit in a short stay (needless to say that you can't visit ALL of them unless you are planning to move in), after reading the book you have all the information to make a plan. I loved the detail explanations about the wine tours. Did I mention that the pictures are excellent?