Washington Wine Country (Paperback)

by Robert M. Reynolds (Photographer), Judy Peterson-Nedry (Author) "Washington state's lasting love affair with European winegrape varieties can be traced back to the English-born residents of Fort Vancouver, who brought their taste for..." (more)
Key Phrases: premium winegrapes, assistant winemaker, own winery, Eastern Washington, Walla Walla, Chateau Ste (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Washington Sate is known for its apples, its rainy climate, and its dramatic scenery. But did you know that over one hundred wineries call Washington home, and that the state ranks number two in wine production nationwide? This new book comes to us from the wine-savvy duo of author Judy Peterson-Nedry, one of the world's foremost experts in Northwest Wines, and photographer Robert M. Reynolds, whose luminous images of Northwest life are unparalleled. Together, they bring to life the vineyards of the countryside and the people of the industry, from the largest winery to the smallest grape-grower.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company (March 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558685286
• ISBN-13: 978-1558685284
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,393,528 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Journey Through Washington Wine Country!, May 5, 2000

By A Customer

This was an eloquent and visually exciting way to experience all aspects of the Washington Wine Industry. I never realized that there were so many award-winning wineries in such a conentrated geographical area. I will definitely be sending this book for wedding, birthday and Christmas gifts from Amazon.com!

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful photos, great winery profiles, some redundant text, March 29, 2007

By	raboof "Lauren in Tokyo" (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews

The photos in this short paperback are stunning. This owes a lot to the natural beauty of the Washington environment, but the photographers deserve huge kudos for getting these fleeting shots. Washington state isn't all rain and clouds (don't let anyone know I told you that).

Each page is either filled with full-page photos or text describing Washington wines. On the sidebar of each textual page is a short profile of the winemaker or owner of a Washington winery. These short passages bring the reader much closer to the subject and the smiling faces of the winemakers give more proof to the claim that Washington wines are about enjoyment and friendship rather than pretentiousness. The writing in these profiles is a little erratic, though. It seems likely that the author either had the vintners write the profiles themselves and then revised the profiles for publishing.

The text itself covers the history of Washington wines, from the earliest days of the first settlers all the way through to 2000. It's treatment is fairly superficial, but enough details are provided to bring together the whole picture for readers.

The types of grapes grown in Washington is another section. This is where I think the book gets a little redundant with other wine books. The authors name a varietal, then describe its brief history in the state, then describe how it is used in wine. This is pretty run-of-the-mill stuff that just seems like a rehash here.

All in all, I think this book is worth owning, if nothing more than the photos. The profiles are really great and the Washington wine world small enough that these people are very approachable (seriously. try to get out of a conversation with Lou Facelli at the Facelli Winery in under an hour!) I give the book 4 stars because I think a bit of it was just filler. OTOH, extra filler means more space for photos, so it's a pleasant tradeoff.