Summer in a Glass: The Coming of Age of Winemaking in the Finger Lakes Hardcover – April 5, 2011

You know a book is good when you're bummed to be deplaning a cross-country flight before you've finished reading. But that's what happened to me with Evan Dawson's Summer in a Glass: The Coming of Age of Winemaking in the Finger Lakes recently.

The book tells the stories of 13 winemakers in the New York State wine region, each extensively researched and told in a narrative non-fiction format. I found the approach particularly effective in conveying each winemaker's story and raising their wines to a higher level of understanding and potential enjoyment. On several occasions I found myself wanting to seek out specific wines described in the book.

If the idea of reading winemaker stories leaves you uninspired I think I might know how you feel. For me, most winery stories sound similar: Guy makes boatloads of money in a non-related industry, dumps it into the sexier wine trade and is now producing wine made with unparalleled standards at unbelievably high prices. That said Summer in a Glass succeeds by relating stories in a way the winemakers themselves might have trouble conveying with a similar level of intrigue.

Perhaps that's because the author is a storyteller by trade anchoring the news desk at Rochester's ABC affiliate. He's also a wine writer who contributes regularly to online wine publications - primarily the highly regarded New York Cork Report. Dawson is the kind of writer I find interesting regardless of the subject he's writing about -- whether it's migraines, Barbaresco or Finger Lakes Riesling.

Impressive On a Number of Levels

First and foremost there's the undeniable charm of being transported to a region like the Finger Lakes. Given its duration and intensity, winter in the Finger Lakes makes summer all the more appreciated and Dawson captures the essence of each season beautifully. It's never in your face with metaphors but the notion of how special warm summer nights are comes through brilliantly.

At its best Summer in a Glass weaves chapters together in near-cliff hanger style showing the interconnectedness of winemakers in the region leaving the reader wondering how each winery will fare.

The work Dawson put into researching the stories relayed is evident and pays dividends. Dawson's wide-open, inclusive personality comes through brilliantly as he embeds just enough of himself in the story to draw the reader in.

One of the most difficult things to do as a narrative story teller, I think, is convey a story about the less-likeable character. It's relatively easy to tell the story of a gregarious German like Anthony Road's Johannes Reinhardt but revealing the essence of a highly regarded but not-so-collaborative winemaker like Hermann Wiemer is a different challenge. As an author you know the subject will read what you've written - and might not be happy with it - but Dawson finds a way to find the best lighting for each personality while painting an accurate picture.

Conclusion and Recommendations

After reading Summer in a Glass in some ways I regret not visiting the region already. But at the same time I feel I now have a reliable guide pointing me some of the best producers in the region and an interest in tasting the wines to compare notes with what's described in the book.

If you're a content creator you might find yourself wondering as you read the book: Could I write something on par with this about another wine region? Regardless of the answer the fact the book has you asking that question is, I think, an inspiring achievement in itself.

I highly recommend Summer in a Glass for anyone interested in good stories about wine, especially in the Finger Lakes, and especially if you're headed there for a visit any time soon.

This book shows you the passions and personalities of the people who have chosen to devote their lives to making wine in the Finger Lakes region of New York. The author makes you care not just about the individuals but about the region as a whole. He honestly deals with both the strengths and weaknesses of the wines (and the winemakers). The book is an easy read that is for anyone who cares about wine and/or this area of upstate New York. Pour yourself a glass of NY Riesling and enjoy every word.

Great read for any wine enthusiast,especially from the Finger Lakes Area. I was a bit reluctant to start a book about wine making, thinking it would be dry, but found it very engaging and humorous. Dawson follows several wine-makers from Johannes Reinardt in Germany to many modern day names in the region. I found the chapter on Dr. Konstantin Frank to be the moste interesting, especially all the politics involved in this business. Who knew there was so much wrangling going on behind the scenes between growers and government? Each chapter has a "prequel" giving some nice background and history before diving into present day. This book is also wonderful in describing the beautiful region that is the Finger Lakes, long overlooked as the gem that it is. Anyone would appreciate it as a gift, or perhaps, to encourage distant relatives to visit.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: "Summer in a Glass" by Evan Dawson. Engaging, entertaining profiles of winemakers in the up-and-coming Finger Lakes region of NY. The book reads like a novel, but these are real people, and at the end of each chapter I'm almost sorry to leave each new friend/expert and go off to meet the next one.

The book was great!! By the end I felt like I personnally knew the author, his wife and best of all, the winemakers of the Finger Lakes. I live in the Finger Lakes region and frequent the wineries and I have a totally new appreciation for the great Finger Lakes wines.

...My favorite book of the summer...I did not want it to end!
Through this I met winemakers and grape growers of New York's
Finger Lakes region and learned a bit of their craft.

My sister and I featured some of the wines discussed in this book during a launch party for our new business in 2015. We also raffled off a copy of the book autographed by Evan. My sister raved about the book and now that I finally got around to reading it, I am truly sorry it took me so long to borrow it. This wonderful book exceeded my expectations because it's not just a great book about wine - even more so, it is a great collection of integrated storytelling that make this book a non-fiction star in my mind. It was so enjoyable and inspiring to read real stories about real people whose collective efforts have raised the profile of our beloved Finger Lakes region. I'm envious at how passionate these winemakers are about their craft and am grateful I can taste the delicious fruits of their labor.

What a wonderful book. This book tells the stories of thirteen different people/families who have molded the Finger Lakes wine region into what it is today. The winemakers come from all over the world and often from unlikely backgrounds. Many had to overcome major obstacles to make their wineries work and some took significant risks to make world-class wines. I found myself teary-eyed on more than one occasion as I read about winemakers who beat the odds to create extraordinary wines. This book provides a view into winemakers, wine making and the Finger Lakes region. After reading this book, one begins to feel the wine culture that has emerged in the Finger Lakes and realizes that the Finger Lakes has come of age as a world-class wine producing region. This is a very enjoyable and informative read. Now I will drink Finger Lakes wines with a new appreciation and I will be much more knowledgable as I visit Finger Lakes wineries.