Winemaking in Oregon began more than 150 years ago when Peter Britt of Jacksonville brought grapevine cuttings from California to create his Valley View Vineyard. By 1890, the Southern Oregon State Board of Agriculture forecast a vineyard-dotted Rogue Valley to rival "the castled Rhine, the classical vales of Italy and the sunny slopes of France." But Prohibition, which became law in Oregon four years before the rest of the country, killed the nascent industry. Not until the 1970s, when Americans discovered a passion for wine, was winegrowing and winemaking in Southern Oregon's Rogue Valley reestablished. Pear orchards were converted to vineyards, and winemaking--not on a California scale, but rather in boutique wineries tucked away along scenic country roads--began anew and thrived.
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND A NEW YORK TIMES CRITICS' PICK “Thrilling . . . [told] with gonzo élan . . . When the sommelier and blogger Madeline Puckette writes that this book is the Kitchen Confidential of the wine world, she’s not wrong, though Bill Buford’s Heat is probably a shade closer.” —Jennifer Senior, The New York Times Professional journalist and amateur drinker Bianca Bosker didn’t know much about wine—until she discovered an alternate universe where taste reigns supreme, a world of elite sommeliers who dedicate their lives to the pursuit of flavor. Astounded by their fervor and seemingly superhuman sensory powers, she set out to uncover what drove their obsession, and whether she, too, could become a “cork dork.” With boundless curiosity, humor, and a healthy dose of skepticism, Bosker takes the reader inside underground tasting groups, exclusive New York City restaurants, California mass-market wine factories, and even a neuroscientist’s fMRI machine as she attempts to answer the most nagging question of all: what’s the big deal about wine? What she learns will change the way you drink wine—and, perhaps, the way you live—forever. “Think: Eat, Pray, Love meets Somm.” —theSkimm “As informative as it is, well, intoxicating.” —Fortune
Most rational people don’t pay $40 for $20 items. And yet with wine, it happens all the time. Wine can be an expensive hobby. Founder of the popular site ReverseWineSnob,com, Jon Thorsen is an unapologetic frugal wine consumer. He flips wine snobbery on its head by pushing a $20 or less mantra. Reverse Wine Snob is designed to help wine drinkers stop wasting money and get the most satisfaction out of their drinking dollars. It reveals Thorsen’s Ten Tenets of Reverse Wine Snobbery—ten beliefs that eliminate myths about wine—as well as a unique rating system that includes the cost of the bottle so that there is satisfaction in both taste and price. In Jon’s unique system, the more expensive a wine, the better it must taste. Reverse Wine Snob explains: The number one rule all wine drinkers should follow, no matter what the wine snobs say. How to shop for wine at stores like the nation’s #1 wine retailer Costco and Trader Joe’s. The regions and varieties of wine that give the best value. Why the price of a wine has nothing to do with its taste. Why the distribution system in the US is broken which costs you money and limits your wine choices. Tons of Jon’s very favorite wine picks. Jon dapples in every kind of wine from $10 kitchen sink blends to the $20 “Saturday Night Splurge,” so delicious it’s worth twice the price. Reverse Wine Snob brings plain old common sense to the wine industry and encourages wine lovers to explore the world of inexpensive quality wine. Skyhorse Publishing, along with our Good Books and Arcade imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of cookbooks, including books on juicing, grilling, baking, frying, home brewing and winemaking, slow cookers, and cast iron cooking. We’ve been successful with books on gluten-free cooking, vegetarian and vegan cooking, paleo, raw foods, and more. Our list includes French cooking, Swedish cooking, Austrian and German cooking, Cajun cooking, as well as books on jerky, canning and preserving, peanut butter, meatballs, oil and vinegar, bone broth, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
From the James Beard Award–winning author: a “simple, easy to use and informative” guide to a global array of cheeses and their best wine pairings (San Antonio Express-News). The bestselling author of The Cheese Course presents a new guide to enjoying one of the most basic yet sophisticated culinary delights: cheese and wine. Janet Fletcher leads readers on an international tour of seventy cheeses, exploring the best wine pairings and serving suggestions. From Oregon’s autumnal Rogue River Blue to aromatic Brin d’Amour evocative of the Corsican countryside, cheese lovers will savor the range of textures, flavors, and colors. Featuring mouth-watering color photography and detailed, informative text, this collection of cheeses and the wines that go with them will inspire perfect pairings.
A magnificent collection of more than 60 fabulous wine country destinations, Spectacular Wineries of Oregon celebrates the grape through exquisite photographs and well-researched wine business profiles. A visually stunning tour, this book spotlights a variety of wineries, vineyards, and wine-oriented businesses that are defining the landscape of Oregon wine. Profiles introducing each establishment's owners, history, and specialties are complemented by a listing of signature wines and suggested pairings, sure to inspire both new and experienced palates.
As nutrition, food is essential, but in today’s world of excess, a good portion of the world has taken food beyond its functional definition to fine art status. From celebrity chefs to amateur food bloggers, individuals take ownership of the food they eat as a creative expression of personality, heritage, and ingenuity. Dwight Furrow examines the contemporary fascination with food and culinary arts not only as global spectacle, but also as an expression of control, authenticity, and playful creation for individuals in a homogenized, and increasingly public, world.
The remarkable untold story of France’s courageous, clever vinters who protected and rescued the country’s most treasured commodity from German plunder during World War II. "To be a Frenchman means to fight for your country and its wine." –Claude Terrail, owner, Restaurant La Tour d’Argent In 1940, France fell to the Nazis and almost immediately the German army began a campaign of pillaging one of the assets the French hold most dear: their wine. Like others in the French Resistance, winemakers mobilized to oppose their occupiers, but the tale of their extraordinary efforts has remained largely unknown–until now. This is the thrilling and harrowing story of the French wine producers who undertook ingenious, daring measures to save their cherished crops and bottles as the Germans closed in on them. Wine and War illuminates a compelling, little-known chapter of history, and stands as a tribute to extraordinary individuals who waged a battle that, in a very real way, saved the spirit of France.
ROGUE RIVER RENDEZVOUS focuses on the cuisine of the Pacific Northwest with salmon specialties tested by the Rogue River fishermen. Annotated recipes come with preparation hints, history folklore and beautiful color photos of the area. Winner of the 1991 Tabasco Community Cookbook Award.
A raucous and surprising novel filled with wonderful details about wine, Rex Pickett's Sideways is also a thought-provoking and funny book about men, women, and human relationships. The basis for the 2004 comedy-drama road movie of the same name starring Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church. Sideways is the story of two friends-Miles and Jack-going away together for the last time to steep themselves in everything that makes it good to be young and single: pinot, putting, and prowling bars. In the week before Jack plans to marry, the pair heads out from Los Angeles to the Santa Ynez wine country. For Jack, the tasting tour is Seven Days to D-Day, his final stretch of freedom. For Miles--who has divorced his wife, is facing an uncertain career and has lost his passion for living-the trip is a week long opportunity to evaluate his past, his future and himself.
The highly acclaimed author of "Judgment of Paris" explores the thriving business of bargain wines and offers his recommendations for the best values. Casual wine-drinkers and wine connoisseurs alike will benefit from this insider's guide to finding and enjoying good wine--at a great price.
