Book Review
These books are recommended by the Century House Vigneron and are required reading for any future wine makers or vineyard owners:
I loved this book. Here's the first sentence: "Wine talks; ask anyone." This is the story of a writer named Jay (nice choice) who buys a vineyard / farm in France sight unseen after being affected by some old homemade wine from his youth. Must have for you dreamer / wine lover types.
This book is on special order, but I wholly recommend it. As the name implies, Cox starts with the soil, walks you through starting a vineyard, into your first harvest. The second half of the book explores the nuances in making your own wine, in terms understandable to the beginner but with technical meat.
From Vines to Wines, by Jeff Cox.
I also bought the new edition shown to the left and can recommend it as well. The author has updated certain texts, but the meat of the book remains the same. Buy the newer one if you want the latest, buy the older one if you can get a better deal.
Small print, a million pages, and gorgeous photos - this thing is a textbook on everything wine. Read it all and you can converse with any wine snob. But then you miss the point. Start by looking at the photos until somewhere or something
catches your eye. Then begin your exploration. I often go to this hefty guy
when a certain curmudgeon winemaker lets me in on little known "facts".
Keeps him honest (I think).
WInemaking : From Grape Growing to Marketplace by Richard Vine
Intense book starting a winery including grape growing, harvesting, winemaking, lab tests and building layout. I refer to it often.
Older classic. Tells the story of an immigrant family trying to save their farm. No grapes here, though. Read this one in the winter prior to planting your vineyard in the spring - if you're insane enough to get into the grape business.
A modern glimpse of a year in the life of a California wine family. Neat thing about this book is it's not fiction. Read this book slowly - over several weeks. Lot's of info about food, which I'd like to spend more time exploring. It's about attitude towards living - and I like that. Good stuff on the winery business too as occasional asides.
Book jacket sums it up well - "A Memoir of Life, Love and Olive Oil in the South of France". Like the Harris and Cather books, a story about getting, owning, running a farm as a life style. Not focused on the grape but the olive. Another noble fruit.
For other books
