Books

Following is a list of books on growing grapes and wine-making I found worthwhile reading

Like Modern Edens - Winegrowing in Santa Clara Valley 1798-1981: published by California History Center 1982; written by Charles Sullivan, 180 pages: Detailed chronology of vineyards and wineries in Santa Clara, CA (Santa Cruz Mountain appellation and nearby). Detailed references to historical records and families involved.

Mountain Vines & Mountain Wines, Published by Mountain Vines Publishing, Santa Cruz 2003, Written by Casey Young, 115 pages. History of the Santa Cruz Mountain Viticulture Area and detail description of 50 wineries in the area (with full coordinates and visiting hours). Great pictures.

An Ideal Wine. Published by Harper Collins 2011. Written by David Darlington. 350 pages. Fascinating stories of the modern heroes in the Californian wine industry. Beautifully contrasts the naturalist and marketing genius Randall Graham of Bonny Doon Vineyard with the many business and ratings focused corporations in Nappa Valley

A Vineyard in Nappa. Published by University of California Press 2012. Written by Doug Shafer, 260 pages. Colorful story of how John Shafer (the author's father) left the publishing industry in Illinois to start Shafer Vineyards, a now iconic vineyard & winery in the Stag's Leap district of Napa. Trials and tribulations of an enthusiast and his family.

Wine Wars: puclished by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, US, 2011. Written by Mike Veseth, 250 pages. Fascinating exposition by an economist on the oposing forces reshaping the global wine industry. Entertaining read explaining the coexistence of uniform mass production and specialized local wine-making.

How-To books for vineyard management

Viticulture, Published by Winetitles Pty Australia, 2nd edition, reprinted 2008. Volumes 1 & 2, Edited by P.R. Dry & B.G. Coombe. 230 pages each. Compilation of dozens of academic articles .Excellent detailed text book and reference book on all aspects of vineyard management. Focus on Australia.

Field Giude to Diseases, Pests and Disorders of Grapes. Published by Winetitles, Pty Australia, reprinted 2006, edited by P.A. Magarey etc. 100 pages. Laminated pocket guide. Invaluable guide to have to identify grape diseases even though if focuses on Australian and New Zealand vineyards.

Cover Cropping in Vineyards: Published by University of Clifornia, DANR, 1998, edited by Chuck Ingels et al.160 pages. Excellent description of alternative cover crop species and applications; good review of vineyard pest management.

How-To books for winemaking

Making Table Wine at Home. Published by University of California, Agricultural & Natural Resources, P#214334 , written by Gerge M. Cooke, 44 pages. Very basic and straight-forward introduction to wine making. Good first read for the novice.

Guide to Red Wine Making: Published by MoreWine (see Suppliers) 2008. Written by Shea AJ Comfort, 70 pages : Excellent and very practical guide for the home winemaker. Provides step by step description for each step, from buying grapes to bottling. Links all explanations to equipment, tools and chemicals that can be purchased at MoreWine. Rather interventionist approach, shows how to deal with most winemaking problems and challenges as they arise.

Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Wine: published by Fireside / Simon & Schuster 1989 (out of print), written by Miechel Schuster, 140 pages. Quite detailed and well illustrated introduction to wine tasting, wine making and cellaring. Targeted for the enthusiast wine consumer.

Understanding Wine Technology, 3rd Edition published by DBQA Publishing, UK, 2010. Written by David Bird, 300 pages. Detail yet simple description of wine chemistry and technologies, well illustrated with pictures and graphics. A good read for the more involved and a good reference guide.

Concepts in Wine Technology – Small Winery Operations, 3rd edition published by Wine Appreciation Guild, San Francisco 2012, written by Yair Margalit, 300 pages. Excellent practical guidebook for small wineries. Very detailed, with an academic bent. My first point of reference when I need to check something on winery operations

Concepts in Wine Chemistry, 3rd edition published by Wine Appreciation Guild, San Francisco 2012, written by Yair Margalit, 550 pages. The ultimate reference and text book about wine chemistry. Very detailed with lots of references.

The Art and Science of Wine, published by Firefly Books, Canada 2007, written by James Halliday & Hugh Johnson,230 pages. Nicely illustrated description of the practice of wine-making, from the vineyard to the barrel. The best parts are the dozen excellent tables describing the different processes and choices for winemakers of a wide range of wines - from champagne to sweet desert wines.

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Last updated: November 7, 2013