Liquor & Drinks

" Introduction to Wine Laboratory Practices and Procedures was written for the multitude of people entering the wine industry and those that wish to learn about wine chemistry and enology.

From antique beer bottles to closely guarded recipes and treasured historic architecture, brewery culture has a special place in American history. Focusing on American breweries, this book presents the material culture of breweries in the United States, from many regions of the country and from the early productions of the sixteenth century.

"Meticulously researched history...look[s] at how wine and Western civilization grew up together." -Dave McIntyre, Washington Post

Slippery tipples

Charles Baker has created what is perhaps the greatest armchair drinking book of all time.

Liquid Pleasures is an engrossing study of the social history of drinks in Britain from the late 17th century to the present. Connecting drinks and related substances to empire as well, the book also covers the drinks revolution of the 1990s.

This book presents all of the evidence for beer in ancient Europe, and demonstrates the important technological as well as ideological contributions made by the Europeans to the history of beer.

In 1300, women brewed and sold most of the ale drunk in England, but by 1600 the industry was largely controlled by men. This work asks how, when, and why brewing ceased to be a woman's trade. In doing so, it sheds light on the effects of early capitalism on the status of women's work.

Provides an introduction to the historical geography of viticulture and the wine trade from prehistory to the present, considering wine as a symbol, rich in meaning and a commercial product of great economic importance to specific regions.

Contains chapter that includes the following features: 'how to' and 'how not to' case studies based on international examples; a guide to further reading and websites; and 'issues to consider when marketing' section as a means of self-evaluation. It systematically outlines the major issues involved in the production and marketing of wine.

Explains the fundamental processes of making table wines. This book discusses the conditions, equipment, and basic materials used to make table wine. It explores the crucial aspects of growing and harvesting grapes; processing grapes; fermentation and wine composition; clarification and fining of wines; and stabilization; aging, and storage.

A fascinating tour of Lewes' pub scene, charting the town's taverns, alehouses and watering holes, from past centuries to more recent times.

Blackpool isn't a particularly old town and its rapid development has primarily been fuelled by tourism in the last 150 years or so. To cater for the millions of visitors that arrive each year, Blackpool has more licensed premises than anywhere else in the country outside of Central London. Like most other towns though, redevelopment of areas and the changes in social behaviour has led to many pubs being closed or restyled. Allan Wood and Chris Bottomley present an excellent collection of photographs from which the reader will glimpse some of Blackpool's 'lost' pubs as well as the town's more popular watering holes and established locals.

After reading this intriguing book, a glass of wine will be more than hints of blackberries or truffles on the palate. Written by the author of the popular, award-winning website DrVino.com, Wine Politics exposes a little-known but extremely influential aspect of the wine business-the politics behind it. Tyler Colman systematically explains how politics affects what we can buy, how much it costs, how it tastes, what appears on labels, and more. He offers an insightful comparative view of wine-making in Napa and Bordeaux, tracing the different paths American and French wines take as they travel from vineyard to dining room table. Colman also explores globalization in the wine business and illuminates the role of behind-the-scenes players such as governments, distributors, and prominent critics who wield enormous clout. Throughout, Wine Politics reveals just how deeply politics matters- right down to the taste of the wine in your glass tonight.

The Vikings called North America "e;Vinland,"e; the land of wine. Giovanni de Verrazzano, the Italian explorer who first described the grapes of the New World, was sure that "e;they would yield excellent wines."e; And when the English settlers found grapes growing so thickly that they covered the ground down to the very seashore, they concluded that "e;in all the world the like abundance is not to be found."e; Thus, from the very beginning the promise of America was, in part, the alluring promise of wine. How that promise was repeatedly baffled, how its realization was gradually begun, and how at last it has been triumphantly fulfilled is the story told in this book.It is a story that touches on nearly every section of the United States and includes the whole range of American society from the founders to the latest immigrants. Germans in Pennsylvania, Swiss in Georgia, Minorcans in Florida, Italians in Arkansas, French in Kansas, Chinese in California-all contributed to the domestication of Bacchus in the New World. So too did innumerable individuals, institutions, and organizations. Prominent politicians, obscure farmers, eager amateurs, sober scientists: these and all the other kinds and conditions of American men and women figure in the story. The history of wine in America is, in many ways, the history of American origins and of American enterprise in microcosm.While much of that history has been lost to sight, especially after Prohibition, the recovery of the record has been the goal of many investigators over the years, and the results are here brought together for the first time.In print in its entirety for the first time, A History of Wine in America is the most comprehensive account of winemaking in the United States, from the Norse discovery of native grapes in 1001 A.D., through Prohibition, and up to the present expansion of winemaking in every state.

This inspiring, engagingly written book, with its personal approach and global scope, is the first to explore women's increasingly influential role in the wine industry, traditionally a very male-dominated domain. Women of Wine draws on interviews with dozens of leading women winemakers, estate owners, professors, sommeliers, wine writers, and others in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere to create a fascinating mosaic of the women currently shaping the wine world that also offers a revealing insiders' look at the wine industry. To set the stage, Ann B. Matasar chronicles the historical barriers to women's participation in the industry, reviews post-World War II changes that created new opportunities for them, and pays tribute to a few extraordinary nineteenth-century women who left their mark on wine despite the odds against them. She then turns to her primary topic: an accessible discussion of women associated with some of the most prestigious wineries and institutions in both the Old and New Worlds that emphasizes their individual and collective contributions. Matasar also considers issues of importance to women throughout the business world including mentors, networking, marriage, family, education, self-employment versus the corporate life, and risk taking.

Thoughtfully conceived and very well written, this is essential somm reading.The Somm JournalThis is the most important wine book of the year, perhaps in many years.The Seattle TimesCrisply written, impeccably researched, balanced if fundamentally enthusiastic, scholarly but accessible, and full of unexpected details and characters.The World of Fine WineNo wine category has seen more dramatic growth in recent years than American Rhnevariety wines. Winemakers are devoting more energy, more acreage, and more bottlings to Rhne varieties than ever before. The flagship Rhne red, Syrah, is routinely touted as one of California's most promising varieties, capable of tremendous adaptability as a vine, wonderfully variable in style, and highly expressive of place. There has never been a better time for American Rhne wine producers. American Rhne is the untold history of the American Rhne wine movement. The popularity of these wines has been hard fought; this is a story of fringe players, unknown varieties, and longshot efforts finding their way to the mainstream. It's the story of winemakers gathering sufficient strength in numbers to forge a triumph of the obscure and the brash. But, more than this, it is the story of the maturation of the American palate and a new republic of wine lovers whose restless tastes and curiosity led them to Rhne wines just as those wines were reaching a critical mass in the marketplace. Patrick J. Comiskey's history of the American Rhne wine movement is both a compelling underdog success story and an essential reference for the wine professional.

Americans learned how to make wine successfully about two hundred years ago, after failing for more than two hundred years. Thomas Pinney takes an engaging approach to the history of American wine by telling its story through the lives of 13 people who played significant roles in building an industry that now extends to every state. While some names-such as Mondavi and Gallo-will be familiar, others are less well known. These include the wealthy Nicholas Longworth, who produced the first popular American wine; the German immigrant George Husmann, who championed the native Norton grape in Missouri and supplied rootstock to save French vineyards from phylloxera; Frank Schoonmaker, who championed the varietal concept over wines with misleading names; and Maynard Amerine, who helped make UC Davis a world-class winemaking school.

Every wine has a story. In this collection of elegantly written essays from the past thirty years, updated with a new introduction and endnotes, renowned author Gerald Asher informs wine enthusiasts with insightful, engrossing accounts of wines from Europe and America that offer just as much for those who simply enjoy vivid evocations of people and places. Asher puts wine in its context by taking the reader on a series of discursive journeys that start with the carafe at his elbow. In his introduction, Asher says, "e;Wine . . . draws on everything and leads everywhere."e; Whether the subject is a supposedly simple red wine shared in a Parisian cafe or a Napa Valley Cabernet tasted with its vintner, every essay in A Carafe of Red is as pleasurable as the wines themselves.

Gerald Asher, who served as Gourmet's wine editor for thirty years, has drawn together this selection of his essays, published in Gourmet and elsewhere, for the collective insight they give into why a wine should always be an expression of a place and a time. Guiding the reader through twenty-seven diverse wine regions in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and California, he shows how every wine worth drinking is a reflection of its terroir-in the broadest sense of that untranslatable word. In evocative reminiscences of wines, winemakers, and the meals he has had with them, he weaves together climate, terrain, and local history, sharing his knowledge and experience so skillfully that we learn as we are entertained and come to understand, gradually, that the meaning and pleasure of a wine lie always in the context of its origin and in the concurrence of where, how, and with whom we enjoy it.

"e;Sooner or later, nearly everyone who cares about wine and food comes to Sonoma"e;-so begins this lively excursion to a spectacular region that has become known internationally as a locavore's paradise. Part memoir, part vivid reportage, Field Days chronicles the renaissance in farming organically and eating locally that is unfolding in Northern California. Jonah Raskin tells of the year he spent on Oak Hill Farm-working the fields, selling produce at farmers' markets, and following it to restaurants. He also goes behind the scenes at Whole Foods. In this luminous account of his experiences, Raskin introduces a dynamic cast of characters-farmers, chefs, winemakers, farm workers, and environmentalists. They include such luminaries as Warren Weber at Star Route Farm, the oldest certified organic farm in Marin County; Bob Cannard, who has supplied Chez Panisse with vegetables for decades; Sharon Grossi, the owner of the largest organic farm in Sonoma; and Craig Stoll, the founder and executive chef at Delfina in San Francisco. Raskin also offers portraits of renowned historical figures, including Luther Burbank, Jack London, and M.F.K. Fisher. Field Days is a heartfelt celebration of the farm-to-table movement and its cultural reverberations.

Richard Mendelson brings together his expertise as both a Napa Valley lawyer and a winemaker into this accessible overview of American wine law from colonial times to the present. It is a story of fits and starts that provides a fascinating chronicle of the history of wine in the United States told through the lens of the law. From the country's early support for wine as a beverage to the moral and religious fervor that resulted in Prohibition and to the governmental controls that followed Repeal, Mendelson takes us to the present day-and to the emergence of an authentic and significant wine culture. He explains how current laws shape the wine industry in such areas as pricing and taxation, licensing, appellations, health claims and warnings, labeling, and domestic and international commerce. As he explores these and other legal and policy issues, Mendelson lucidly highlights the concerns that have made wine alternatively the demon or the darling of American society-and at the same time illuminates the ways in which lives and livelihoods are affected by the rise and fall of social movements.

The best wine and food pairings create harmony among unexpected flavors. Chardonnay, Riesling, and Merlot are classic pairing choices, but less conventional grape varieties like Albarino, Grenache, Gruner Veltliner, Malbec, and Tempranillo are becoming increasingly popular, coveted by those with curious palates and a taste for good value. In Daring Pairings, the adventurous companion to the acclaimed Perfect Pairings, Master Sommelier Evan Goldstein shows how anyone can bring these emerging, exciting varieties to the table. He ventures into wine's new frontiers, exploring the flavors and pairing potential of thirty-six distinctive grapes from around the world, including Argentina, Spain, Italy, Greece, and France. In his entertaining and approachable style, Goldstein offers advice on crafting unforgettable wine and food pairings, suggests wines for everyday and special occasions, and recommends producers and importers. Thirty-six star chefs present recipes specially tailored to Goldstein's wine selections, and full-color photographs display these dishes in delectable splendor. This authoritative, down-to-earth guide reveals that pairing food and wine is no great mystery-anyone willing to explore or experiment can create bold and memorable combinations.With recipes and commentary from:Nate Appleman, Dan Barber, Ben Barker, Paul Bartolotta,Michelle Bernstein, Floyd Cardoz, Robert Del Grande, Tom Douglas, Suzanne Goin, Joyce Goldstein, Christopher Gross, Fergus Henderson, Gerald Hirigoyen, Philippe Jeanty, Douglas Keane, Hubert Keller, Loretta Keller, David Kinch, Evan Kleiman, Mourad Lahlou, Michael Leviton, Emily Luchetti, Laurent Manrique, Lachlan M. Patterson, Cindy Pawlcyn, Anne S. Quatrano, Michael Romano, Susan Spicer, Frank Stitt, Craig Stoll, Ethan Stowell, Charlie Trotter, Larry Tse, Richard Vellante, Vikram Vij, Kate Zuckerman

"What makes the book so encompassing, informative, and relevant is that Haeger has avoided focusing on viticulture or enology or economy in isolation, and has instead looked at all of them in their historic and contemporary scientific and socio-cultural context. . . . Not everyone loves Riesling, but those of us who do will find our passion articulately explained and expressed in Haeger's book."—Anne Krebiehl, MW, The World of Fine Wine "If you haven't been sold on dry riesling, this is required reading; if you're already a fan, it's an essential reference to add to your shelf."—Wine & Spirits Riesling is the world's seventh most-planted white wine grape variety and among the fastest growing over the past twenty years. It is a personal favorite of many sommeliers, chefs, and other food and wine professionals for its appealing aromatics, finesse, and minerality; for its uncanny ability to reflect terroir; and for its impressive versatility with cuisines of all types. It is stylistically paradoxical, however. Now usually made dry in most of Europe and Australia, and assumed dry by most German consumers, Riesling is made mostly sweet or lightly sweet in North America and is believed sweet in the American marketplace irrespective of origin. Riesling is thus consequently—but mistakenly—shunned by the mainstream of American wine drinkers, whose tastes and habits have been overwhelmingly dry for two generations.  Riesling Rediscovered looks at the present state of dry Riesling across the Northern Hemisphere: where it is grown and made, what models and objectives vintners have in mind, and what parameters of grape growing and winemaking are essential when the goal is a delicious dry wine. John Winthrop Haeger explores the history of Riesling to illuminate how this variety emerged from a crowded field of grape varieties grown widely across northern Europe. Riesling Rediscovered is a comprehensive, current, and accessible overview of what many consider to be the world's finest and most versatile white wine.

As the global wine industry reinvents itself for twenty first-century palates, Washington is poised to become as important and influential as California on the world stage. National and international attention has brought interest in the state's wines to an all-time high. Yet, in just the past few years, a tidal wave of change has rolled over the state's wine industry. To keep wine enthusiasts thoroughly up to date, Paul Gregutt has now completely revised and expanded his critically acclaimed guide to Washington's best grapes, vineyards, wines, winemakers, and wineries. With twice as many winery and vineyard profiles, updated tasting notes, and new recommended producers for each grape variety, this edition of Washington Wines and Wineries will continue to be the definitive reference on the subject.

The most comprehensive guide to the wines of the entire continent, Wines of South America introduces readers to the astounding quality and variety of wines that until recently have been enjoyed, for the most part, only locally. Master Sommelier Evan Goldstein leads wine enthusiasts on an exciting geographical journey across ten countries, describing the wines, grapes, and regions of each. Goldstein begins the tour with a continental overview, discussing the arrival of the vine and wine culture, surveying the range of grapes planted and cultivated, and summarizing the development of modernday viticulture and winemaking. He explores the two giants of the continent, Argentina and Chile, in expansive chapters that cover their unique histories, wine regions, wine styles, prominent grapes, and leading producers. Goldstein covers the evolving industries of Brazil and Uruguay and discusses the modern-day activities in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela. Up-to-date maps, several engaging photos, and pertinent statistics support each section, which also feature lively profiles of key individuals and wineries that have influenced the development of the craft. A closing chapter is devoted to food in South America, with specific information on wine country dining and leading chefs and restaurants. The author provides practical advice for travelers, an appendix of available resources for learning more about the wines of each region, and lists of 'top 10' wine recommendations for quick reference.

The World of Sicilian Wine provides wine lovers with a comprehensive understanding of Sicilian wine, from its ancient roots to its modern evolution. Offering a guide and map to exploring Sicily, Bill Nesto, an expert in Italian wine, and Frances Di Savino, a student of Italian culture, deliver a substantive appreciation of a vibrant wine region that is one of Europe's most historic areas and a place where many cultures intersect. From the earliest Greek and Phoenician settlers who colonized the island in the eighth century B.C., the culture of wine has flourished in Sicily. A parade of foreign rulers was similarly drawn to Sicily's fertile land, sun-filled climate, and strategic position in the Mediterranean. The modern Sicilian quality wine industry was reborn in the 1980s and 1990s with the arrival of wines made with established international varieties and state-of-the-art enology. Sicily is only now rediscovering the quality of its indigenous grape varieties, such as Nero d'Avola, Nerello Mascalese, Frappato, Grillo, and distinctive terroirs such as the slopes of Mount Etna.

Sought after by European aristocrats and a favorite of Napoleon Bonaparte, the sweet wines of Constantia in the Cape Colony were considered to be among the world's best during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. During the first democratic elections in 1994, South Africa began to re-emerge onto the international wine scene. Tim James, an expert on South African wines, takes the reader on an information-packed tour of the region, showing us how and why the unique combination of terroir and climate, together with dramatic improvements in winemaking techniques, result in wines that are once again winning accolades. James describes important grape varieties and wine styles-from delicate sparkling, to rich fortified, and everything in between-including the varietal blends that produce some of the finest Cape wines. Anchoring his narrative in a rich historical context, James discusses all the major wine regions, from Cederberg to Walker Bay, complete with profiles of more than 150 of the country's finest producers.

Seeking to penetrate the mysteries of two great wine regions-"e;two opposite civilizations, two distinct ways of feeling"e;-Jean-Robert Pitte embarks upon an evocative and fascinating exploration of the land, people, and wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy. His account is a rich tapestry of terroir, history, culture, and economics from Roman to modern times. The unique qualities of the wines of each region, Pitte believes, cannot be entirely explained by the differences in their physical environments: they have social origins as well. Beginning with an entertaining look at the remarkable variety of insults exchanged by partisans of the two regions, Pitte delves into the key role played by medieval monks, dukes, and peasant vignerons in building their respective reputations and in creating the rivalry between bourgeois Bordeaux and earthy Burgundy that we know today. His sparkling, fair-minded narrative, engaging the senses and the mind alike, conveys a deep appreciation of two incomparable winegrowing cultures, united despite their differences by a common ambition to produce the best wines in the world.

The Zinfandel grape-currently producing big, rich, luscious styles of red wine-has a large, loyal, even fanatical following in California and around the world. The grape, grown predominantly in California, has acquired an almost mythic status-in part because of the caliber of its wines and its remarkable versatility, and in part because of the mystery surrounding its origins. Charles Sullivan, a leading expert on the history of California wine, has at last written the definitive history of Zinfandel. Here he brings together his deep knowledge of wine with the results of his extensive research on the grape in the United States and Europe in a book that will entertain and enlighten wine aficionados and casual enthusiasts. In this lively book, Sullivan dispels the false legend that has obscured Zinfandel's history for almost a century, reveals the latest scientific findings about the grape's European roots, shares his thoughts on the quality of the wines now being produced, and looks to the future of this remarkable grape. Sullivan reconstructs Zinfandel's journey through history-taking us from Austria to the East Coast of the U.S. in the 1820s, to Gold Rush California, and through the early days of the state's wine industry. He considers the ups and downs of the grape's popularity, including its most recent and, according to Sullivan, most brilliant "e;up."e; He also unravels the two great mysteries surrounding Zinfandel: the myth of Agoston Haraszthy's role in importing Zinfandel, and the heated controversy over the relationship between California Zinfandel and Italian Primitivo. Sullivan ends with his assessments of the 2001 and 2002 vintages, firmly setting the history of Zinfandel into the chronicles of grape history.