Recently I finished reading When the Rivers Ran Red: An Amazing Story of Courage and Triumph in America’s Wine Country by Vivienne Sosnowski. What a powerful story about Prohibition. Sosnowski presents a side of Prohibition that is seldom heard – the side of the winemakers and vineyard owners. Yes, there is a lot of detail but this is a nonfiction book and the details included provide a believability of how Prohibition affected those in particularly in Sonoma and Napa Valleys. Historians and wine enthusiasts will enjoy reading about the other side of Prohibition. For a review of the book read the Wine Trail Traveler review.

We recently visited one of the wineries that lost thousands of gallons of wine mentioned in the book. Read a review of Foppiano Vineyards on Wine Trail Traveler.

I recently discovered, Food Bites, The Science of the Foods We Eat by Richard W. Hartel and Annakate Hartel. Chapter three, only two pages long, is titled “Vintage Wines and Chocolates.” In only two pages they discuss the cocoa bean and grape. Both are affected by the growing conditions. This affects the finished product. There is so much science involved in winemaking; I wish the authors had added an additional chapter about wine including brix levels, yeast, fermentation and more.

Other chapters in the book include “Process Food: Good or Bad?,” Food Safety and Mobile Food Carts,” “Butter or Margarine?” and “Kool-Aid or Tang?”

While this is an interesting book and based on columns written by Richard Hartel, I hope he will consider another lengthier book with “generous portion” chapters.

Cheers! Kathy

Wine Tasting: A Professional Handbook by Ronald Jackson

Just realized that while I had written a long review of this wine tasting book for Suite101, I had not reviewed it on the Wine Trail Traveler website. Of course, according to Suite101 rules one is not allowed to reuse the same article elsewhere for one year. Besides Google doesn’t like duplicate contents so, I’ll do a rewrite for the book review section of Wine Trail Traveler. In the meantime, you may want to read the review on Suite101.

Cheers! Kathy

Browsing online wine-related books a couple of weeks ago, I came across a set of grape variety cards. The set of cards is entitled, Vinifera: The World’s Great Wine Grapes and their Stories. I decided to order the cards with some reservations. They arrived yesterday. Included in the set are 45 cards with vibrant photos of grapes on one side and information on the backside.

While most of the grapes included are common, some are a bit more unusual including Mission and Viura. A brief history, description of the vine and pairing are included in the information. At the end of the card the country of origin is mentioned. Information on the cards may well be conversation starters.

This comes in a heavy-duty colorful cardboard box and is easy to carry. If you are frequently asking yourself about food pairings, consider carrying this box of cards with you when you are shopping.

Cheers!

Kathy 

Charles Hodgson, author of Global Wording, has recently released a new book, History of Wine Words: An Intoxicating Dictionary of Etymology and Word Histories from the Vineyard, Glass and Bottle.

This 208-page book provides a look at the origins of words related to wine. The book has three basic categories including locations/regions/, grape varietals and winemaking. While I have not read the book, from page to page, I have enjoyed browsing a large selection of the words. It is interesting that many of the words are so commonplace today that one doesn’t think about the development of the word. History of Wine Words does not cover every associated wine word. Hodgson has done his best to select words that he believes are of interest to people. Therefore while you find “maceration,” you won’t find “riddling.” 

The only word I discovered that I was disappointed in was “toast.” Hodgson refers to only one connotation of the word “toast” – the offering of a toast to someone. Nowhere in the discussion does he mention barrel “toast.”

With so many wine books on the market, History of Wine Words, makes an unusual addition to your collection. This book may appeal to the etymologist and wine lover. It is also a good conversation starter. The book is available at Amazon. 

Cheers! Kathy

Unforgettable Walks to Take Before You Die

Authors: Steve Watkins and Clare Jones

Published by Firefly Books Ltd. 2008

Yesterday I spent time at my local library browsing through books. I can easily spend hours at the library. Numerous topics interest me besides wine so it is delightful to come across a book that grabs my eye. Okay, so the cover is bright orange. In large font the title begins with Unforgettable. Pulling the book out from amidst the others, I almost returned the book to the shelf because of the complete title, Unforgettable Walks to Take Before You Die. After all there is enough focus on bad news in the world, dying is not a focus for me at this moment. Hesitating, I quickly started turning pages and realized the photos were wonderful and that the book concentrates on living. 

In the introduction, the authors write “ By choosing to walk, which naturally engages both body and mind, we sense everything around us more acutely, and can have a deeper, healthier and revitalizing travel experience.”

Filled with numerous photographs on almost every page, this book is delightful to enjoy and if you want more details read the accompanying articles.

The authors chose 30 destination sites around the world. Will the authors write Book Two? Will wineries and vineyards be included? How many destinations are possible for one to visit and walk in a lifetime?

Cheers, Kathy