Variously regarded as a sacred, religious drink, inebriant, and even the work of the Devil, wine has always been much more than a commodity. From its origins in ancient Mesopotamia to its present incarnation as a vast, multinational business, wine has consistently generated passions that verge on mania.

Rod Phillips Excerpt from A Short History of Wine Chapter One On the Trail of the Earliest Wines: From the Fertile Crescent to Egypt The origins of wine are as cloudy as the first vintages must have been. We will never know who first allowed grape juice to ferment to the point that it became wine,...

California is the nation's great vineyard, supplying grapes for most of the wine produced in the United States. The state is home to more than 700 wineries, and California's premier wines are recognized throughout the world. But until now there has been no comprehensive guide to California wine and winemaking.

This sophisticated and practical cloth journal is the perfect place to keep track of purchases and make notes about wines recently tasted. The journal is enhanced by a full-color reference section with expert tips on buying and tasting wine and other useful information.

In her hit Food Network show Everyday Italian , Giada De Laurentiis shows you how to cook delicious...

Just two generations ago, the United States was little more than a footnote in the world of wine. Then, seemingly overnight, everything changed, and American varietals began outscoring the best French wines in international competitions. How did a country with virtually no premium winemaking...

Paul Lukacs Paul Lukacs Excerpt from American Vintage : From Isolation to International Renown - The Rise of American Wine Introduction Doubtless As Good "We in America," declared Thomas Jefferson in 1808, can make wine "doubtless as good" as the great wines of Europe. No one in young America...

In the mid-1860s, grapevines in southeastern France inexplicably began to wither and die. French botanist Jules-mile Planchon was sent to investigate. Magnifying glass in hand, he discovered that the vine roots were covered in microscopic yellow insects. The aphids would be named Phylloxera vastatrix - the dry leaf devastator. Where they had come from was a mystery.

A Captivating, Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Making of a Premium California Wine Situated amidst the lush soils of Sonoma County in the heart of California's wine country, the Ferrari-Carano Vineyards produce some of the best-loved wines in America. Founded by casino mogul Don Carano and his wife Rhonda just over twenty years ago, the winemaker has won praise from consumers and connoisseurs alike for its affordably priced premium bottles, particularly its Fume Blanc.

Hailed as the most entertaining reference to wine culture, this book arms readers with valuable knowledge of wine etiquette, while identifying those senseless acts of snobbery that often lead to embrassing situations.