The New California Wine: A Guide to the Producers and Wines Behind a Revolution in Taste

(Hardback)

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A comprehensive guide to the must-know wines and producers of California's "new generation," and the story of the iconoclastic young winemakers who have changed the face of California viniculture in recent years. The New California Wine is the untold story of the California wine industry- the young, innovative producers who are rewriting the rules of contemporary winemaking; their quest to express the uniqueness of California terroir; and the continuing battle to move the state away from the overly-technocratic, reactionary practices of its recent past. Jon Bonne writes from the front lines of the California wine revolution, where he has access to the stories, philosophies, and techniques of top producers. In this groundbreaking debut, Bonne paints an unflinching portrait of the current state of the industry- its strengths and shortcomings, its essential wines and those not worth pursuing. Lush full-color photographs, as well as a region-by-region tour of some of California's lesser-known growing areas, reveal the people and places behind the bottles. Finally, a comprehensive purchasing reference lists all the must-know producers and their best wines, making The New California Wine an essential resource for finding and buying the very best the state has to offer.

Reviews

"Bonn's intelligence and knowledge are on full display in this book. There is no better guide to delicious wines from California."
Edward Behr, The Art of Eating

A wonderful, engaging reada great gift for any wine lover
S. Irene Virbila,Los Angeles Times

The New California Winedelivers some of the most insightful wine writing youll read anywhere. This is the real skinny on cutting-edge California wine from somebody whos on the ground, knows his stuff, and could care less about offending the Establishment.
Matt Kramer, author and columnist forWine Spectator

Jon Bonn brings a clear-eyed perspective to California; this book offers a fresh look at a mature wine culture heading in surprising directions. Its new leaders are all here; its old scams get some brusque treatment, too. Essential, pithy, easy reading.
Hugh Johnson, author of The World Atlas of Wine

An impeccably timed, beautifully written book chronicling a profound generational shift in California winemaking. Required reading for any sommelier, retailer, or consumer whos left California behind for other pasturesits time to come home!
David Lynch, owner/wine director of St. Vincent Tavern and Wine Merchant and author of Vino Italiano

An incisive assessment of the California wine industry: its current state, fascinating history, and future in the hands of a new generation of winemakers.
Paul Draper, winemaker at Ridge Vineyards

There are few greater authorities on California wine than Jon Bonn. Dispassionate but engaged, enthused but objective, Bonn brings a forensic rigor to his work. But The New California Wine is no textbook, in spite of its comprehensive scope. Instead, Bonns narrative moves at a rattling pace, delving into Californias colorful past and vividly describing its future. A must-read for anyone who is serious about the states wine.
Guy Woodward, former editor at Decanter

A gutsy, inspiring book driven by the same ideals as the movement it has so gracefully defined. Not only has Bonn delivered one of the most important and relevant books on California wine ever written, hes also redefined our notions of the wine book. The New California Wine is at once a manifesto, a guidebook, and a narrative peek inside the motives and methods of Californias new avant-garde.
Talia Baiocchi, editor-in-chief, Punch

"Big, jammy, oaky, buttery Guess again. Bonn, the San Francisco Chronicle's wine editor, turns expectations of California wines on their head, profiling new producers, growing areas, and approaches to winemaking that are yielding all sorts of exciting bottles. Brisk, elegant, steely and most of all, nuancedwith this seminal account of a vinicultural revolution, these are the adjectives with which we will now be describing the Golden State's wines."
Betsy Andrews, www.saveur.com

"As wine editor of The San Francisco Chronicle, Mr. Bonn has been positioned perfectly to observe the profound pendulum swing in style and attitude that has occurred among California winemakers over the last decade. While revolution may be too strong a term if simply tracking public tastes and sales figures, it nonetheless captures a sense of mental liberation among winemakers and consumers freed from a stultifying, dominant style that Mr. Bonn labels "Big Flavor.'"
Eric Asimov, www.nytimes.com

"Jon Bonn's new book is a wonderful, engaging read with a cast of characters who think outside the box, care about sustainability and have a strong curiosity and work ethic."
www.latimes.com

A Favorite Cookbook of 2013KCRW

"Beyond its strong storytelling, Bonne's book offers an history lesson and a practical guide to the new stars, from Paso Robles syrah to a "neo-Friulian" white blend from Napa's Massican that "sums up all the changes from California." Not surprisingly, it contains no chardonnay."
The Philadelphia Inquirer

Author Bio

JON BONN is the wine editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, responsible for the newspaper's coverage of wine and spirits, as well as the annual "Top 100 Wines" list. His work has earned awards from the James Beard Foundation and the Association of Food Journalists. He lives in San Francisco.