5 comments about California Sizzles.

1. Collecting and using new cookbooks has been a thiry-five year hobby. "Sizzles" is truly the book that I consult first whether I'm planning an event or a family meal. At least one half of the recipes have been tried and have become favorites at our house. I am ordering another copy of this today as a gift for a friend....this makes four that I've purchased.



2. Love the balboa broccoli salad and carrot cake made with baby food! great if you don't like shredding carrots! Lots of great recipes



3. California Sizzles provides excellent recipes that are devoid of the blood-sweat-and tears with which many of us are too familiar.
   I learned of this book at a lunch where one of the cookbook's praiseworthy recipes was served. There was almost a stunned silence when the group learned I didn't have it on my bookshelf. Well, I do now and don't regret it for a minute. American cuisine has long been extremely underrated.



4. My husband and I both like to cook. We have quite a varied collection of cookbooks, and this is still the best all around source for reliable, tasty meals. We make notes on the pages, recording dates we tried things, and ways we may have tweaked something. Now when I give a copy to anyone (I think I am on #10), I add my own notes of favorites. Recipes are not complicated, but sure to impress. From appetizers to desserts, you will not be disappointed.



5. California Sizzles is a must-have cookbook. It has a wide range of dishes and contains suggestions for food combos for a variety of events. I've found that the menus produce quality results without those "oops" that you find with recipes in some cookbooks. It makes a great gift.

No comments about The Atlas of Food: Who Eats What, Where, and Why.

No comments about Pacific Pinot Noir: A Comprehensive Winery Guide for Consumers and Connoisseurs.

5 comments about Jeremiah Tower Cooks: 250 Recipes from an American Master.

1. This book shows what can be done with food from a master chef. Very well put together, it deserves a place on your shelf next to your other favorites........



2. there are good chefs and good writers. rarely are the two combined in one person. jeremiah towers' recipes are accessible and have the personal touch that distinguishes a culinary artist. the writing has the charm and self awareness of one who knows that food is to be enjoyed, in the preparing, the eating, and the combination of daydreaming and appetite that gives birth to new recipes.



3. I have many cookbooks which are award-winners and this one beats them all by a mile. One can almost be moved by his genius and versatility with food when eating these dishes.



4. If you love to cook or read about cooking, skip to the end of this review, click on the button, which says you were influenced by it, and order a copy of this book. Now??

   For those of you who are not swayed by emotional arguments, here goes the real review.

   Jeremiah Tower has packed more useful, controversial, and scholarly material into this book than any three other celebrity chef cookbooks combined. There is much here with which many respected chefs would take issue, but that just adds to the pleasure of reading the book.

   One issue on which I disagree with chef Tower is in replacing some French terms for common cooking items or practices with ?American? translations. As a cook, I will never have a thousandth of the credentials of Monsieur Tower, but I am something of an expert on language, and Tower is simply wrong on this point. For example, he substitutes the phrase ?aromatic vegetable mix? for the French term ?Mirepoix? meaning, 1 part chopped onion, 1 part chopped celery, and one part chopped carrot. Tower adds a bay leaf to the standard definition, with which I have no argument. The mistake is twofold. First, he is substituting his new usage for all vegetable mixes, including soffrito, sofregit, and picada. Well, each of these terms means something different from mirepoix, yet he is subsuming these different meanings under a new word. Second, this new term is unknown to his audience, while mirepoix is learned upon first opening one?s first book on French cooking. On more than one occasion while reading Tower?s recipes I had to scratch my head and think twice when he said ?aromatic vegetable mix?. If he would have used the word, mirepoix, I would have sailed right through that text with no confusion whatsoever. The same argument can be made for the terms ?Au Jus?, ?Bouquet Garni?, Mesclun?, and ?Duxelles?. Tower?s claim has some merit when it comes to using ?blue? in place of ?bleu? and ?cream? in place of ?Cr?me?, depending on context. So Tower is not a linguist, but he is a cook. His following section on the meaning of conventional English cooking terms is entertaining and dead on accurate.

   Tower?s recommendations on standard techniques are impeccable, and there are a lot of them. His descriptions of brining, sweating, toasting, parboiling, and pureeing are fussy enough to make Alton Brown turn green with envy. The little essay on brining brings out another rich dimension to this book in that it identifies the source of current enthusiasm for brining to be Jane Grigson?s book ?The Art of Making Sausages, Pates, and other Charcuterie?. Scholarly references like this may not mean much to some, but to me they are positively titillating. The book is packed with references to works going back to the seventeenth century, with a heavy concentration on the French classics by Careme, Escoffier, and Curnonsky. Unlike most other writers, it reminds the reader that there is not a whole lot in cookery which is really that new. My great regret on this theme is that Tower neglects to add a bibliography to this book so that one does not have to page back through the text to find the exact name of a fondly remembered reference. See his book ?California Eats? for an excellent bibliography.

   Tower?s great hero among contemporary writers is Richard Olney, famous primarily as the editor of the Time-Life ?Good Cook? series and as the author on some of the most influential books on French cooking in English. Tower praises Olney for his search of quality, simplicity, and proper scholarship. It is clear that Tower has acquired the same values. However, some people, myself included, may be very puzzled by what the author calls simple. I will forego any long discussion of this until I read Olney?s famous interpretation of ?simple? in French cuisine but I will say that cooking is hard work and what is simple to Jeremiah Tower is just not so simple to amateurs like me. This does not, however, lessen the value of this book, it enhances it. Great results require exacting procedures and great respect for ingredients.

   Tower?s attitudes about techniques and materials fits exactly into one of my favorite Mario Batali doctrines. If you make small improvements in the quality of your ingredients and your techniques, you will surely end up with dishes superior to those done without attention to these little details. While Mario and Tower have an enormous respect for one another, I am sure they have a lot of differences. One which stands out is Tower?s preference for fresh tomatoes in making tomato sauces. I?m afraid I have to side with Mario on this one and be happy with canned San Marzano tomatoes.

   One of the most instructive of Tower?s obsessions is his recommending the mortar and pestle and the food mill over the blender and the food processor. I am certain he is right on these points.

   Tower?s selection of recipes is largely from the French. All recipes show the same attention to detail. Some recipes and sidebar discussions give more than usual attention to ingredients like lobster, lettuce, and truffles, among others. Some recipes are truly simple and the novice should not dispair that the book has nothing for them. The instructions on stocks are dead on accurate. This man knows what he is doing. An interesting twist to this is that in more than one place, Tower prefers water to stock in order to bring out the tastes of the primary ingredients of the dish.

   The book has no photographs of completed dishes, and I did not miss them. The impressionistic paintings by Donald Sultan add an ample visual quality to the work. The index is flawed. There are two references to Julia Child and I found at least three different references.

   This book is a must for people with any interest in cooking.




5. This is a beautiful book. Unfortunately, it took 3 weeks to arrive. It was shipped in a regular manila envelope with no protective wrapping, which was totally torn open on one end upon arrival.
   
   Although this damage was no doubt done in transit, it may not have happened at all if it had been packed more securely.

5 comments about Coyote Cafe.

1. Truly a spectacular cookbook, Mark Miller has recipes that will delight the senses and make you a hero at any dinner party. The ingredient combinations play off of each other and offer unique twists on traditional southwestern cooking. As one very familar with the southwest and it's cuisine, this book ranks as enticing and innovative. The recipes are foolproof and easy to follow, but you will need to adhere to the fresh ingredients rule-- no canned black beans, or frozen corn for these recipes, stick with fresh and you can not fail. Unlike some other cookbooks that feature regional cuisine, Coyote Cafe includes complete recipes that you do not need to tinker with and that are tested. So go ahead cook with Miller and howl at the moon!



2. I have had this book sitting around for awhile, and finally tried it. I'm a vegetarian, and this book is more meat oriented. I tried a couple of the recipes, inlcuding the tamales. Those were the best tamales I have ever eaten. Even better than Richard's in Albuquerque. The Coyote Cafe is hands down my favorite restaurant, and this book is definitely representative of the food from there. I highly recommend it.



3. I had to finally find out about the recipes from this well known author and his book, restaurant and more. Solid and innovative recipes, well written it won't take you long to find some new recipes. I have just begun to look through and try some. Try some mexican southwestern food that is different and not a lot of mus and fuss.This book is a winner.



4. 
   This is a wonderful collection of great southwestern recipes that work. The author Mark Miller has introduced Cajun and Creole elements into many of his recipes making them unique without sacrificing the southwestern charachter of the dishes presented. Each and every dish is definately worthy of calling itself southwestern.
   
   Definately comprehensive this book covers with a plethora of recipes in 10 chapters anything you may be looking for to fill your southwestern Table. The chapters covered are: cocktails, salsas, sauces and soups, appetizers and salads, Tamales, seafood and fish, game and fowl, meat, desserts and breads and what the author refers to as his bag of tricks which is an assortment of staple dishes that you will find in just about any tex-mex restaurant.
   
   Particularly useful to me I found the Tamales chapter which apart from some basic principles on preparing tamales, includes 16 different recipes.
   
   On the negative side, I found the book very difficult to use as the print of the recipes is extremely small. As I am over 40 and my eyesight is not what it was 20 years ago, I have had to scan and enlarge the recipes that I have used in order to use them. Other than that this is a good buy and a good addition to your cookbook library!



5. My father and I have been making the carnitas tamales with the Manchamantel Sauce for years for Christmas, and I have yet to have served them to someone who did not say that they were the best tamales they had ever eaten... The rest of the recipes in this book are also delicious... I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves southwestern cuisine!

5 comments about Scavenger's Guide to Haute Cuisine, The.

1. Steven Rinella, big game hunter of sparrows and squirrels, doesn't know the first thing about the value of wildlife to human well being. Wild birds eat insects, including mosquitoes. Squirrels bury acorns and thus spread oak trees across the landscape, providing food for more wildlife. During the reign of Chairman Mao, the Chinese tried to eradicate small birds, believing they were pests. Instead, they discovered that they were critically important predators of crop pests. If we continue to disregard the value of wildlife, as Rinella does out of ignorance, we do so at our peril.
   He is the real backyard pest and should be ignored, both for his advocacy of destroying wildlife and his claims to haute cuisine.
   Eric Chivian M.D.
   Director
   Center for Health and the Global Environment
   Harvard Medical School



2. After finishing this book a friend loaned to me, I came to Amazon to see what others had to say. It really saddens me to see negative reviews from people who haven't even read the book. I read the NYTimes article too and I think people are making a big fuss ofer one little bird that he eventually released. From reading the book, it is apparent to me that Rinella is a thoughtful, intelligent hunter who hunts for the purpose of utilizing the meat as food instead of eating a cow that had a miserable life on a feedlot and slaughterhouse.
   
   Now onto the actual book! I agreee with the other reviewers that state that this is not a culinary guide. It's a memorable memoir of someone who dares to live his life according to his personal values and goals. In each chapter, Rinella takes the reader on a different joruney to Alaska, Montana, lLorida, New York, California, Wyoming as he gathers his ingredients for the ultimate, albeit esoteric, Escoffier dinner. The best part of the book was the ecelectic characters he manages to attract everywhere he goes. The last chapter does indeed go by in a blur and just goes to show you that the fun really is in the journey.



3. Unlike many reviewers of this book, I actually bought AND read it - and it was great!
   
   For fans of "weird" food, there are plenty of new things to learn about - many that can be found right in your own backyard. People who like to scavenge or hunt or fish will be surprised at what you can find (if you are a little adventurous).
   
   Buy it and read it - you won't be disappointed.



4. I would absolutely tell anyone who loves food and interested in any sort of cooking to read The Scavenger's Guide. While some folks will cringe at Rinellas hobby and love affair for hunting to kill his own food day in and day out in order to survive, you begin to relate with the author through his memories and experiences as a young boy and how they shaped his unique passion. With an open mind and a respect for Rinella's honest description of his journey...there is a lot to learn and enjoy!



5. 
   I saw a review of this book in National Geographic Adventure Magazine. It really grabbed my interest, so I ordered the book.
   
   Wow! What a great read. It is a mixture of tales about hunting, fishing, adventure, history, cooking, and friendship. How could you ask for more.
   
   Let me hasten to say that if you are a non hunter, non fisherman, or even a vegetarian don't turn your back on this book---if you do, you will miss one heck of a story.
   
   In fact, if I were to point out what I felt was the most amazing aspect of this story---it would be friendship!
   
   The fact that Rinella had such a group of friends and family to cook a four day Thanksgiving feast for, says volumes about him and his family.
   
   My test of a book is simple---would I read it again --- Not only, would I, but I will---if I ever get it back from those I have loaned it to, insisting that they read it:-)
   
   Not only that but I will scan the list in ever "National Geographic Adventure" to see if Steve Rinella's by line is on a story! I can't wait for his next book!
   
   In the mean time, would you please pass me that turtle soup and a few more mud bugs!!

5 comments about From the Earth to the Table: John Ash's Wine Country Cuisine.

1. I have used this book more than any other cookbook in my home. I am constantly learning about new, fresh ingredients and the results are really wonderful. Every time I cook using these recipes, my friends ask me for the recipe. I've purchased this book for several friends too - it's a great gift, especially if you live in Northern California. Visiting John Ash's restaurant is a wonderful experience too!



2. I love this cookbook, not only because I love the flavors of the wine country and John Ash has a great mix of recipes that convey them, but also because the philosophy behind the recipes relies so heavily on using fresh, seasonal, local ingredients. The recipes are not super-simple, but if you have some cooking experience and are willing to take the time to search for the best ingredients, the rewards are well worth it.



3. A new revised and expanded edition of an old favorite. We all know that the process of getting food is to plant, raise, or catch it, then cook and eat it. But John Ash takes it a bit further. He concentrates primarily on serving what is in season now, what he can get fresh - especially fresh from his own garden or at least local.
   
   Sometimes, of course that's a little hard to do. For instance he cooks a lot of fish, tuna, sturgeon, pacific rock cod, halibut and more. It's a whole bunch of miles from here (Nevada) to the ocean, you want tuna, it's frozen. Sturgeon, never seen it here. Cod, I got some a couple of weeks ago for the first time. Now I wish I had had this book then, as the recipie of cooking it with oranges, tomatoes, and olives sounds really different and something worth trying. ==One point I really like about this book is his wine recommendations. With the rock cod he says sauvignon blanc, rieslings, Pinot Grigio or Noir. I think I could go with any of these.
   
   On the whole, his earlier version of this book was good, this new one is even better, more recipies, more things to try, and nearly all of them sound good.



4. I've had the pleasure of taking a cooking class with John Ash. He's fun, informative and passionate about quality, organic food. His knowledge is deep and his ability to communicate, written and verbal, is first rate. The cookbook is loaded with fabulous recipes that are easy to follow and delicious.



5. It is so refreshing to fine a new and simple to follow cookbook. I have hundreds of cook books, Chef Ash teaches and reminds of things we should all know about cooking. If you are just starting to cook or are a seasoned cook you will absolutely love have this in your kitchen. I received this for a Christmas and have not stopped cooking from it. I've made all my friends buy it because I'm tired of writting down the recipes. Get yours now.

5 comments about Dave's Dinners: A Fresh Approach to Home-Cooked Meals.

1. I heard a review of this book on the radio and asked for it for Christmas. Everything I have made has been quite good! Last night I made the Chicken Tikka Masala With Cardamon Basmati Rice, my first try at Indian cooking. It was wonderful! My house was filled with sweet aromas for hours. Probably had more calories than I need right now... but well worth the extra treadmill time. (this is probably why calories and nutritional information are not listed!) I have also tried the Mini Flank Steak Tortillas with Chipotle-Lime Sour Cream twice! This dish has such a depth of flavor that I had to make it twice. Can't wait to try the next dish! The illustrations are beautiful and directions are well organized. Give it a shot!



2. This Food Network chef will score a winner with this cookbook, for it to my mind straddles nicely the "easy to medium" difficulty cooking segment. None of the techniques, nor ingredients, not required equipment are that difficult, so it seems for the already accomplished home chef this will tend towards the "easy" side. However, for the novice as well, these recipes shouldn't alarm them into not trying some, and they likely wouldn't call them easy, but possibly "medium."
   
   In either case, this is fun, exciting, healthy dinner food. Feast your eyes and menus upon the likes of: "Sweet and Sour-Ale Baby Back Ribs" (made with ale with Asian influences"; Mini-Moroccan Lamb Burgers with Lemon Yogurt Sauce; Roasted Red Peppers and Ricotta Crostini; Boston Lettuce and Avocado Salad with Lime Dressing; Pumpkin and Chipotle Corn Chowder; Cocunut-Ginger Tilapia Packages with Red Potatoes and Snow Peas; Penne with Butternut Squash, Chorizo and Thyme; Apricot-Dijon Roasted Pork Chops with Kale and Mushroom Rice; Prune and Walnut Stuffed Pork Roast with Creamy cheddar Cauliflower; Chocolate Guniness Cupcakes; Peach Corn Bread Trifle; Pecan Dusted Puff Pastry Carmelized Apple Napoleans.
   
   This is truly great dinner food for guests or family dining. Not too simple, not too difficult, that is fresh, creative and impressive. Layout and photos are wonderful. Looking forward to future from this rising, talented TV chef.



3. `Dave's Dinners' by second string Food Network cooking show teacher, Dave Lieberman is an improvement over his first book, `Young & Hungary', since it discards any pretense of dealing with `economical' meals and does an earnest effort to focus almost exclusively on dinners, hence, the title of the book. This is one of those times when I wish Amazon would let me give four and a half stars, since:
   
   1. I gave four stars to the first book and... this is better.
   2. It is better in some ways than similar Food Network personality Tyler Florence's books, but not by much, and I've given them four and five stars.
   3. It is not as good as Ted Allen's excellent `The Food You Want to Eat', which would seem to be addressed to a very similar audience.
   
   One comment (not at all a criticism) I must make is that the facet of Lieberman's career which shows through in this book is not his TV persona as an economical cook, but rather his `day job' practice as a personal chef, where this job is primarily to make exciting and unusual dishes for people who either entertain a lot, or have very busy careers, and like to come home to a meal which is comparable to what they may find at an upscale restaurant, but without astronomical prices. So, the `true' theme of the book is fancy entertaining dinner dishes which will not be cheap, but which will not require taking out a loan on the house.
   
   One thing I especially like about Lieberman's book (especially when compared to Florence's oeuvre) is its simple layout, to match its simple subject. Lieberman went with the `cutsie' organization in his first book. I am happy he has simplified things. The chapters are:
   
   Drinks and Finger Foods, featuring five preparations for fancy homemade mixed drinks and 25 recipes for appetizers.
   Salads, with 10 recipes with heavy French and Italian tastes and combinations.
   Soups, with 7 recipes including a few from Southeast Asia and a simple clam chowder.
   Poultry, with 10 recipes plus recipes for sauces and dressings. Two inexpensive turkey recipes.
   Fish, with 8 recipes with new ideas for some very old French and Italian taste combinations.
   Pasta, with 10 relatively conventional recipes, including baked dishes and a risotto.
   Meat, with 15 beef, pork, and lamb dishes including North African tastes and techniques
   Desserts, with 20 recipes, including some traditional Jewish favorites.
   
   The high number of starter and dessert recipes confirms the notion that this book is a good source of ideas for dinner parties. This is highlighted by the fact that there are better than average photographs of about a third of the 60 main dishes and about a quarter of the 45 starter and dessert recipes.
   
   This is an excellent book for someone who has no more than a dog-eared copy of `The Joy of Cooking' or a copy of Mark Bittman's `How to Cook Everything', and who has a reasonably well-equipped kitchen and confident skills with a knife and measuring tools. This last condition is that, unlike the previously mentioned book by Ted Allen, Lieberman gives relatively few hints and details about basic cooking technique. On the other hand, the recipes rely on the great wealth of French and Italian prepared foods such as wines, vinegars, cheeses, cured meats, pasta, and that great staple, bread. They also do not involve the kind of heavy lifting we find in Patricia Wells' latest book, `Vegetable Harvest' requiring food mills, china caps, mandolines, and large saute pans. But then, Wells' book is aimed at a different audience, which it addresses very well.
   
   Lieberman's book also has a strong affinity to some aspects of Ina Garten's books, as Garten's main sub-theme is entertaining at home. But, `Dave's Dinners' is more modestly priced and has a greater respect for its readers to pick quality ingredients.
   
   The person which will not get much from this book is the foodie who already owns twenty books of French cuisine, especially those from Wells, thirty books on Italian cuisine, two or more books from Martha Stewart and company on `Entertaining', and subscriptions to `Gourmet' or `Bon Appetit'. While Lieberman's recipes are all bright and delicious, they are not as original as one may think. I have seen several of the same general ideas in books by Wells, Lidia Bastianich, Gennaro Contaldo, and Giada DeLaurentiis. The advantage is that with Lieberman, we get many of these ideas from different cuisines in a single, reasonably priced book.
   
   I would really look forward to a next book from Lieberman which was even more strongly focused on recipes for entertaining, possibly including menus.



4. Dave's meals are always unique and easy to follow recipes. I think this cookbook is informative.



5. I love Dave's recipes from his show on Food Network. Not all of his dishes fit my tastes, but every recipe I've tried of his was good -- if not great! Some dishes turned out like you'd expect from a high-end restaurant. The only word of warning here is that his recipes aren't ones you can do in 30 minutes (for the most part). Be prepared to spend some time reading the directions before you start and spending an hour to an hour and a half in the kitchen prep'ing and cooking. You'll be pleased with the results if you put in the time and attention the recipes in this book require.

1 comments about Gala Planner & Record Keeper: For Professionals, Volunteers, Chair Persons & Committee Members (Capital Ideas).

1. Great book, if you are planning an event you can't go wrong with this one. I'm getting a second copy for my co-chair.

3 comments about New Classic Winemakers of California: Conversations with Steve Heimoff.

1. I suppose the oxymoron in the title reflects Heimoff's inspiration, Great Winemakers of California: Conversations with Robert Benson (Interviews with 28 California Winemakers) (1977). And Heimoff's book is a wonderful modern day realization of that template.
   
   Heimoff is the West Coast editor for "Wine Enthusiast" magazine and the author of A Wine Journey along the Russian River, another excellent book on California wine.
   
   A few highlights: Dan Morgan Lee describes the benefits of using clones of Dijon 115, 667 and 777 with Wadenswil 2A, clone 12, clone 23 and Pommard, a little bit of geek talk, but Lee's personality and commitment shine through.
   
   Greg La Follette of De Loach Vineyards and Tandem Winery: "Vladimir Nabokov ... said, 'There is no art without science or fact without fancy,' [and] I'm a believer that the language of wine is actually the language of yeast biology, of vine physiology, of chemistry."
   
   Gina Gallo: "I sometimes think that being able to touch more people with your family's wines is a greater value than making the most iconic wine that only three people in the world can have."
   
   For anyone who likes oral history, this book contains a well edited collection of interviews with winemakers currently making wine. The California University system has been collecting these histories for a number of years; there is an excellent index available free and online through their website: lib.berkeley.edu/
   
   Eric Asimov fairly summarizes the joys of this book on his blog on "The New York Times": "Though he occasionally descends into the winespeak of Brix, malolactic and trellising, Mr. Heimoff stands back as his subjects reveal their industry and themselves. Some seem to be thoughtful and well-rounded, others are fun-loving and down to earth, and a few come across as rampaging egotists. Ego in the wine business? I'm shocked."
   
   Heimoff does provide a good glossary at the end of the book to help with any unfamiliar terms, but it's quite amazing how he captures the personality of each interviewee in a simple Q & A format.
   
   
   Robert C. Ross 2007 2008



2. Robert Benson's 1977 book that interviewed California winemakers was one of the most important wine books "early in the game", that is the 1970s when California wine was coming into the mainstream of respectability. Those of us who were trying to learn more really wanted to have "conversations with the winemakers" to understand how they achieved quality and greatness in their wines.
   I have been hoping for a modern version of Benson's book for 30 years now. So, congratulations to Steve for finally fulfilling this long-lived desire.
   Steve is a penetrating journalist in addition to being very readable. He avoids the cliches and all the cuteness, we see too much of in wine writing today. He goes for the facts as well as the feelings. Here he provides a book that can sit on your desk to be dipped into from time to time, particularly after you have enjoyed wine from one of the subject wine makers. There is almost too much information to absorb in one reading, but in my case I did it, as I could not stop learning more.But here is a book that will last as long as Benson's and will become an essential classic of California wine literature. Glad Steve seized the opportunity to reinvent this good book idea. No one else seemed to have the courage or the initiative.



3. What a fun and informative book! When one starts reading Heimoff's interviews, they seem a bit slight and unfocused. But as one builds up momentum through the collection, the picture changes. Taken together, the interviews shine a steady beam of light on current winemaking personalities and trends. Heimoff manages to ask numerous winemakers the same sorts of questions (e.g., "What do you make of the recent higher alcohol levels in California wines?"), and the answers are interesting to compare. What comes across in the portraits of the various winemakers is their many interconnections in the world of wine, and their unyielding commitment to quality.
   
   I have only two criticisms. First (not a major point), it would have been nice to include someone from the Santa Cruz mountains. Second, and more substantively, I wish Heimoff had avoided the subject of "cult wines." Do we really care if a tiny group of consumers can afford to pay $500 per bottle? No, we don't. The cult wine thing doesn't come up often in the book, but when it does the book takes on a pretension that is otherwise refreshingly absent.
   
   On the whole, though, a very enjoyable read. Heimoff deserves our thanks for opening up a new window on California wine.