2 comments about Strong Wine: The Life and Legend of Agoston Haraszthy.

1. This is a book that often manages to take a colorful and fascinating life and reduce it to the tedium of everyday minutiae. Still,the research is great,the issues addressed are interesting. It is worth reading, though it may put you to sleep at times. There are certainly large portions that will be of interest to no one but a descendant (as the author is), and the prose is dense and not conducive to page-turning at times. You'll wade through this if you're a real geek--but not otherwise.



2. The acclaimed British wine writer Hugh Johnson once wrote: "No novelist could have invented Haraszthy. There is a surprise around every corner of his life-and how many lives have had so many corners?"
   
   In Strong Wine: The Life and Legend of Agoston Haraszthy, Brian McGinty explores, analyzes, and describes every "corner" of Agoston Haraszthy's remarkable life, taking readers on fascinating excursions into the history of Habsburg Hungary, Jacksonian America, Gold Rush California, and post-Civil War Central America. It is an absorbing story, and an important one, too, for Haraszthy made real contributions to the development of agriculture in California during the almost twenty years (1849-1868) he lived and worked there.
   
   As history professor William K. Crowley attests in his review of this book, "McGinty comes through as the true authority on Haraszthy, provides the peruser a well written read and substantiates the claims of Haraszthy as the `Father of Californian Viticulture'. His meticulous footnotes and mountainous bibliography lend testimony to his scholarship."
   
   In his review, John Wills of the University of Bristol calls Strong Wine "an impressive biography." P. D. Travis of Texas Women's University calls it "a wonderful book for agricultural, ethnic, and western historians, and for those with interests in Americana." Bernard Demczuk of George Washington University describes it as "masterful." Jacob Vander Meulen of Canada's Dalhousie University says it is "fluid and engaging." Robert J. Chandler, of the Historical Services of Wells Fargo Bank, says it is an "ably written, well-researched study." And Richard Steven Street, author of Beasts of the Field: A Narrative History of California Farm Workers (2004), labels it "the finest biography of any California agriculture figure."
   
   Recommended!

1 comments about American Vineyards.

1. Although this book contains "only" 224 pages, it seems to be much larger. Some of it may be due to the larger format (9"x11"). Most of it may be due to the excellent large (full-page and two-page) photographs. The accompanying text is concise, easy-to-read yet very informative. The photographs cover many aspects of vineyards and workers. The books does a good job covering the various areas of the U.S. and provides a surprising amount of detail about history and current status of each.

1 comments about Biology of the Grapevine (The Biology of Horticultural Crops).

1. I would recommend this book to all those interested in plant science, horticulture, and particularly viticulture. Not an ultimate collection of knowledge in this area, but a very nice and original contribution to it.

2 comments about The Production of Grapes & Wine in Cool Climates.

1. As a complete beginner to viticulture I have found this book absolutely invaluable. It covers all aspects of cool-climate grapegrowing in a readable and accessible manner, with clear text and diagrams concerning site and variety selection, planting, establishment, pruning and training, pests and diseases, and winemaking. The section on grape varieties has excellent photographs, and a superb introduction gives an overview of the cooler grape-producing regions of the world. Written in New Zealand, this is however a "must" for all new grapegrowers, no matter where the "terroir". My copy is starting to show signs of over-use!



2. This is a very good reference book for growing grapes in cool climate regions. The section on the geopgraphical analysis of grape growing introduces the concept of LTI (latitude temperature index) which is another useful metric to compare climates. Soils and climates are tied together in the analysis. The diagrams on training and pruning are very well done. This is one of the few books that references the Sylvoz training method. The chapter on grape varieties has excellent color photographs with variety specific details. The one detail missing which can be crucial in some cool climate areas is some measure of winter hardiness (such as the 50% or 100% bud loss number). There is also good coverage of some of the more obscure cool climate varieties as well as rootstock characteristics.

1 comments about Winegrowing in Eastern America: An Illustrated Guide to Viniculture East of the Rockies.

1. This is a well written book on viticulture in the Eastern United states. The history was very good and broked down by state. The current state of viticulture needs updated and there is not enough dedicated to vinifera, but the American and French-American hybrid information was good.

No comments about Beyond the Grapes: An Inside Look at Napa Valley (Beyond the Grapes).

No comments about Infusion: Spirited Cooking by Paul Yellin (MacMillan Caribbean).

No comments about A Vineyard Garden: Ideas From the Earth for Growing, Cooking, and Entertaining.

2 comments about Italian Wines 1998.

1. Founded in response to the increasing Americanization of Italian Food and Wine, The Gambero Rosso publishing group writes on behalf of Italian consumers, especially "golosi" (big eaters). The editorial perspective is a mix of of the consumist ethos of _Consumer Reports_ and the wine knowledge of Italy's leading experts. Here the reader will find for the first time in English the real scoop on quality, value, history, and trends of Italy's best wines.

   [The author of this review is in no way affiliated with Gambero Rosso, but he is a big fan of their publications.]




2. This is a great book, and many of the wineries in it I have been able to visit this fall as we live close to Italy. The book's opinions on both price and value are absolutely on the mark, and it helped me considerably given the many choices some regions have to offer (e.g. Chianti). You do need to take time to cover all the chapters as the book is rather comprehensive. I could not help notice that the Italian version was on the shelve at every good restaurant or winery. Last but not least, this book is easy to bring and therefor excellent for on the spot referral.

   EJ Schmidt

No comments about Pauillac: The Wines and Estates of a Renowned Bordeaux Commune.