On California

On California explores the grapes and the people who have made California wine great. The pioneers, the boffins, the whizz-kids and scientists, many of whom tell their stories on its pages - some in precious archive material, others have set down their thoughts mid-pandemic in 2021: Randall Grahm, Gerald Asher, Steven Spurrier, Paul Draper and Warren Winiarski take a bow.... Includes: California wine and the future: where will the California spirit lead next? The Hollywood Grape : our authors chart the path of Cabernet Sauvignon, from the wish-list of Thomas Jefferson to the hallowed hillsides of Stag s Leap and Screaming Eagle 1976? Of course it was a competition! Steven Spurrier and Patricia Gallagher look back at the motivations behind the famous Paris wine tasting Top New York sommelier Victoria James tells of her near-death introduction to the whacky world of winemaking in Sonoma Will the real Zinfandel please stand up? Paul Draper seeks out the true heritage of California s versatile orphan grape Contributions from top California writers: Elaine Chukan Brown, Mary Margaret McCamic MW, Karen MacNeil, Esther Mobley, Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Liz Thach MW, Clare Tooley MW, and Kelli White Hugh Johnson, Jane Anson and Fiona Morrison MW introduce California s intrepid wine pioneers Rex Pickett s Sideways heroes, Jack and Miles, clink glasses over the Central Coast s finest Pinot Noir A Z: from Bob Mondavi to Xylem sap-sensors and pink Zinfandel California wine in bite-size