American Wine (University of California Press/Mitchell Beazley) was my idea. I am so conscious of how important wine is to Americans today – more than it ever has been. Wine is now made in every state – far, far beyond the borders of California, Oregon and Washington – and much of it is wine of which Americans can be thoroughly proud. The US is also set to be the world's biggest market for wine, so popular has both wine drinking and learning about wine become.
So I felt it was high time there was a book that celebrated all this, a state by state guide to American wine production. As you may appreciate, I had neither the time nor the intimate knowledge to write it myself but I knew it was an ideal project for our West Coast correspondent Linda Murphy. You may realise now why she has been rather quiet on this site for a while.
She has done a great job, writing in her usual engaging and knowledgeable style, as have the designers. The book has already gathered high praise from Dave McIntyre of the Washington Post, the New York Journal of Books, Tom Wark on his respected blog Fermentation and Mike Veseth on WineEconomist.com. I helped shape the book, edited it lightly, put my oar in re some of the detail, and wrote the foreword. Hence this rather handsome new book, hobbled as usual in today's global marketplace by having different jackets on each side of the Atlantic.
I shall be helping to launch the book in the US next month and here are some of the events at which it would be great to see you. Click on the links to be taken straight to further details in our international Events diary.
St Helena, Napa Valley
Sunday 17 March 12.30-3.30 pm
Raymond Vineyards, 849 Zinfandel Lane, St Helena, CA 94574
tel (707) 963-3141
Free and open to the public; RSVP link to come
San Francisco
Jancis Robinson and Linda Murphy will be in conversation with wine writer/author Leslie Sbrocco. Talk, tasting and book signing
Monday 18 March 5.30 reception, 6-7.30 pm
Commonwealth Club, 595 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94105
Standard ticket: $20 ($12 members) – includes light hors d'oeuvres
Premium ticket: $40 ($30 members) – includes wine reception; limited availability
Book here
Zuni Cafe meet-and-greet booksigning
Monday 18 March 8 pm
1658 Market St
San Francisco, CA 94102
Books will be sold by Omnivore
Tuesday 19 March 11.30-2 pm
Reception and lunch at Quince restaurant
470 Pacific Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133
$95 per person
Book here
New York
Interview with Michael Steinberger, wine tasting and book signing
Wednesday 20 March 5.30-6.45 pm
92Y Tribeca Screening Room, 200 Hudson St, New York, NY 10023
Tickets from $25.00
Book here
Washington, DC
Interview with Washington Post wine columnist Dave McIntyre, wine tasting and book signing
Thursday 21 March 6.45-8.30 pm
Smithsonian Associates, Natural History Museum, 10th St and Constitution Ave, NW
Tickets $60 members, $75 non members
Book here
Various radio and possibly TV interviews are also planned, including a live appearance by Linda, me and a couple of bottles on National Public Radio on Dining Around with Joel Riddell on Saturday 16 March.
