My guest this week is Elaine Chukan brown with her latest book “The Wines of California” a comprehensive look at the worlds most revered and respected wine growing regions.
California is one of the world’s most feted wine regions. Elaine Chukan Brown, one of the world’s leading authority on the region, analyses all of the main AVAs, from the North Coast, to the celebrated Napa and Sonoma Valleys.
“It’s less of a traditional reference book and more of a meditation on place – through its people, purpose, and possibility. With a healthy yet necessary and perhaps overdue dose of historical context, political awareness, nuance, and care, they offer a portrait of California wine that finally acknowledges all the hands that shaped it.” — Decanter
“This book is core, essential. For anyone just beginning their journey, this will put wine in context in straightforward language with little jargon…. Brown’s book is both current and timeless. Chukan Brown takes at in-depth look at the forces that made, moved and continue to shape Califorina wine. In investigating the history, they look hard at the instrumental part played by Indigenous Peoples and the reliance of the wine (and other agricultural sectors) on inexpensive farm labor. It will appeal to an audience far beyond the typical wine book reader.” — Grape Collective
A concise, complete, smartly delivered and cohesive book for serious readers and students of wine. Focusing on the world’s fourth largest producer of wine – California – the book takes readers on a journey through the golden state’s wines, paying due attention to famous regions such as Sonoma and Napa as well as introducing readers to exciting up-and-coming regions to explore.
The book is divided into three major sections. The first presents the key ideas that help make sense of California wine as a whole, including the history of California wine in brief, how the topography delivers California’s overarching climatic and soil conditions, and the basics of vineyard and winery factors relevant to the state such as the role of the AVA.
The second section takes each major region in turn and looks into its history, growing conditions and varieties, as well as discussing the most significant and interesting producers. A final section looks at current themes in Californian wine and discusses the future of the industry across the state.
- Explains all the state’s AVAs, examining the development, growing conditions and varietal trends for each.
- Profiles the main producers and individuals shaping the wine industry today.
- A useful reference on California that also provides alternative insights and insider knowledge.
- Author Elaine Chukan Brown is a prolific commentator on the wines of California and a speaker at events around the globe.
- Supported by color maps and photos.
Elaine Chukan Brown is a writer, speaker, and illustrator. She is the American wine specialist at jancisrobinson.com and a contributing writer with Wine & Spirits Magazine. She runs Hawk Wakawaka Wine Reviews, which has been rated among the world’s leading wine blogs, and has led seminars in China, New Zealand, Germany, Canada, and throughout the United States. She speaks at leading wine events, including the Women in Wine Leadership Symposium, Pinot Noir NZ, Texsom, and ProWein. Learn more about Elaine
Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2023 Opolo Summit Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles
The 2023 Summit Creek Cabernet Sauvignon offers a heady aroma profile of black currant, plum, black olive, vanilla and caramel. The palate is sleek, voluminous and varietally authentic with layered flavors of cherry, cassis, blue fruit and graphite with hints of earth and mineral. Medium-weight tannins glide into a round, integrated finish.
The result is an immensely accessible Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon that offers extraordinary value. ABV14.6%
Very ripe black plum aromas are cut by hints of lavender and thyme on the nose of this bottling. The palate is well structured and layered in blueberry, elderberry, espresso and dark cocoa flavors. WE90
Grab a bottle or three at Jacob Liquor Exchange or your favorite local wine merchant