American Wine: The Ultimate Companion to the Wines and Wineries of the United States

It's natural to think of this book as a more regionally detailed version of "The World Atlas of Wine," but that is true only in some respects. The main advantage of the book is longer descriptions of formerly obscure or minor areas that get only a sentence or two in "TWAoW," for me most notably Colorado and the southwestern states as well as oddities like Hawaii.However, for long-established areas such as the main California AVAs, you won't learn much new about the growing conditions, grapes, and recent trends. Instead, the higher coverage page count relative to TWAoW is taken up by historical facts, profiles of specific wineries (sometimes whose special significance isn't all that clear), pictures, and a larger font. I had hoped for more in-depth technical detail.Otherwise, much will be familiar to readers of TWAoW. The maps are in the same format and the writing has some of the same admirable clarity and insouciance. One difference is that the introductory chapter is not a comprehensive description of winemaking and the wine experience but rather a shorter and more focused discussion of historical, legal, and winemaking issues specific to the U.S.This is by no means a bad or uninteresting book and it is a useful complement to TWAoW because of its coverage of areas that do not have a worldwide reputation. But people who already know a fair amount about winemaking in the U.S. should be aware of its limitations.

The companion volume to  World Atlas of Wine , American Wine focuses solely on the wine-producing regions of the United States, from the often-visited and world-renowned Napa Valley to the smaller AVA's found across America, including those in Michigan and New York.American Wine includes helpful maps, an overview of the grapes grown in the United States, how wineries were founded decades -- if not hundreds of years -- ago, and provides an abundance of information about wine-making techniques within each region. The majority of the book focuses on the California wine regions of Napa Valley, Sonoma County, and the Central Valley, with breakdowns by AVA; this is impressive since Napa Valley has sixteen sub-AVA's, such as Calistoga, Stag's Leap, and the (relatively) new Atlas Peak. Each AVA has a list of notable wineries, a helpful map, and details about the soil, temperature, and wine produced.Despite the obvious attention to detail, this book can still be enjoyed and utilized by the casual wine-lover and tourist for the maps, background information, and suggestions about wineries. It truly shines, though, as an an exceptional book designed for serious wine-lovers and travelers who are looking for a comprehensive guide to American wineries and wine. This is a fantastic work that should be part of any wine library.

Informative

Well organized information to answer all you questions about State side wines. I never new there were so many and so many that were great! This book is a wonderful addition to my collection. Thank you.

Love this coffee table style book by Jancis Robinson. While not 100% accurate, she portrayed the growth, depth, and quality of Arizona winemakers work. Still reading about other states too.

It's ok. I would like to have more vineries covered. Overall good for pros and rookies alike.I might change my opinion when I will finish it.

As described, thanks!

Has helped me understand that there's more to good American wine than just Napa and Sonoma!

The must have for American wine enthusiast. Including so many underdogs wineries from equally underdogs states.Cons:No maps for few significant states such as New Mexico.There should be a concise address index for people interested to pay a visit to the producers. Some premises are a real hassle to find and one should need a GPS to get there (a GPS is useless without an address and even locals often ignore the existence of some wineries).

This book concentrates on the history of the producers rather than on the wineries and wines. It has a broad coverage but its depth is mainly historical.

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