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New Classic Winemakers of California

Conversations with Steve Heimoff

Steve Heimoff (Author), H. William Harlan (Foreword)

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Wine critic and writer Steve Heimoff, inspired by Robert Benson's Great Winemakers of California (1977), traversed the state of California to record lively and informative conversations with more than two dozen winemakers and grape growers who represent today's leaders and visionaries. While Benson's book captured a wine industry on the brink of exponential growth and recognition, Heimoff surveys a multibillion-dollar business with a global reputation and new issues to face. Heimoff has followed this industry for more than twenty-five years, visiting all parts of the state and monitoring changing styles and trends, and his interviews provide an oral history of contemporary California winemaking. He reveals the personalities, intellects, philosophies, and passions of the individual winemakers, as well as their opinions on recent high-alcohol vintages, globalization, and the "cult" wine phenomenon. Through this intimate and engaging book, wine lovers can sit in on the back and forth as Heimoff and his vintner subjects talk informally about their favorite subject: wine.

THE INTERVIEWEES: John Alban, Mark Aubert, Heidi Peterson Barrett, Andy Beckstoffer, Greg Brewer, Merry Edwards, Elias Fernandez, Gina Gallo, Rolando Herrera, Genevieve Janssens, Kathy Joseph, Greg La Follette, Adam and Dianna Lee, Dan Morgan Lee, Bob Levy, Rick Longoria, Javier Tapia Meza, Gary, Jeff, and Mark Pisoni, Kent Rosenblum, Ted Seghesio, Doug Shafer, Justin Smith, Tony Soter, Brian Talley, Michael Terrien, Randy Ullom, Margo van Staaveren, Bill Wathan

Foreword
H. William Harlan
Acknowledgments
Introduction

1970s
Bill Wathen, Foxen Winery & Vineyard
Dan Morgan Lee, Morgan Winery
Genevieve Janssens, Robert Mondavi Winery
Rick Longoria, Richard Longoria Wines
Merry Edwards, Merry Edwards Wines
Tony Soter, Etude Wines
Andy Beckstoffer, Beckstoffer Vineyards
Ted Seghesio, Seghesio Family Vineyards
Kent Rosenblum, Rosenblum Cellars
Margo van Staaveren, Chateau St. Jean

1980s
Bob Levy, Harlan Estate
Brian Talley, Talley Vineyards
Heidi Peterson Barrett, La Sirena, Showket, Paradigm, Other Wineries
Greg La Follette, De Loach Vineyards, Tandem Winery
Randy Ullom, Kendall-Jackson
Doug Shafer and Elias Fernandez, Shafer Vineyards
Kathy Joseph, Fiddlehead Cellars
Mark Aubert, Colgin Cellars, Aubert Wines, Other Wineries

1990s
Adam and Dianna Lee, Siduri Winery
Greg Brewer, Brewer-Clifton, Melville Vineyards and Winery
Justin Smith, Saxum Vineyards
Michael Terrien, Hanzell Vineyards
Gary, Mark, and Jeff Pisoni, Pisoni Vineyards & Winery
Rolando Herrera, Mi Sueño Winery, Baldacci Family Vineyards, Other Wineries
John Alban, Alban Vineyards
Javier Tapia Meza, Ceàgo Vinegarden
Gina Gallo, Gallo Family Vineyards

Glossary
Index

Steve Heimoff is the West Coast editor for Wine Enthusiast magazine and the author of A Wine Journey along the Russian River (UC Press, 2005).

“A fascinating peek into the lives of winemakers. Mr. Heimoff . . . offers a question-and-answer format and manages to penetrate the marketing mythology. [He] stands back as his subjects reveal their industry and themselves.”—Eric Asimov Intl Herald Tribune/The Asahi Shimbun
“An intimate read about what makes the California wine industry work.”—Wine Review Online
New Classic Winemakers of California, by Steve Heimoff of the Wine Enthusiast is a great book for your favorite wine lover. It is an engaging and revealing look at the personalities that shape the face of California wine today.—Blue Lifestyle Minute
“I came away amazed by the breadth of opinion among men and women for whom making wine is strictly business.”—John Mariani Newsday
“A fun read, and a humanistic glimpse into the travails and triumphs of winemaking in the 21st century.”—Wine Enthusiast
"An intimate read about what makes the California wine industry work. It will appeal to wine fans who want detail and inside information."—Wine Review Online
“I came away amazed by the breadth of opinion among men and women for whom making wine is strictly business.”—John Mariani Bloomberg News
“In this era of globalization, when wines increasingly taste homogenous and devoid of regional character, it's comforting to read about the still-distinctive people who work in the industry, particularly the Californians. . . . The question-and-answer format allows the 30-plus interviewees to speak for themselves, but Heimoff deftly steers them toward a variety of issues facing the industry, thereby avoiding sameness and lending substance to the discussions."—USA Today
The kind of book that makes the well seasoned enthusiast much more seasoned for their time spent with the book.—Fermentation
“After talking to the industry leaders, the grassroots vintners and the visionaries who promise to keep the California wine business booming, Heimoff presents a clear argument for what makes this industry so special.“—Kirkus Reviews
“Each one contains something surprising or funny or just plain interesting.”—Wineskinny
“The encounters with winemakers make absorbing oral histories for anyone seriously interested in California wine.. . . The content ranges all over the intellectual wine map, from missed or seized career opportunities, to why a winemaker is more passionate about one varietal than another, to what part of Russian River has the best Pinot Noir vineyards. . . . Heimoff is a well-informed interviewer who knew good questions to ask, and he seems to have put his subjects at ease enough that they opened up to him. So it's no surprise that these new classic winemakers had plenty to say.”—Wines & Vines
Steve Heimoff offers insights into the personal histories and viewpoints of America's top winemakers. Readers have front-row seats as the Wine Enthusiast editor recounts his candid conversations with prominent winemakers of the 1970s, '80s and '90s. It's worth noting that he made sure to include the industry's female groundbreakers. Heimoff takes special care to not send readers slogging through long rants on wine technology; he keeps it personal yet informative, and brings wine's major players to life. This is a rich read for anyone who adores California wines.—SF Chronicle
“Casual, conversational, wide-ranging.”—The Wine News
“A fascinating peek into the lives of winemakers. Mr. Heimoff . . . offers a question-and-answer format and manages to penetrate the marketing mythology. [He] stands back as his subjects reveal their industry and themselves.”—Eric Asimov New York Times

"This book is intellectual eavesdropping for wine lovers. Steve Heimoff asks all the right questions, and then wisely lets the winemakers take center stage."—Paul Lukacs, author of The Great Wines of America

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