One Generation's Pursuit of Perfection—and Profit—in California
April 11, 2011
Journalist Darlington affectionately chronicles the largely untold story of the wine rush of the 1970sâa time when sales of wine eclipsed that of beer and when a number of vineyards and wineries began in California. Focusing his attention on two sides of the industry, Darlington traces the wildly different tales of two men, both committed to producing the perfect wine. Leo McCloskey founded Enologix to help wineries produce a successful commercial product; vineyards send grapes to Enologix and through chemical analysis, the company advises its customers on the quality of the grapes and on the quality of the wines that such grapes might produce. For winemaker Randall Grahm, the vineyard represents his spiritual path, perhaps the only way he has of bringing balance to his life and achieving something like contentment. Darlington's fast-paced story of the quest for the ideal wine charmingly explores the parallel paths of two men: one a modern Mephistopheles promising clients a deal by which they could acquire hidden knowledge and earthly success (McCloskey) and the other a modern-day Faust consumed by a sweeping and sometimes self-defeating desire for cosmic insight (Grahm).
June 1, 2011
A history of two pioneering California vintners.
Wine & Spirits contributor and James Beard Award winner Darlington focuses on two different approaches to winemaking in the 1970s: that of Leo McCloskey, leading Napa Valley consultant and president of Enologix, and that of Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyards. McCloskey's fine-tuned process relies on a scientific, by-the-numbers approach that results in critically acclaimed "biodynamic wine." Grahm, instead, has focused on terroir, an earthier approach that relies on the manipulation of environmental factors, described by the winemaker as "a link to something we apprehend as being vast and unbounded [and] of a highly complex and organized world that abuts our own...An intimation of the vibrational persistence of phenomena, even if they are not manifestly, palpably present." Both men are a source of eternal amusement to Darlington, with their yin and yang views on not only winemaking but education, philosophy and life itself. The author delivers plenty of witticisms, which may leave a smile on the face of readers well-versed in viticulture but, more often than not, fall flat. With so many intricate factors involved in winemaking—flavors, colors, regions, screw top vs. cork, tannins, sugar, etc.—competing for space in Darlington's book, casual readers may get lost in the translation. Add to that expert musings on vine spacing, pre-crush grape sorting, lengthy hang-time and free-run juice, and reading becomes a chore.
A solid blend of wit and detail, but only recommended for experienced palates.
(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
May 1, 2011
Darlington (Zin: The History and Mystery of Zinfandel) presents a historic compendium of the quirky people whose educational, business, and personal relationships have made the California wine industry what it is today. His account starts in the 1970s and brings the reader through the recent economic downturn and its effects on the wine industry. The book reads like a tell-all expose, but it is also filled with enlightening information about grape growing and wine making. Randall Grahm and Leo McCloskey, central figures in the book, both started making wine in the Santa Cruz Mountains, but Grahm never lost his affinity for natural farming and wine making, while McCloskey became a chemist to the top echelon of boutique wineries as well as to many high-production wineries. Darlington conveys in engrossing detail the journey from a small industry, owned and managed by families in the 1970s, to one dominated by corporate ownership. VERDICT Although the names of wineries and winemakers will be familiar to oenophiles, many of the stories are new and absorbing. An essential read for lovers of California wine.--Ann Weber, Bellarmine Coll. Preparatory Lib., San Jose, CA
Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
June 1, 2011
Although a paragon in today's wine industry, just one generation ago, California's Napa Valley, along with Sonoma and the surrounding areas, produced wine on a considerably less impressive scale. But the 1970s ushered in bold visionaries itching to experiment. In award-winning journalist Darlington's latest, the era is recaptured through the lens made up of Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyards in Santa Cruz and a slew of other winemakers. Darlington shows his journalistic mastery by fading into the background, allowing his subjects to speak candidly. With his amusing anecdotes and audacious remarks, Grahm shines as a main subject who, paramount to all else, exhibits his fervent desire to make fantastic wine. Herein lies the crux of what Darlington investigates. Is it terroir (i.e., climate, soil-type, and topography) or scientific deduction (e.g., of when to pick and how to process) that achieves ideal wine? Expect no definitive answers to that question but instead a rousing read providing an encyclopedic trove of information on wine that will enlighten even the most seasoned enologists.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)
June 1, 2011
A history of two pioneering California vintners.
Wine & Spirits contributor and James Beard Award winner Darlington focuses on two different approaches to winemaking in the 1970s: that of Leo McCloskey, leading Napa Valley consultant and president of Enologix, and that of Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyards. McCloskey's fine-tuned process relies on a scientific, by-the-numbers approach that results in critically acclaimed "biodynamic wine." Grahm, instead, has focused on terroir, an earthier approach that relies on the manipulation of environmental factors, described by the winemaker as "a link to something we apprehend as being vast and unbounded [and] of a highly complex and organized world that abuts our own...An intimation of the vibrational persistence of phenomena, even if they are not manifestly, palpably present." Both men are a source of eternal amusement to Darlington, with their yin and yang views on not only winemaking but education, philosophy and life itself. The author delivers plenty of witticisms, which may leave a smile on the face of readers well-versed in viticulture but, more often than not, fall flat. With so many intricate factors involved in winemaking--flavors, colors, regions, screw top vs. cork, tannins, sugar, etc.--competing for space in Darlington's book, casual readers may get lost in the translation. Add to that expert musings on vine spacing, pre-crush grape sorting, lengthy hang-time and free-run juice, and reading becomes a chore.
A solid blend of wit and detail, but only recommended for experienced palates.
(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)