Winery is featured in four new books

FOUR NEW WINE BOOKS FEATURE SMITH-MADRONE

Riesling Story, Winemaker’s Hand,

Back Lane Wineries, Wines of California

St. Helena, Napa Valley, summer 2014—-Chapters on Smith-Madrone appear in four new books on wine this summer.

Berlin-based author Stuart Pigott’s The Riesling Story: Best White Wine on Earth (204 pages, ISBN 978-1-61769-110-2 is published by Stewart Tabori & Chang and can be purchased for $17.00 online.

New York City-based Natalie Berkowitz’ The Winemaker’s Hand: Conversations on Talent, Technique and Terroir (314 pages, ISBN 978-0-231-16756-7, published by Columbia University Press and can be purchased for $27.95 online.

Tilar Mazzeo, a professor of English at Colby College and a teacher of nonfiction at writer’s workshops in British Columbia, has just released the second edition of Back Lane Wineries of Napa (256 pages, ISBN 1607745909, published by Ten Speed Shirts, $14.40 online.

New York-based Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen have written Wines of California (592 pages, ISBN 1454904488, published by Sterling Epicure for $19.50 online.

Stuart Pigott traveled the world researching Riesling for this book and his blog. An Englishman based in Berlin, he writes for German publications including the Frankfurter Allegemeine Zeitung, Feinschmecker and Weingourmet. Smith-Madrone is the only Riesling from North America in Mr. Pigott’s list of Top 20 Dry Rieslings in the book. In the section on Smith-Madrone (p. 68-69) Pigott writes: “…some of my favorite Californian Rieslings, like that from Smith-Madrone…come from dramatic mountainous locations…. a properly dry Riesling that has arguably been the most consistent wine from this grape in the entire state since the first vintage back in 1977.” An excerpt from the book can be found here.

Natalie Berkowitz’s book is a collection of interviews with 40 vintners from around the world discussing their vineyards, wines and winemaking philosophies. She is a wine, food and lifestyle writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Wine Enthusiast, Wine Spectator and other publications. She is also the author of the wine blog Winealicious and has taught wine appreciation courses at Barnard College and Columbia University. The chapter on Smith-Madrone (p. 57-65) profiles founder Stuart Smith, including biographical details as well as his approach to grape growing and winemaking and a discussion of Smith-Madrone’s unique mountain terroir. Recipes for Red Wine Risotto and Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb (both dependent on Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon) are included.

Tilar Mazzeo’s Back Lane Wineries of Napa Valley is a guide to wineries specializing in hand-crafted wines made by on-site proprietors, often with only local distribution and limited production. In addition to the profiles of more than seventy wineries, there are Wine Tasting Essentials, Wine Shipping Services, ideas about how to plan an itinerary, the etiquette of tasting and more.

Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen are wine, spirits, food and travel writers; their articles and photographs have appeared in Wine Enthusiast, Wine Spectator and Saveur. They are the authors of The Fire Island Cookbook and Wines Of The Southern Hemisphere: The Complete Guide. They have been featured guests on The TODAY Show and The Martha Stewart Show as well as numerous other programs.