| Introduction |
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1 | (1) |
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1 | (1) |
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Conventions Used in This Book |
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2 | (1) |
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3 | (1) |
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4 | (1) |
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How This Book Is Organized |
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4 | (3) |
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The Big Picture of California Wine |
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5 | (1) |
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5 | (1) |
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More Reds, Whites, Pinks, and Bubblies |
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6 | (1) |
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Enjoying California Wines |
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6 | (1) |
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6 | (1) |
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7 | (1) |
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8 | (1) |
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Part I: The Big Picture of California Wine |
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9 | (76) |
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Introducing California Wines |
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11 | (14) |
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Covering All the Bases in Wine Production |
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11 | (4) |
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The color and type spectrums |
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12 | (1) |
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12 | (2) |
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14 | (1) |
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Leading the Market in Popularity |
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15 | (1) |
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Golden Resources in the Golden State |
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16 | (4) |
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16 | (2) |
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18 | (1) |
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19 | (1) |
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California's Wine Timeline |
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20 | (5) |
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Planting the seeds in the 18th century |
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20 | (1) |
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The founder and other pioneers |
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21 | (1) |
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22 | (1) |
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Reinventing itself in the 1960s |
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22 | (1) |
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Expanding in the late 20th and early 21st centuries |
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23 | (2) |
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25 | (16) |
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25 | (4) |
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Varietal wine: A wine that is what it (mostly) is |
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26 | (2) |
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Quality claims: What varietal does not imply |
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28 | (1) |
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Wines without Varietal Names |
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29 | (3) |
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Blends: Naming when the point is multiple grape varieties |
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29 | (1) |
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Emulating European classics |
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30 | (1) |
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Period pieces, generically speaking |
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31 | (1) |
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The In-Crowd: California's Major Varietal Wines |
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32 | (5) |
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32 | (1) |
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33 | (1) |
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34 | (1) |
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35 | (1) |
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36 | (1) |
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36 | (1) |
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37 | (1) |
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Other California Varietal Wines |
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37 | (4) |
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38 | (1) |
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39 | (1) |
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Even less-known varietals |
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40 | (1) |
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41 | (16) |
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Label Terms and What They (Sorta) Mean |
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42 | (8) |
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42 | (7) |
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Unregulated terms intended to influence you |
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49 | (1) |
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Official Grape-Growing Areas |
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50 | (7) |
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Europe's tradition of viticultural areas |
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50 | (1) |
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AVAs, America's version of European tradition |
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51 | (1) |
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Small, large, and overlapping AVAs |
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52 | (5) |
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California's Major Wine Regions |
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57 | (28) |
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57 | (2) |
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Napa Valley: Wine Country's Hollywood |
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59 | (6) |
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60 | (1) |
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61 | (2) |
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Getting to and staying in Napa Valley |
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63 | (2) |
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Sonoma County: Hardly an Also-ran! |
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65 | (6) |
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67 | (3) |
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Sonoma's signatures: Pinot Noir and Zinfandel |
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70 | (1) |
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Sonoma's wines: Something for everyone |
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70 | (1) |
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71 | (14) |
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Up the North Coast to Mendocino and Lake Counties |
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72 | (1) |
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73 | (7) |
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80 | (1) |
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81 | (4) |
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85 | (86) |
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Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc |
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87 | (24) |
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Chardonnay: The Wine That California Made Famous |
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88 | (3) |
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A brief history of California Chardonnay |
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88 | (2) |
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The taste of California Chardonnay |
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90 | (1) |
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91 | (1) |
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Where Chardonnay Grows in California |
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91 | (3) |
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Cool, coastal classic regions |
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92 | (2) |
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Warm regions for everyday Chardonnays |
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94 | (1) |
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94 | (3) |
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Sauvignon Blanc: Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride |
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97 | (5) |
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Some history on Sauvignon Blanc |
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99 | (1) |
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Three styles of California Sauvignon Blanc |
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100 | (1) |
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101 | (1) |
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Regions for Sauvignon Blanc |
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102 | (6) |
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102 | (1) |
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Sonoma takes on Sauvignon |
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103 | (2) |
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Top Sauvignon Blanc wines from other regions |
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105 | (3) |
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Names to Trust in Sauvignon Blanc |
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108 | (3) |
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Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Their Blends |
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111 | (24) |
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Hailing the California Cab, a World-Class Red |
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112 | (4) |
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A brief history of Cabernet |
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112 | (1) |
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The taste of California Cabernet |
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113 | (1) |
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Making a California original from a Bordeaux grape |
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114 | (2) |
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Where the Cabernet Grows: Our Cabernet Recommendations |
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116 | (9) |
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Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons |
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116 | (5) |
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121 | (2) |
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Santa Cruz Mountain Cabernet Sauvignons |
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123 | (2) |
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Other California Cabernets |
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125 | (1) |
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Merlot, Sometimes a Contender |
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125 | (2) |
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Merlot's up, down, and Sideways reputation |
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126 | (1) |
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The taste of California Merlot |
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126 | (1) |
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Regions That Excel with Merlot |
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127 | (3) |
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Reliable Napa Valley Merlots |
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129 | (1) |
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130 | (1) |
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The Secret's in the Bordeaux Blend |
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130 | (5) |
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131 | (1) |
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Key brands of Bordeaux-style blends |
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132 | (3) |
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135 | (24) |
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From Obscurity to Overnight Fame |
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136 | (1) |
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California-Style Pinot Noir |
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137 | (3) |
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137 | (1) |
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138 | (2) |
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California's Pinot Noir Regions |
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140 | (19) |
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141 | (9) |
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Hot new Pinot Noir regions |
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150 | (5) |
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155 | (2) |
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Pinot Noirs in other regions |
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157 | (2) |
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159 | (12) |
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Tracing California's (Almost) Native Grape |
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159 | (2) |
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What's Special about Zinfandel |
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161 | (1) |
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The Spectrum of Zin Styles |
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162 | (1) |
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163 | (3) |
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Recommended Zinfandel Wines |
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166 | (5) |
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Part III: More Reds, Whites, Pinks, and Bubblies |
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171 | (46) |
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Pinot Grigio, Rhone-Style Whites, and Other California Whites |
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173 | (12) |
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Here a Grigio, There a Gris |
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173 | (5) |
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The California face of Italy's leading white |
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174 | (1) |
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The taste of California Pinot Grigio/Gris |
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175 | (2) |
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Recommended California Pinot Grigio/Gris wines |
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177 | (1) |
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White Wines from Rhone Varieties |
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178 | (3) |
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The taste of white Rhone varietals and blends |
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179 | (1) |
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California white Rhone wines to try |
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180 | (1) |
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More California White Wines |
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181 | (4) |
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182 | (1) |
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182 | (1) |
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183 | (1) |
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183 | (2) |
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Syrah, Petite Sirah, Other Varietal Reds, and Red Blends |
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185 | (22) |
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California Syrah Comes of Age |
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185 | (9) |
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Number five in production but growing |
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186 | (1) |
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187 | (1) |
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The taste of California Syrah |
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187 | (2) |
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Today's hotbeds of Syrah and Shiraz |
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189 | (2) |
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191 | (3) |
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The Dark and Mysterious Petite Sirah |
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194 | (4) |
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The great identity search |
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194 | (1) |
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Petite Sirah's ups and downs |
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195 | (1) |
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The taste of Petite Sirah |
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195 | (1) |
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196 | (1) |
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Recommended Petite Sirah wines |
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197 | (1) |
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California's Red Rhone-style Blends |
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198 | (3) |
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198 | (1) |
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When in Rhone: The grapes in Rhone blends |
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199 | (1) |
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Recommended California red Rhone blends |
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200 | (1) |
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Cal-Ital: Italian Varieties in California |
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201 | (3) |
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Cal-Ital red grape varieties |
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202 | (1) |
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Recommended Cal-Ital red wines |
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203 | (1) |
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204 | (3) |
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Bubbly, Rose, and Dessert Wines |
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207 | (10) |
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California's Sparkling Wines |
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207 | (4) |
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Characterizing California bubbly |
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208 | (1) |
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French-and California-owned brands |
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209 | (1) |
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Recommended sparkling wines |
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210 | (1) |
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Pretty in Pink: California Roses, Dry and Sweet |
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211 | (4) |
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212 | (1) |
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White Zinfandel and its blushing cousins |
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213 | (2) |
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215 | (2) |
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Part IV: Enjoying California Wines |
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217 | (24) |
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Pairing and Sharing California Wines |
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219 | (12) |
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220 | (3) |
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220 | (2) |
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Try this with that: Wine pairings for specific foods |
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222 | (1) |
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Aging and Collecting California Wines |
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223 | (4) |
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How different varietal wines age |
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224 | (1) |
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California wines that have aged well |
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225 | (2) |
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Vintage Variations in California |
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227 | (4) |
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Cool versus warm vintages |
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228 | (1) |
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Our California vintage ratings |
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228 | (3) |
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Making a Winery Pilgrimage |
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231 | (10) |
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Knowing What to Expect on the Winery Visit |
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231 | (4) |
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232 | (1) |
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The tasting room and shop |
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233 | (2) |
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Do's and Don'ts for Visitors |
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235 | (3) |
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235 | (1) |
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Embrace the etiquette of tasting and spitting |
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236 | (2) |
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Beware the designated driver trap |
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238 | (1) |
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238 | (3) |
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Gather specific info on winery visits |
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238 | (2) |
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Know the restrictions on transporting your purchases |
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240 | (1) |
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241 | (16) |
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Answers to Ten Common Questions about California Wine |
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243 | (6) |
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What's the Best California Wine? |
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243 | (1) |
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Do Vintages Matter for California Wine? |
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244 | (1) |
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Are Ratings Important in Buying California Wine? |
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244 | (1) |
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How Long Should California Wines Age before I Drink Them? |
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245 | (1) |
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Are the $100+ California Wines Worth the Price? |
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245 | (1) |
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Do California Wines Age Well? |
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245 | (1) |
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Are California Pinot Noirs as Good as Red Burgundy? |
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246 | (1) |
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Are California Chardonnays Too Oaky? |
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247 | (1) |
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Are California Roses Sweet? |
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247 | (1) |
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What's the Story with California Merlots? |
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247 | (2) |
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Ten Top Travel Destinations and Attractions |
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249 | (8) |
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249 | (1) |
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The Ferry Building, San Francisco |
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250 | (1) |
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Picnic Lunches in Wine Country |
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251 | (1) |
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The Napa Valley Wine Train |
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251 | (1) |
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Calistoga's Hot Springs and Mud Baths |
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252 | (1) |
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252 | (1) |
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San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles |
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253 | (1) |
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254 | (1) |
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Healdsburg, Sonoma County |
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254 | (1) |
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Mendocino, Anderson Valley |
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254 | (3) |
| Index |
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257 | |
