American Rhône : how Maverick Winemakers changed the way Americans drink / Patrick J. Comiskey.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The sixties, headwaters of the American Rhône -- A place and its progeny: a guide to the varieties of the Rhône Valley -- How Rhône varieties got to American soil -- The curious case of American Petite Sirah -- Rhône varieties through Prohibition and after -- The path to California's first modern Rhône variety wine -- Syrah's proud father: Gary Eberle and the making of modern Syrah -- Other pioneers: from the north coast to gold country -- Randall Grahm, the movement's cosmic impresario -- Steve Edmunds, the quiet Iconoclast -- Sean Thackrey, the thinking Man's Rhônist -- The first superstar: Manfred Krankl and Sine Qua Non -- Viognier, the Rhône movement's flower child -- The purloined Rhône: how suitcase clones shaped the movement -- The validator: Tablas Creek -- The American Rhône in Washington State -- When the rangers became the rangers: Lalime's and after, 1987-1990 -- Classtime: the academic backup for the American Rhône movement -- The bridge from California to France: a colloquium to bring the Rhônes together -- Hospice du Rhône: a festival to bring the Rhône world home -- Irrational exuberance -- The rise and fall of American Syrah -- What we talk about when we talk about American Syrah.

"No wine category has seen more dramatic growth in recent years than American Rhône-variety wines. Winemakers are devoting more energy, more acreage, and more bottlings to Rhône than ever before. The flagship Rhône red, Syrah, is routinely touted as one of California's most promising varieties, capable of tremendous adaptability as a vine, wonderfully variable in style, and highly expressive of place. With each passing year it becomes more characterful, interesting, and higher in quality. There has never been better time for the American Rhône wine producer. American Rhône is the untold history of the American Rhône wine movement. The popularity of these wines has been hard fought; this is a story of fringe players, unknown varieties, and longshot efforts finding their way to the mainstream. It's the story of winemakers gathering sufficient strength in numbers to create a movement, a triumph of the obscure and the brash. But, more than this, it is a story of the maturation of the American palate, a new republic of wine lovers whose restless tastes and curiosity led them to Rhône wines just as those wines were reaching a critical mass in the marketplace. Patrick Comiskey's history of the American Rhône wine movement is both a compelling underdog success story and an essential reference for the wine professional."--Provided by publisher.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher.

English.

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