A Delightful Pairing
Passion for Pinot:
A Journey Through America's
Pinot Noir Country

(Ten Speed Press)
DISCOVER - May 12, 2009

Recall the reverent musing of Miles in Sideways "...its flavors, they're just the most haunting and brilliant and thrilling and subtle and...ancient on the planet."

Text from Jordan Mackay pairs delightfully with photographs by Andrea Johnson and Robert Holmes in Passion for Pinot. Pictures of luscious landscapes span the Pacific coast from snow-covered vines in Oregon's Willamette Valley to golden harvests in California's Sta. Rita Hills. The grit and joy of hard working farm hands and vintners is also deftly portrayed. We particularly liked the close-up of winemaker Ken Wright's hands holding sandstone dirt from his Abbott Claim vineyard.

The text is lively and informative, not overbearing, except for an ocean of ink devoted to soil types (the dirt photo was good enough for us!). You'll discover good cocktail quotes, a snippet on the love-hate relationship between American winemakers and Burgundy, a lot about the terroir of AVAs that grow pinot, and little essays on offbeat but intriguing topics, such as clones and how to start a pinot noir business.

All in, it's a looker that's a good read to boot.

Passion for Pinot: A Journey Through America's Pinot Noir Country
Publisher: Ten Speed Press (Random House)
Written by: Jordan Mackay
Photographed by: Robert Holmes and Andrea Johnson
$30 (160 pages)
www.PinotBook.com
www.randomhouse.com

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