David Darlington (1)

When read with The Judgment of Paris, Darlington's book gives a rich anectdotal history of the "second" generation of great California winemakers, who got their start after the iconic victory of California wines over French wines at a blind tasting in Paris in 1976. Darlington does a good job of highlighting the complex relationship between science, mysticism, and profit that has spurred California winemaking over the last several decades.

Delightful social and ecological history of my favorite wine.

Somewhere between the styles of Edward Abbey and John McPhee, Darlington focuses attention on the Mojave desert. Combining natural history with regional history and biography, the author conveys how people have used and abused this unique region and leads to a sense of protectiveness for this harsh, yet perilously fragile and vulnerable location. lj

Darlington does for zinfandel what John McPhee did for "Oranges". In attempting to uncover the origins of that most American wine grape, Darlington roams among the top producers extant (most are still the top now in 2007) and interviews winemakers including Draper and Peterson. Darlington has a passion for zinfandel wine and it shines through in his writing. This is an excellent read even if you are not that much into wine.