num_pages: 352
description: "Thoughtfully conceived and very well written, this is essential somm reading."--The Somm Journal "This is the most important wine book of the year, perhaps in many years."--The Seattle Times "Crisply written, impeccably researched, balanced if fundamentally enthusiastic, scholarly but accessible, and full of unexpected details and characters."--The World of Fine Wine No wine category has seen more dramatic growth in recent years than American Rh�ne-variety wines. Winemakers are devoting more energy, more acreage, and more bottlings to Rh�ne varieties than ever before. The flagship Rh�ne 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. There has never been a better time for American Rh�ne wine producers.American Rh�ne is the untold history of the American Rh�ne 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 forge a triumph of the obscure and the brash. But, more than this, it is the story of the maturation of the American palate and a new republic of wine lovers whose restless tastes and curiosity led them to Rh�ne wines just as those wines were reaching a critical mass in the marketplace. Patrick J. Comiskey's history of the American Rh�ne wine movement is both a compelling underdog success story and an essential reference for the wine professional. 
title: American Rhone: How Maverick Winemakers Changed the Way Americans Drink
publisher: University of California Press