- Paperback: 304 pages
- Publisher: Da Capo Press Inc (12 Mar 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0306810298
- ISBN-13: 978-0306810299
- Product Dimensions: 2.2 x 1.4 x 0.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,235,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
"Not quite like anything that has been written about California wine before" (Wine Spectator)-one man's now-classic quest to trace the origins and remarkable progress of "America's grape". Here is the book that Frank J. Prial in the New York Times Book Review called "delightfulit weaves history, geography, wine, and some of the fascinating people who make it into a downright enthralling tale." It is the grape that has been stepped on, but never crushed. Long thought to produce workaday wines at best, the zinfandel grape has triumphed in the last decade, with stylish, sophisticated wines from the Ravenswood and Ridge wineries, among many others. In Zin, David Darlington delves into the murky and curious history of the wine and takes the story right up to the present, with portraits of the eccentric artisans who engineered the ascension of America's "native" wine. With an unerring eye for detail (a bedraggled vineyard in Sonoma County is described as looking "like a collection of fright wigs") and a gift for the on-target characterization (Sutter Home, for example, is called "the Sylvester Stallone among wineries"), Darlington has created a classic transcending its genre.
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Following a complaint by Rich Kunde, president. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
One of the most interesting and well written wine books I have read. Darlington tells the story of Zinfandel, California's 'own' grape variety, and takes us through his own personal quest to get to grip with its mysteries. Beginning with a well researched account of the origins of Zin, he then gives a detailed but readable account of his in-depth research into the special place occupied by Zinfandel in the California wine scene today. A polished writer, Darlington focuses on two of the leading players, Joel Peterson of Ravenswood, and Paul Draper of Ridge, and, with just a little journalistic license, uses their differing personalities and approaches to shed light onto just what it is that is special about Zinfandel. He is obviously sympathetic to both, but cleverly avoids taking sides when controversies are raised. Candid and honest, the whole book is professionally assembled and makes an easy read. Even if you are not a Zin fan, this book is compulsory reading for anyone with more than a passing interest in the US wine scene. The good news is that it has just been reprinted (albeit under a less imaginative title than the original), after several years out of press. Well worth buying a copy.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
7 reviews
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
finally, a reprint!
14 Aug 2001
Format:Paperback
Normally I do not write reviews about books, especially those that I have a featured if small part in. Yet after being mentioned in the rambling pontifications of a poorly-written and rather stunningly ignorant review I felt like perhaps I should comment on Darlington's work. In doing so I will try to focus on the actual text of the book rather than "crying foul" at rather normal publishing practices that occur regularly.
It is hard for me to decide which aspect of "Zin", or "Angels Visits" I like the most. First of all, the structure of the book is well done, in that it nicely parallels the known historical facts and theories of Zinfandel's presence as the only truly "American" grape varietal with the stories of Paul Draper, Joel Peterson, and their current philosophies regarding the varietal. Darlington's strength lies in his ability to capture the evolution and mystery surrounding Zinafandel in a coherent and fascinating manner, while painting accurate and detailed potraits of some of the main players in the industry. "Angels Visits" is something of an archetype in the area of wine literature because it successfully draws the reader into a world known by very few, and pretended to be known by very many.
I always thought it a shame that a second edition of the book never came out, and although I dislike the simpleton name on the cover and the packaging, it is really what is underneath these that counts. Perhaps more should have been written about the current status of Zinfandel, but this critique is outweighed by the very nature of the book. In being a historical review of the Zinfandel varietal, and a case study of the two best wineries during the early boom of Zinfandel, there is really no need for more to be written. Whatever needs to be included is written in the new epilogue by Darlington, where he notes the new styles of Zinfandel being pioneered by producers such as Turley and Martinelli and updates the reader on the current status of the two wineries and the people involved in the book.
There is no doubt that personal bias is involved when I write this review, remember, Darlington "labored in constant dread of rounding a corner and finding (my) precociousness scattered across the floor," I feel that this is a great work. I have been born and raised listening about, tasting and working with Zinfandel...yet everytime I pick up this book I learn something that I have never known. So, I say, as a picky and educated "Zinfandel aficionado", and a wine aficionado more generally, read this book, you will not be dissapointed.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
no sin with ZIN
11 Sep 2001
Format:Paperback
D. Darlington committed no sin by reprinting "Angel's Visits" under the new title "ZIN"...he did us a favor. I can not tell you how many times I recommended "Angel's Visits" to zinfandel lovers and then had to warn them that their search for it would be difficult as the book was now out of print. BUT NO MORE. Now a new generation of Zin fanatics can add to their wine library a book that is one of its kind. Get the book, settle down with a nice glass of Zinfandel and enjoy a journey into the world of winemaking, joyful characters, passionate people and ZIN!!!
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Reviewer Falk doesn't get it
18 Jun 2001
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a re-issue of an out-of-print book -- and a classic, at that. That's why nothing's been changed. As for the new title, it's got a new publisher and that publisher wanted a less esoteric title. Sheesh. Get a clue.
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