Wine is a subject that lends itself to words. From the technical to the romantic, from the philosophical to the idyllic, the subject is almost endless.
As a result, any review of recent wine books can range from the enjoyable beach-side reader to the analytical, chemist-oriented tome worthy of becoming a reference book.
Since I delve into all aspects of the industry, what follows may well not be everyone's cup of chai, but all are fascinating reads to one degree or another.
"The New California Wine, A Guide to the Producers and Wines Behind a Revolution in Taste," by Jon Bonne, $35; Ten Speed Press.
The San Francisco Chronicle's wine editor profiles many of California's less-than-widely-known producers of wines of distinctiveness, and does an excellent job describing them.
Regional profiles are helpful in understanding each region he visits, and it's clear Jon's quest is for the "new," not the established.
One of America's clearest voices as a champion of balanced wine, Bonne has a message in this work, yet it's muted. It seems that his tone is a bit less than acerbic when it appears he was all set to be just that.
Still, and despite some irritating design problems, this is an excellent work and infinitely more valuable than reading lists of scores.
"A Carafe of Red," by Gerald Asher, $23.95, paperback; University of California Press.
This is a number of charming collected essays on various aspects of wine by one of the wine world's most stylish writers, historians and wine lovers.
I've known Asher for nearly 35 years and admit an admiration for his vision, poetry and passion for real wine, which is hard to describe.
While sitting with him at dinner a year ago, he was served a wine he decided had been far too manipulated, thus robbing us of the fruit he knew the vineyard once had. His frustration was palpable.
This work, with essays as old as three decades, displays his lifelong love affair with the vine and the glass.
"Mendocino Roots and Ridges, Wine Notes from America's Greenest Wine Region," by Heidi Cusick Dickerson and Tom Liden, $29.95, Mendocino (Grassroots Publications).
A longtime Mendocino resident and wine lover, Cusick Dickerson has teamed with one of the country's top photographers, Liden, to lay out a lovely pastiche of the county with brief, charming profiles of most of its people, properties and places.
There isn't much of the sad history of the county's grape and wine culture. (It is a great wine region, yet more than 80 percent of its fruit and wine are sold in bulk or in grape form to other regions.) But as a love letter, the entire project works nicely. This is a paean to a wonderful region, complete with new and stunning photos of people, vines and loads more.
"The Science of Wine, From Vine to Glass," by Jamie Goode, $39.95; University of California Press.
Goode is wine columnist for the national newspaper of the United Kingdom, The Sunday Express. Although the book is a bit more technical than most wine lovers would like, it delves more deeply into wine than the average primer.
Wine is a lot more than simply grape juice fermented, and in this second edition of a classic work, Goode looks at literally dozens of ideas that are part of the making of wine under literally dozens of scenarios.
If you are into the esoterica of wine making, this book is a must.
"Postmodern Winemaking, Rethinking The Modern Science of an Ancient Craft," by Clark Smith, $34.95; Ten Speed Press.
Yet another technical look at wine, this tome takes Goode two or three steps further, so it is clearly not for everyone.
However, Smith's philosophical thinking as well as his sociological comments and his metaphorical/simile filled writing are on display.
The best part is how Smith takes us on a historical journey from after Prohibition ended, when the wine industry knew little, to the 2000s, when many wine makers think they know all there is to know about wine.
Until Smith's work, many didn't know what they didn't know.
Sonoma County resident Dan Berger publishes "Vintage Experiences," a weekly wine newsletter. Write to him at winenut@gmail.com.
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