The Wine Atlas of California

by Bob Thompson

Published 30 September 1993
This superb Wine Atlas is the latest addition to the much-acclaimed Mitchell Beazley series and a companion to Hugh Johnson's World Atlas of Wine.In this new Atlas, Bob Thompson, a leading authority on California wine, appraises the wines, the producers and the wine areas of one of the world's finest wine-producing regions. Over the past 25 years, California wines have grown in quality and status; it is timely that this Atlas should chart this expanding and ever-changing region. In this volume, Bob Thomson also documents the emerging and contrasting vineyards of Washington and Oregon in the Pacific Northwest, making it the most comprehensive survey to date of the wines of the American west coast.The wine regions are portrayed in meticulous detail in 36 newly commissioned maps. These show individual wineyards and wineries, the AVAs (the American appellations) rivers, relief and towns. This degree of detail is of enormous help to winelovers seeking to understand the reasons why good wine is made where it is, and wishing to visit the landscapes which make their favorite wines.The Atlas also describes touring routes around the vineyards, other regional tourist attractions and recommends hotels and restaurants - in fact, all the information a wine enthusiast needs when touring the vineyards.