American Rhone: How Maverick Winemakers Changed the Way Americans Drink

"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 Rhône–variety wines. Winemakers are devoting more energy, more acreage, and more bottlings to Rhône varieties than ever before. The flagship Rhône 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 Rhône wine producers.
 
American Rhône is the untold history of the American Rhône 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 Rhône wines just as those wines were reaching a critical mass in the marketplace. Patrick J. Comiskey’s history of the American Rhône wine movement is both a compelling underdog success story and an essential reference for the wine professional.


Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments
Introduction

PART I: PRELUDES AND ANTECEDENTS

1. The Sixties, Headwaters of the American Rhône
2. A Place and Its Progeny: A Guide to the Varieties of the Rhône Valley
3. How Rhône Varieties Got to American Soil
4. The Curious Case of American Petite Sirah
5. Rhône Varieties through Prohibition and After

PART II: PIONEERS AND PLAYERS

6. The Path to the First American Rhône
7. Syrah’s Proud Father: Gary Eberle and the Making of Modern Syrah
8. Other Pioneers: From the North Coast to Gold Country

PART III: ARTISTS AND ICONOCLASTS

9. Randall Grahm, the Movement’s Cosmic Impresario
10. Steve Edmunds, the Quiet Iconoclast
11. Sean Thackrey, the Thinking Man’s Rhônist
12. Manfred Krankl, the First Superstar

PART IV: THE MOVEMENT STARTS TO MOVE

13. Viognier, the Rhône Movement’s Flower Child
14. The Purloined Rhône: How Suitcase Clones Shaped the Movement
15. Tablas Creek, the Validator
16. The American Rhône in Washington State

PART V: BOOMTIME

17. The Birth of the Rhône Rangers, 1987–1990
18. The Academic Backup for the American Rhône Movement
19. The Bridge from California to France: The Colloquium to Bring the Rhônes Together
20. Hospice du Rhône: A Festival to Bring the Rhône World Home

PART VI: IRRATIONAL EXUBERANCE

21. The Rise and Fall of American Syrah
22. What We Talk About When We Talk about American Syrah

Notes
Index
Figures gathered after page 138.

About the Author :
Patrick J. Comiskey is a wine writer and critic for Wine & Spirits magazine. He has written about wine for many publications, including the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, Food & Wine, Decanter, and Lucky Peach.

Review :
"Thoughtfully conceived and very well written, this is essential somm reading." "Comiskey has a skeptical reporter’s mind, a poet’s way with turns of phrase, an editor’s sense of conservation of words, and a keen (and deep) understanding of – and respect for – wine as a subject matter, all of which come to bear in American Rhone." "This book is superb." "Our five favorite liquor and wine books from 2016: A deep dive into this fascinating category, long beloved by wine geeks." "Delves into the American Rhone movement’s wine-soaked origins in this vivid, in-depth account." "This is the most important wine book of the year, perhaps in many years." "A strong contender for wine book of the year." "The definitive work on the Rhone movement." "Crisply written, impeccably researched, balanced if fundamentally enthusiastic, scholarly but accessible, and full of unexpected details and characters." "The wine book of the year." "Comiskey really knows his stuff — deep research is apparent here — and he writes with a fluid style, so learning about American Rhône is a real pleasure. . . . A terrific book, well-written and informative. It deserves a place on your wine bookshelf."