A Very Good Year: The Journey of a California Wine from Vine to Table

by Mike Weiss

Based on the acclaimed thirty-nine-part San Francisco Chronicle series, an award-winning journalist follows the making of a bottle of Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc from its harvesting off the vine by immigrant workers in Northern California to its first tasting, capturing all that goes into the process of turning a grape into a fine vintage and selling it to today’s connoisseurs.

Mike Weiss spent nearly two years with Ferrari-Carano, a California winemaker founded in Sonoma County just over twenty years ago by Don Carano, a casino and hotel mogul from Reno. The narrative in A Very Good Year follows Ferrari-Carano’s Fume Blanc from barren vines in November to its first sampling by a customer at the Four Seasons in New York, and, over the course of the book, Weiss presents his unique insight into the making and marketing of wine today. BACKCOVER: “Superb. . . . Weiss tells a great story.”
—THE NEW YORK TIMES

“Finally, a wine book that explains all the ingredients. . . . You will marvel at the richness of what Mike Weiss . . . was able to capture and convey within this delicious book.”
—LOS ANGELES TIMES

“Compelling . . . A Very Good Year is both entertaining and comprehensive.”
—THE BOSTON GLOBE

“A sweeping book about tourism, globalism, environmental sustainability, immigration, and glamour. . . . The bottle of Fume Blanc . . . is like a Pandora’s box. Open it up and out spill all the vanity, marketing savvy, self-mythologizing, acres of land, buckets of money, precise science, alchemical blending, and feudal working conditions that make up the California dream known as the wine industry.”
—SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

Genres: Nonfiction, Wine, Travel

288 pages, Paperback

First published June 2, 2005

Reviews

[Benjamin · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I picked this up, I was looking for a book that would explain the process of growing and making wine. I was not necessarily concerned with the particular personalities involved in producing wine at a specific winery. From the book's cover, I knew that I'd be reading about the production of sauvignon blanc by the Ferrari Carano winery. So, I knew that the book was partly not what I was looking for.

Unfortunately, virtually from the first page, A Very Good Year became much too involved with the people at the Ferrari Carano winery and paid much less attention to the process of creating the wine. However, the little gems about wine production (particularly of sauvignon blanc) that were included were fascinating. The drawback is that finding those gems requires a lot of skimming.

I would recommend this book to someone who wants to read a somewhat compelling account of how the personalities involved in the production of wine can affect the outcome of the wine itself.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read after I finished working harvest for a winery (and met one of the growers in the book: he was not happy w/ the way he was portrayed, and his first words to me, a total stranger, were "ever heard of that Mike Weiss guy?"). I can relate to the drama, stress and anxiety reflected in the book. The author did get a little too caught up in the tension and personal relationships b/w the key actors, and he should have emphasized the industrial quality of this winery a bit more (smaller wineries operate quite a bit differently from "indoor" wineries like FC). But he did a good job walking us through the year, and I liked that he pointed out the PR factor of the project. Great plane book.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am working at a winery this summer and before reading this book knew next to nothing about wine. This book describes the "story" behind one bottle of California wine (Ferrari-Carano's 2002 Fume Blanc). The author introduces you to all the characters who have a hand in creating the wine-from the owners of the vineyard right down to the Mexican men who take care of the grapes in the vineyards. I now have a greater understanding of what goes into a bottle of wine and why it tastes the way it does. This book was much more interesting than I thought it could be.

[Brendan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still a three-star read. More interesting this time around, being wayore familiar with wine and the people who make it and how trends have evolved, but still mired down by VERY uninteresting tangents into the stories of these people's personal lives. I just don't care about this guy's relationship with his dad or someone else's traumatic car accident -- it doesn't change the wine. Anyway, I'd still recommend it as a great crash course on wine, winemaking, and the wine business.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know when I started reading books about wine but this is one of my favorites. It will introduce you to the world of wine starting with the farmers and take you on a journey across the world, all before meeting back with you in your wine glass.

[Diane Schwarz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was traveling to California for vacation and wanted to learn about wine making ahead of the trip. This book was good and provided the education I was looking for. I would recommend this book for people who like wine but have no idea how complicated and expensive it is to make.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book describes making a Fumé Blanc wine, describing not only the process but also the people involved over the course of a year.

[Kevin Findley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read on the California wine business. I recommend it to anyone who has ever wanted to know what it took to get from grapes to glass. Mike Weiss did a great job balancing the good and bad of Ferrari-Carano (mostly good) to give the reader a very honest look into a world that most of us think we know but really don't.

One warning though; after reading this book, you may never want to read another review from a wine critic again.

There are copies available from libraries and booksellers all around the country. Snag one and read it the next time you want to sit down with a nice glass of wine. It will improve your ability to appreciate the wine and that is always welcome.

[Ssejsllew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book all the way through, then turned back to page one and read it again. I can't think of the last time I connected this much with a book. Had never heard of Naomi or this book, but my intern at TDF, Emma, recommended this and I valued her opinion. DAMN. This book got me to start a non-fiction book club, just so we could read this book and so I could discuss this with smart folks who had read it. Fantastic! Also, yeah, I borrowed the book from Emma and had it in such shoddy condition (as I'd been obsessively reading it, turning down pages, and eventually underlining things) that I just bought her a new copy and kept the used one.

[Dick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting book about the making of Ferrari-Carano wines from the vineyards and through the winemaking process. Reveals the complex process of producing a fine wine at a reasonable price and describes some of the key employees who contribute to this process including the visionary owner, Don Carano, and his wife. Actually visited this winery near Healdsburg, CA, about 1.5 hours north of San Fran. Absolutely beautiful. Check out the Ferrari-Carano website.

[Christi · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are at all interested in wine or the wine business, this book is certainly interesting. Mike Weiss truly takes you on a journey, but not just of the wine making process. He side steps into the people and industries that come into contact with it, providing a different tour of the industry. While I found some sections technical for pleasure reading, he successfully got me to want to try this wine I'd been following.

[Lena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't a huge fan of this book. The parts about how wine was made were interesting, but the author tried to focus more on the people making the wine. Some of that was interesting, but I found a lot of those stories unnecessary. Also, I found the author would build up to something, and then seem to not finish his thought. I think a more factual book about making wine would be more interesting.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a person who loves drinking wine, but doesn't consider herself a wine-snob, this book was a great way to get a better knowledge for the process of a bottle of wine. I was also intrigued by The Story behind the branding of the winery. Not a speed read, but this book is a great option to add to your reading list.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

picked up this book because of what my boyfriend does for a living...it's the second wine industry book I've read..and I'm just now learning how much like a soap opera it all is! Must be all that wine making people emotional.

[Vince Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent account of all the of contributors to and of the natural and creative processes that go into making and marketing wine. It gives a new appreciation of the complexity and artistry of what seems like such a simple pleasure.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable look at the working life of a winery.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book doesn't have the drama the author wants it to have.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm in the process of finishing this book, but it's pretty good. Tells about various aspects of wine making through the stories of workers involved. Non-fiction.

[Donnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good-read, go over the wine process from a broad prospective. Also go in details about the relationships made in and around the vineyard/winery.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was easy and quick to read and also very informative.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good insight into the fine wine world

[AL · Rating 1 out of 5]

So boring I couldn't even get through the first chapter.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Follows one winery mostly (Ferrari-Carano) through an entire growing/havest/winemaking season of its Fume Blanc. That part is better than the "drama" about the owner.

[Shelle]

Good knowledge on how the wine industry really works...great learning book--thought it was slow, but then non-fiction books can be.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enjoyable and informative read, particularly for those who enjoy wine, whether the "fine" or Two Buck Chuck varieties (or both!).

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable overview of the production of wine over the course of one year.