American Rhone

"Thoughtfully conceived and very well written, this is essential somm reading." * The Somm Journal * "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." -- Joe Roberts * 1 Wine Dude * "This book is superb." * California Grapevine * "Our five favorite liquor and wine books from 2016: A deep dive into this fascinating category, long beloved by wine geeks." * San Francisco Chronicle * "Delves into the American Rhone movement's wine-soaked origins in this vivid, in-depth account." * The Mercury News * "This is the most important wine book of the year, perhaps in many years." * The Seattle Times * "A strong contender for wine book of the year." -- Henry Jefffreys * The Guardian * "The definitive work on the Rhone movement." * Wine Review Online * "Crisply written, impeccably researched, balanced if fundamentally enthusiastic, scholarly but accessible, and full of unexpected details and characters." * The World of Fine Wine * "The wine book of the year." -- Dennis Schaefer * Santa Barbara News-Press * "Comiskey really knows his stuff - deep research is apparent here - and he writes with a fluid style, so learning about American Rhone is a real pleasure. . . . A terrific book, well-written and informative. It deserves a place on your wine bookshelf." * The Wine Economist *

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.

Acknowledgments Introduction PART I: PRELUDES AND ANTECEDENTS 1. The Sixties, Headwaters of the American Rhone 2. A Place and Its Progeny: A Guide to the Varieties of the Rhone Valley 3. How Rhone Varieties Got to American Soil 4. The Curious Case of American Petite Sirah 5. Rhone Varieties through Prohibition and After PART II: PIONEERS AND PLAYERS 6. The Path to the First American Rhone 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 Rhonist 12. Manfred Krankl, the First Superstar PART IV: THE MOVEMENT STARTS TO MOVE 13. Viognier, the Rhone Movement's Flower Child 14. The Purloined Rhone: How Suitcase Clones Shaped the Movement 15. Tablas Creek, the Validator 16. The American Rhone in Washington State PART V: BOOMTIME 17. The Birth of the Rhone Rangers, 1987-1990 18. The Academic Backup for the American Rhone Movement 19. The Bridge from California to France: The Colloquium to Bring the Rhones Together 20. Hospice du Rhone: A Festival to Bring the Rhone 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.