Victor W. Geraci, who earned his PhD in history at the University of California Santa Barbara, was an assistant and then associate professor of history at Central Connecticut State University from 1997 to 2003. In 2003, Geraci began a new role with the University of California Berkeley Bancroft Library Oral History Center as a food and wine historian/specialist, and was the program's associate director until his retirement in 2013. His main areas of research include American agriculture with a specific focus on the California wine industry.

"No one knows the history of California's wine culture better than Victor Geraci. He has mastered the literature, enhanced it with oral histories, and crafted an informative, readable history that sheds new light on the work of the Wine Institute to transform the industry into an important part of American agriculture, business, and culture."—R. Douglas Hurt, professor of history, Purdue University, author of A Companion to American Agricultural History"I loved the material presented in The War on Wine. The book's very popular writing style will please a general audience, including wine enthusiasts and wine history buffs; local, public, and campus libraries; and undergraduate students enrolled in courses on the history of wine and food in the United States."—Simone Cinotto, associate professor of contemporary history, University of Gastronomic Sciences, author of The Italian American Table: Food, Family, and Community in New York City

• AcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter One: The Early Republic's Failure To Establish A Wine CultureChapter Two: The Rise of the First American Wine CultureChapter Three: Loss and Rebirth of An American Wine CultureChapter Four: Rebuilding the Wine IndustryChapter Five: A Perfect Man for the Job: A Faltering Wine Institute Seeks New LeadershipChapter Six: Stabilizing the Wine Institute and Reestablishing A Tarnished American Wine IndustryChapter Seven: Neoprohibition: The Continuing Battle for an American Wine CultureChapter Eight: Alla Vostra Salute — To Your HealthChapter Nine: Bio-nutrition, Pyramids, and LabelsChapter Ten: Direct ShippingChapter Eleven: Politics of Wine: Bipartisanship, Soundbites, and the Wine CaucusChapter Twelve: Establishing the Path for the Wine Institute's FutureEpilogue: Who Will Carry the Banner Next?IndexBibliography>About the Author