Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave

I sometimes think I could restrict myself to just writers in the corridor between San Francisco and Sonoma counties and just like the plethora of new restaurants, never run out of enjoyable experiences.

Laura Dave isn’t a native Sonoman, but she’s an excellent writer who has done good research and has captured the feel of the small wineries which abound in Sonoma County.  Our “boutique” wineries are similar to SillyCon Valley’s tech start-ups in being small and passionate about their products.  Unlike techville, here it’s family owned and operated; our guys like to settle in for life.

Like most of my friends and neighbors, I’ve gone to scores of tasting rooms and equally many small winery dinners to meet the winemaker, the family, and sometimes their sons and/or daughters who carried on.  The ethos that was the central theme of this book is the real difference between Napa and Sonoma counties.  Our small lot winemakers are a treasure unique to Sonoma County.  I have been hearing these personal stories now for seventeen years, much like the family story portrayed in “Eight Hundred Grapes”.

The story about terroir was done beautifully in “French Kiss,” 1995 with Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline.  The story of Pinot Noir was given a boost in 2004 by “Sideways” with Paul Giamantti.  This book only adds to glamour of Sonoma County wines.

And by the way, the author writes a great love story, with great insight into real people’s foibles.  Don’t peek to the end – the trip from the beginning will give the reader a joy ride just like the “Big Dipper” roller-coaster at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

So, again, don’t peek – and then I guarantee you’ll shed two tears of joy at the end: one for love and one for wine.