Sonoma

Fiction

Velocity, Dean Koontz, 2005
Napa Valley bartender and wood sculptor Billy Wiles finds himself targeted by a fiendish killer in a nail-biter of a suspense novel.

Sharpshooter: A Sunny McCoskey Napa Valley Mystery, Nadia Gordon, 2002
Local color saturates the investigations of organic chef Sunny McCoskey, who must clear her friend’s name following the murder of a wine family heir.

Nonfiction

Food Lover’s Guide to the Napa Valley: Where to Eat, Cook, and Shop in the Wine Country, Plus 50 Irresistible Recipes, Lori Lyn Narlock, 2003
This book by a food writer and former chef contains a forward by Thomas Keller, the famous chef from the French Laundry, and suggestions for dozens of great addresses for foodies.

A Tale of Two Valleys: Wine, Wealth, and the Battle for the Good Life in Napa and Sonoma, Alan Deutschman, 2003
An engaging look at the rivalry between the two valleys and their distinct atmospheres and controversies.

Napa: The Transformation of an American Town, Lauren Coodley, 2003
From a professor at Napa Valley College, this history runs from when Spanish explorers arrived and met the resident Wappo Indians through to modern times.

The Far Side of Eden: New Money, Old Land, and the Battle for Napa Valley, James Conaway, 2002
A riveting account of how this agricultural paradise has been divided over issues of land use, conservation and status by a contributor to National Geographic and Food & Wine, who has studied the area for decades.

The Soul of a Chef: The Journey Toward Perfection, Michael Ruhlman, 2001
One of the three parts of this book chronicles working in the kitchen of Thomas Keller’s French Laundry.

Harvests of Joy: How the Good Life Became Great Business, Robert Mondavi, 1998
The autobiography of America’s greatest winemaker and how he single-handedly changed the world view of California wines.

Films

Somm, 2012
This documentary about the Court of Master Sommeliers, one of the world’s most prestigious organizations and among its most exclusive—fewer than 200 candidates have reached the Master level—follows four wine professionals as they prepare for (and, occasionally, cry over) the notoriously hard-to-pass exam, which has among the lowest pass rates of tests in any field.

Bottle Shock, 2008
Starring Alan Rickman, Chris Pine and Bill Pullman, this comedy drama recounts the 1976 “Judgment of Paris,” the first time California wine beat French wine in a competition.

A Walk in the Clouds, 1995
Heady historical romance when Keanu Reeve’s war veteran meets pregnant Aitana Sanchez-Giton on her way home to help with the grape harvest at her father’s vineyard.

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