On California - Introduction by Warren Winiarski

On California is a collection of essays on California wine spanning fifty years, introduced by Warren Winiarski.

Thirty-nine pieces by thirty-five writers, drawn from between 1971 and 2021 and assembled so the state reads as one long argument about ambition. The early pioneers, phylloxera, Prohibition, the cooling hand of the Pacific and the odd advantages of living on a fault line all get their turn, as does the 1976 blind tasting arranged by a modest English merchant that made the rest of the world pay attention. William Kelley writes on ripeness pushed to its limits in Napa, and Randall Grahm on sustainability under a warming sky. Steven Spurrier, Jane Anson and Esther Mobley also contribute.

A useful corrective for drinkers who file California under big Cabernet and stop there. Most valuable to people buying or selling the wines, and readable enough for anyone who simply wants the story of how the state arrived where it is.