"A standout among the drink books published this year, which ought to be on the Christmas list of every wine lover, even if they don't think they have much interest in American wine."  —Victoria Moore, The Telegraph
"This is a book for novices and geeks interested in the significance of California through America’s wine history, from the swashbuckling era of Agoston Haraszthy through modern Napa’s cult cabernets and today’s despair over wildfires and drought." —David McIntyre, Washington Post

"New York Times picks On California for their "This Year’s Best Wine Books": ". Its short selections from nearly three dozen writers offer impressionistic, thought-provoking views of the state and its winemaking history."—New York Times

"There is something for everyone here." —Sommelier India

On California explores the grapes and the people who have made California wine great. The pioneers, the boffins, the whizz-kids and scientists, many of whom tell their stories on its pages – some in precious archive material, others have set down their thoughts mid-pandemic in 2021: Randall Grahm, Gerald Asher, Steven Spurrier, Paul Draper and Warren Winiarski take a bow….

Includes:

• California wine and the future: where will the ‘California spirit’ lead next?
• The ‘Hollywood Grape’: our authors chart the path of Cabernet Sauvignon, from the wish-list of Thomas Jefferson to the hallowed hillsides of Stag’s Leap and Screaming Eagle
• 1976? Of course it was a competition! Steven Spurrier and Patricia Gallagher look back at the motivations behind the famous Paris wine tasting
• Top New York sommelier Victoria James tells of her near-death introduction to the whacky world of winemaking in Sonoma
• Will the real Zinfandel please stand up? Paul Draper seeks out the true heritage of California’s versatile orphan grape
• Contributions from top California writers: Elaine Chukan Brown, Mary Margaret McCamic MW, Karen MacNeil, Esther Mobley, Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Liz Thach MW, Clare Tooley MW, and Kelli White
• Hugh Johnson, Jane Anson and Fiona Morrison MW introduce California’s intrepid wine pioneers
• Rex Pickett’s Sideways heroes, Jack and Miles, clink glasses over the Central Coast’s finest Pinot Noir
• A–Z: from ‘Bob’ Mondavi to Xylem sap-sensors and pink Zinfandel – California wine in bite-size

"The Académie du Vin Library is an important publication of wine literature… every work is a must for wine lovers." - Weinseller Journal
"A standout among the drink books published this year, which ought to be on the Christmas list of every wine lover, even if they don't think they have much interest in American wine." - Victoria Moore, The Telegraph
"This is a book for novices and geeks interested in the significance of California through America’s wine history, from the swashbuckling era of Agoston Haraszthy through modern Napa’s cult cabernets and today’s despair over wildfires and drought." - David McIntyre, Washington Post
New York Times picks On California for their "This Year's Best Wine Books": "Its short selections from nearly three dozen writers offer impressionistic, thought-provoking views of the state and its winemaking history." - New York Times
"Although 2021 robbed us of the great Steven Spurrier, his legacy lives on through, amongst many other things, the Académie du Vin Library, a publishing project he revived in the last years of his life. On California is a formidable compilation of essays from British writers on all things California." - Ines Salpico, Decanter
"There is something for everyone here." - Sommelier India
"Reading this book provides a lot of both pleasure and learning, a combination not to be sniffed at." - The World of Fine Wine

Susan Keevil started her life in wine as a ‘cellar rat’ cooling Chardonnays in Australia’s Hunter Valley, none of which prepared her for the world of book publishing back in the UK where she honed her wine knowledge working with Hugh Johnson on six editions of his international best-seller, the Pocket Wine Book. Susan then landed her dream job as editor of Decanter magazine (the path to many worldwide wine adventures) and later became author of the Which? Guide to Wine as well as a regular magazine columnist and contributor. The launch of the Académie du Vin Library in 2019 saw a return to specialist wine books for which Susan is a writer and editor-in-chief.