Earthly Delights from the Garden of France:The Wines of the Loire:Volume One: The Kingdom of Sauvignon Blanc: Sancerre, Pouilly-Fume and the Sauvignon Satellites
This book is the offspring of A Wine & Food Guide to the Loire, which was published in 1996. Since that time, the Loire has changed so dramatically that Friedrich felt she needed to write a three-volume opus in order to do justice to the improved quality of the wines and to describe the dynamic, eco-conscious young vintners in each and every one of its appellations.

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Volume One focuses on the wines of Sancerre, Pouilly-Fume and their satellites. Such is the progress made in what Friedrich calls “the Kingdom of Sauvignon blanc,” that she has completely revised her opinion of that popular but often underestimated grape. Its best wines now rival the finest Chablis. Wines made from Pinot Noir, the region’s second most important grape, grow more charming and more riveting with each vintage. What’s more, they are all affordable.
You’ll find: detailed descriptions of several hundred winemakers and thousands of wines, explanations of the region’s food specialties, as well as restaurant, hotel and tourism recommendations.

The Wines of France: The Essential Guide for Savvy Shoppers
The book has been nominated for the 2007 James Beard Award in the Wine & Spirits category.

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DISCOVERIES For the Wine Lover: Your very own personal shopper with inside information on hot new winemakers and up-and-coming wine regions.

Click on title for news and reviews.

Published by Ten Speed Press in the fall of 2006. List Price: $19.95.

Presenting The Wines of France at WH Smith. Vintner Alain Hasard (Domaine des Champs de L'Abbaye)is introducing me. Mike Spingler is translating his introduction. (I thought it would be unseemly for me to translate.) The photo was taken by Sarah Bastin for WH Smith.(By the way, WH Smith, at 248 rue de Rivoli, is a great place to buy the book if you're in Paris. And you can order on-line.)

A Wine & Food Guide to the Loire
The book won the following Best Wine & Spirits Book of the Year award: James Beard, IACP (Julia Child), Veuve Cliquot, Decanter magazine, Robert Parker (The Wine Advocate). Jancis Robinson has placed it on her list of favorite wine books.

I have just signed a contract with University of California Press for a completely revised and updated edition. In the meantime, I'll continue to post notes on the site. Click on Title for recent Loire Tasting notes. (NB: The Loire tasting notes in this section date from before February 2008. Since February 2008 all tasting notes, including the Loire, are in the aptly titled Tasting Notes section.)

Didier Dagueneau

Tribute to Didier Dagueneau
HOMMAGE TO DIDIER DAGUENEAU

(The tribute begins with my post of September 18th, when I heard of Didier's death. I then post the entry on Didier from my Loire book -- for those who never knew him. The last post is from January 2009.)

Article Archives
Some of the articles I wrote for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and other publications, might still be useful. If I can retrieve them, I'll post them here.

Just click on the title.

Friends and Their Stories
This page started as an annotated list of people frequently described in these pages. Today, May 5, 2010, it evolves into something quite different.

WINE TOURS
Would you like me to plan your tour of a French wine region?

Click here to order the book from Amazon.