This is the fourth in a series of short reviews of wine books worthy of putting under the Christmas tree for the vinophiliac on your list this year.
Anyone who has traveled the Finger Lakes – or even enjoyed one of its Rieslings – should read Evan Dawson’s Summer in a Glass: The Coming of Age of Winemaking in the Finger Lakes. (Sterling Epicure, 2011, $20) Dawson, a TV news anchor in Rochester, N.Y., is also managing editor of New York Cork Report, an online magazine that covers the Empire State’s wine industry like a blanket. Reading his book, you will see, smell and feel the drive along each of the Finger Lakes and emerge on a first-name basis with the vintners who are forging a regional identity with their wines and setting a high bar for quality all along the East Coast.
I’ve met and interviewed many of the people profiled here, but only after reading this book can I say I know them. Dawson captures the personalities behind labels such as Ravines, Red Newt, Anthony Road and many more, and brings the flavors of their wines alive on the page with an ease that invites the reader to participate rather than simply witness. It’s a hard book to put down.
Previous reviews:
- The Drops of God, Volume 1, by Tadashi Agi and Shu Okimoto
- The Vintner’s Apprentice: An insider’s guide to the art and craft of wine making, taught by the masters, by Eric Miller
- To Burgundy and Back Again: A Tale of Wine, France and Brotherhood, by Roy Cloud
- A Toast to Bargain Wines, by George M. Taber (not recommended)
Dave McIntyre's WineLine 
Dave,
I just finished this book last night. It was a great read and I think it really captures what the Finger Lakes industry is all about. Evan did a great job. I recommend this book to anyone who has ever had a RieslIng.
The book’s been well-received in the Finger Lakes. I visited the area for the first time just a couple months ago, and there were a number of tasting rooms either touting it or selling it. BTW, I also came away very impressed with the wines. There were a few terrible tourist traps, but many standout producers of riesling and gewurz (Wiemer, Lamoureaux Landing, others), and even excellent pinot noir (Heart and Hands).
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