Recommended: A Very Good Year, by Mike Weiss (Gotham Books)

Anyone who has looked in to a glass of wine and sensed the storied nature of how it got there, will want to read "A Very Good Year" by Mike Weiss.

The process of bringing Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc 2002 from sleeping vines to wine to market, is captured well in this interesting and easy read.

Weiss' thoughtful approach left me wanting the next book, another winery, another vintage, a red wine. The story is actually several stories unfolding simultaneously: the business of marketing premium wine in the post-9/11 period; the colorful owners of the winery, Don and Rhonda Carano; the plight of Mexican vineyard workers in California; and the tension between Winemaker and Vineyard Manager. Along the way, there are details that enlighten: trade terms, secrets, natural hazards, and market facts.

This is recommended reading for anyone engaged in the wine trade, as well as serious wine lovers. Pour a glass of Fume Blanc and enjoy this Summer.