The Vineyard (California Fiction) (ISBN 0520210905)

"Falcon Crest" meets "A Walk in the Clouds":
I work in a winery. This book describes the area and the industry as they were 100 years ago. This is the part i liked best. But the plot is just a soap opera, complete with damsels in distress, villains, rick bastards, etc. Do not read this book if you are planning your vacation to the Napa Valley :-)

In love with California?:
This is a fine tale of people at the turn of the last century, farming and loving the land that they live on. This book is for readers who want to get away to a time before automobiles, television, and moving pictures took over our lives. The backdrop of history can lead one to explore other California and Western U.S. topics such as the settling Northern California, the discovery of silver and the Comstock Lode, the lives of Chinese in California, the Swiss-Itallian immigrant, migration from the southern part of California, the history of the grape vine for table grapes and wine production, and how prohibition affected the early wine industry. It also explores the complex relationships of families formed by marriage, adoption, and long-term working relationships.