'I am very pleased to announce the arrival of my latest book. Its very long title is:
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 I wrote more than fifteen years ago. Since that time, the Loire has changed so dramatically that I felt that, in order to do justice to the improved quality of the wines, to describe the dynamic young vintners, to explain the burgeoning eco-consciousness in each and every one of its multiplicity of appellations, I needed to write a three-volume opus and not the single-volume, 125,000 word book that I contracted to write for University of California Press. (I have proposed writing a condensed version for them.)
Volume One is, by far, the most comprehensive book ever written on the wines of the Sancerrois. It focuses not only on the wines of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume, but on those of its very worthy satellites – Menetou-Salon, Quincy, Reuilly, Châteaumeillant, the Coteaux du Giennois and the Vins de Pays du Charitois and Tannay as well.
This is truly the Kingdom of Sauvignon Blanc. And such is the progress made within these appellations, that I have completely revised my opinion of that popular but often underestimated grape. Its best wines, and there are many, 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 can fill your cellar with these diverse and wonderful wines without taking out a second mortgage.
In addition to producer classifications by appellation, detailed descriptions of several hundred winemakers, tasting notes on thousands of wines, maps, geological diagrams and glossaries, I have explained the food specialties of the region and given restaurant and hotel recommendations as well as an annotated list of my favorite tourist sites.
I hope and believe you’ll find this book a worthy successor to A Wine & Food Guide to the Loire.
This is a self-published book which will be available through amazon.com, and barnes&nobles.com in the near future. You can order it immediately directly from the Lulu, the print-on-demand company, at http://www.lulu.com; or http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/earthly-delights-from-the-garden-of-francewines-of-the-loirevolume-one/16671163. Price: £18.06.
If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact me at: jacqueline.friedrich@wanadoo.fr. I’d be happy to help.'
