Awards

• Winner of 2011 Gourmand Wine Books Award, Wine Tourism.

Overview

While anthropologists often have been accused of failing to study up, this book turns an anthropological lens on an elite activity - wine tasting. Five million people a year, from the US and abroad, travel to California's Napa Valley to experience the good life : to taste fine wines, eat fine food, and immerse themselves in other sophisticated pleasures while surrounded by bucolic beauty. Written in a highly readable style by anthropologists George and Sharon Gmelch, Tasting the Good Life examines who wine tourists are and what the tasting experience is all about. It also examines the growth of wine tourism in the valley and the impact it is having on the landscape and the lives of the people who live there. In addition to the authors' own analysis, they present the personal narratives of 17 people who work in Napa tourism - from winemaker to vineyard manager, from celebrity chef to wait staff, from hot air balloonist to masseuse. Their stories provide unexpected and entertaining insights into this new form of tourism, the people who engage in it, its impact on a now iconic place, and American consumer culture in the 21st century.

Full Product Details

9780253356444

Table of Contents

Reviews

Because of its natural beauty, temperate climate, and fine wines, Napa Valley is a major attraction for visitors... This book offers a look at how wine tourism in Napa Valley developed, how it affects the local population, and what the future might hold. It is a fascinating read. Michaela Rodeno, retired CEO, St. Supery Winery

Even-handed and thorough....Well done! -- Clay Gregory * CEO, The Napa Valley Destination Council * Opens a new chapter on California's celebrated Napa Valley...presenting both the economic benefits to, and the negative social impacts on, those who live and work in 'Eden'. -- Rue Ziegler * California Heritage Research Group * Tasting the Good Life is an interesting and readable consideration of what tourists are doing to us-and what we think of ourselves. October 6, 2011 * Napa Valley Register * Tasting the Good Life is a fine study of wine and what it offers people, highly recommended. August 2011 * Midwest Book Review * An excellent book for all tourists, winery managers, and city or region planners.August, 2011 * Winesworld's Magazine *

Even-handed and thorough....Well done! -- Clay Gregory * CEO, The Napa Valley Destination Council * Tasting the Good Life is an interesting and readable consideration of what tourists are doing to us-and what we think of ourselves. October 6, 2011 * Napa Valley Register * An excellent book for all tourists, winery managers, and city or region planners.August, 2011 * Winesworld's Magazine * Tasting the Good Life is a fine study of wine and what it offers people, highly recommended. August 2011 * Midwest Book Review * Opens a new chapter on California's celebrated Napa Valley...presenting both the economic benefits to, and the negative social impacts on, those who live and work in 'Eden'. -- Rue Ziegler * California Heritage Research Group *

Author Information

George Gmelch is Professor of Anthropology at the University of San Francisco and Union College. He is author of 11 books and numerous articles, many of which have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Psychology Today, Society, and Natural History. Sharon Bohn Gmelch is Professor of Anthropology at the University of San Francisco and Roger Thayer Stone Professor of Anthropology atUnion College. She is author of 7 books, including Nan: The Life of an Irish Travelling Woman, The Tlingit Encounter with Photography, and Tourists and Tourism.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available