WINE
ACROSS AMERICA
A Photographic Road Trip
by
Charles O'Rear
(Ten Speed Press, $35)
Reviewed
by Emily Ann Zietlow
Though
replete with glossy photos of golden vineyards and quirky
wine bottles, Wine Across America is not just
another coffee table decoration, but a collection celebrating
national passion for wine and the romanticized great American
road trip. As former United Nations press member Daphne
Larkin and National Geographic photographer Charles O’Rear
travel cross-country, their collaboration chronicles the
triumphs and struggles unique to growing wine in various
regions of America.
In
this book, wine reflects the people and places that produce
it. Vineyards are bordered by familiar national landscapes
from California’s Red Rock Canyon to Thomas Jefferson’s
vineyard in Virginia, the “birthplace of American wine.” Other
images tell the stories of owners, managers, and also laborers
who tend the grapes. Several captions highlight the importance
of immigrant labor, citing the many workers who travel from
Central American countries, especially vital to vineyards near
the U.S./Mexico border. In Wine Across America, individual
workers and local environments coalesce to create wines that
represent the distinct beauty in all 50 states.
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