Moon Handbooks Northern California Wine Country is available from most major retailers in the United States. List price is $19.95.

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Also be sure to visit the Web site of Moon Handbooks to discover many other great titles in the series, covering California, the U.S., and the entire world. Moon helps you explore the planet.

About the Book

Between the foggy coastal mountains of Santa Cruz and the sun-drenched valleys of eastern Mendocino lies Northern California's wine country. Here you'll find an unrivaled diversity of culture and scenery that offers endless opportunity for fun and indulgence — hundreds of years of history alongside high fashion shopping, adreneline sports and peaceful hikes, plus  excellent food, fine wine, and possibilities galore for pampering yourself. Author and wine enthusiast Philip Goldsmith helps you have a truly personal experience. Suggested travel strategies and lists of must-see sights provide you with real insights so you can decide where you should go, stay, and eat — all without hassles or regrets.

Philip's travel strategies include: One Week in Wine Country, A Romantic Weekend, More than Wine, and Outdoor Highlights. He also details where to best explore vineyards, the coastal mountains, and St. Helena storefronts, including a wealth of information about the history and practice of wine-making. Complete with details for wine tasting in Napa, Sonoma, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Mendocino, and the Livermore Valley, as well as experiencing outdoor activities and sights, Moon Handbooks Northern California Wine Country gives you the tools you need to create a more personal and memorable experience.

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Moon Handbooks Northern California Wine Country is both reliable and comprehensive. It is updated every two years, not every three or more like some other travel guides. It is also complemented by this Web site, which provides critical news and updates should anything significant change before the next edition of the book is published. It also covers the five most important Northern Californian wine-producing counties in more detail than almost any other book available.

In its 440 pages, the book contains reviews of over 230 wineries and tasting room along with listings and reviews of over 130 places to stay (including campgrounds) and more than 140 restaurants and delis. In addition, there are dozens of suggestions for non-wine related activities in every region, from shopping and spas to historic sights and outdoor recreation. You'll also find an entire chapter devoted to rich history of the region how best to enjoy what it is most famous for – wine.

"A knowledgeable survey of wineries and attractions..."

San Francisco Chronicle, August 2006.

"There's lots more unusual information here that I'll bet it'd be hard to find in other so-called 'normal' guide books..."

John Clayton's Travel with a Difference, KNX News Radio, Southern California, February 2006.

"Blends the author's firsthand experiences with the region with plenty of practical travel trips for getting the most from the wineries and vineyards of California..."

Midwest Book Review, March 2006.

The second edition of the book was published at the end of 2007. It includes an additional chapter on Mendocino and expanded coverage of all the existing chapters, adding more than 100 pages of new listings and information. Check this Web site for updates and use the contact form to let us know if you have found anything out of date or anything you think we should include in the third edition, due out in late 2009.

(Paperback; 440 pages; published by Avalon Travel Publishing; 2nd edition published December 2007; ISBN: 1-59880-078-7)