Wine Country in Shorts The Stories of Napa & Sonoma

Of the many New World Wine Regions, Napa and Sonoma are probably the most famous, but why? There are many reasons, and they are found in both the stories and the insights that an insider has access to. Considering the location, its popularity seems improbable, because Sonoma and Napa are the northern most points in the Spanish Empire’s expansion in the Americas. It was a place that was hard to reach by land, with a coastline that was rocky, and fog bound. When they finally arrived in Sonoma, we’re convinced that the Spanish thought to themselves, “We’ve arrived in Eden, we don’t need to go any farther.” Sonoma and Napa are located in a special place, that at one time was considered the far ends of the Earth, a place where explorers, adventurers and the foolish went, which made for a very interesting demographic. What is surprising is how different Sonoma and Napa are, located on either side of the Mayacamas Mountains. We often describe Sonoma as the older sister, who is a good-looking girl, a great cook and gardener, always content with her family and friends. Napa is her golden-haired little brother, who is endlessly curious about the outside world, and every time he walks in the room, everybody makes a fuss. It drives Sonoma crazy, but Napa adores his big sister. These stories and insights about Wine Country, covering its origins and culture, were gathered over twenty years, while tour guides, Ralph and Lahni DeAmicis, stood in the back of tasting rooms listening to the hosts talk about the region, while pouring wine for their tour clients.
They found that every story had at least three versions, so they melded them together, using as their guide what felt right. They present a wonderfully revealing picture of this remarkable place and the people who have helped make it special. They include the stories of the Chinese Treasure Fleets that explored this coast in the 1400’s, the English who arrived in the 1600’s and how the Spanish literally fell over the inlet to the San Francisco Bay in the late 1700’s. It talks about why the region is so good for growing wine grapes and what’s involved in owning a winery. The story of the first settlers in Sonoma, and how the Spanish and the Russians got along is both romantic and remarkable. A look at how the wine industry, and the tasting rooms evolved provides a wonderful context for visitors. The inside story of the famous ‘Judgment of Paris’ wine tasting that made Napa famous, and all the women behind it, makes great reading. The four versions of how Mount Saint Helena got her name, and the two versions of how the Silverado Trail came to be, are both wonderful stories. On top of these are more stories and insights from two tour guides who have traveled throughout this beautiful region, and have told these tales hundreds of times, over their shoulders, while driving their wine tour guests. The stories surely improved in the telling! They hope you enjoy them.
243 words979-8-332340-65-9Wine Country in Shorts Back Cover The Stories of Napa and Sonoma

Our Newest Version Sonoma Winery Maps, 280 Winery Directory, Touring & Tasting Tips

A good map matters in Sonoma, because it is a big rural county with five major grape growing areas, filled with great wineries that can be hard to navigate. The roads don’t have much signage or streetlights and addresses can be obscured by bushes. The GPS that works well in suburbs is sketchy on those narrow, winding roads and steep hillsides, and it often does not recommend the best, safest and most scenic route.
To make the 24 maps easy to use when you’re driving, where there is a high concentration of wineries we’ve divided the valleys into two sections. There are also maps of the downtowns including hotels, restaurants and tasting room locations.

The chapters on Creating a Daytrip and Getting Around Sonoma will help you get the most enjoyment from your time, while ‘The ABC’s of Wine Tasting’ will help you improve your winery experiences.
The 280 Winery Directory is indexed to the maps and there are multiple notes that provide useful details. Our insights as tour guides bringing clients to these many properties are what makes our books special! To find our other books, TV shows and documentaries, visit: $17.95 - 112pages - 10” X 5” -28 Maps - 2 Photos - Amazon ISBN 979-8-328135-71-9

Our Newest Version Napa Valley Winery Maps, 400 Winery Directory, Touring & Tasting Tips

A good map matters in Napa because it is a thirty-mile-long, five-mile-wide valley filled with great wineries that can be hard to navigate. The roads don’t have much signage, few streetlights, addresses can be obscured by bushes, and GPS is sketchy on those narrow, winding roads in the canyons and on the steep hillsides. To make the maps easy to use when you’re driving, we’ve divided the valley into twelve sections. Some sections only require one map, but where there is a high concentration of wineries the maps are divided into east (Silverado Trail) and west (Highway 29), with separate maps of the downtowns including their hotels, restaurants and tasting rooms. Watch the short video to see the special features inside.
The ‘Planning an Itinerary’ chapter will help you get the most enjoyment from your day, efficiently and safely, while ‘The ABC’s of Wine Tasting’ will help you to boost your winery experiences. The 400 plus Winery Directory refers to the maps and provides important details. Our insights as tour guides bringing clients to these many properties are an important bonus! $17.95 - 112pages - 10” X 5” -28 Maps - 2 Photos - Amazon ISBN 979-8854726009

Dream Tours of Napa & Sonoma, The Sixth edition

Napa and Sonoma are gorgeous destinations with near perfect weather, and they are home to hundreds of unique wineries to thrill every palate, from novice to collector. But choosing which wineries to visit can be tricky and that’s where this book comes in!
Ralph & Lahni DeAmicis are local guides who have been touring with clients since 2005 and producing the region’s most popular wine tour books since 2007. The key to their success is staying on the road so they can keep the books current and updated. Then it does a deep dive into each county, exploring the many unique regions that make them so worth exploring!
Following that are the winery directories, containing what you need to know to decide about where to go.
The winery listings connect to easy-to-read tour maps at the back of the book that will help you navigate these narrow country roads, because GPS can be undependable in the canyons and hillsides where so many wineries reside! This book will help you plan your trip and serve as a trusty guide while you tour the region. $34.95 - 337 pages - 18 ounces - 9” X 6” by .75” - 36 Maps - 36 Photos - Buy with credit card or Pay Pal - $5.00 shipping

A Tour Guide's Napa Valley

This is a gorgeous destination, with near perfect weather year-round and it’s home to hundreds of unique wineries to thrill every palate, from the novice to the collector. But choosing the perfect wineries to visit can be tricky and that’s where this book comes in! In our work guiding visitors around Napa since 2005, helping our clients get the most from their visit, we have answered more questions than you can imagine asking. The first half of this book are the answers to the most asked questions, from how to get there, where to stay, how to dress, what to expect in a tasting, and quite importantly, how to taste wine to best capture its true nature and there’s much more!


The second half is the directory of three hundred and eightyish wineries with our personal comments. Finally, the book features our tour maps, to help you navigate the country roads that connect the wineries together. This is the insider info you’ll want, whether you are planning to visit for a day or a month! $24.95 - 200 pages - 12 ounces - 9” X 6” by .5” - 20 illustrations Maps -27 Photos - Buy with credit card or Pay Pal - $5.00 shipping

A Tour Guide's Sonoma Wine Country

Sonoma is a BIG PLACE! The first half of the book tells the reader everything they need to know to feel comfortable and confident wine touring, including how to get there, where to stay, how to dress, what to expect in a tasting room, how to taste the wines to best capture their true nature and more. The second half is the directory of 260 wineries that can be easily visited, with the authors personal descriptions and insights. Next, there is a bonus chapter about visiting Wine Country with children for those exceptional times, and two more chapters from the upcoming travel book, ‘Wine Country in Shorts’, to round out the story.
Finally, the book features easy-to-read tour maps, keyed to the directory, to help visitors easily navigate between hotels, wineries and restaurants. This is the ultimate insider’s guide from a couple who have been to hundreds of wineries with clients, that will help visitors plan their time in Sonoma for a day or a month, and then guide them while they are there! $24.95 - 200 pages - 12 ounces - 9” X 6” by .5” - 15 Maps - 27 Photos - Buy with credit card or Pay Pal

Napa Navigator: A Guide for Mapping Your Wine Country Odyssey

Napa Valley’s Most Helpful Insights, Maps & Winery Directory. Whether you are visiting for a day, a weekend, or a longer vacation among the vines, Napa offers an amazing variety of ways to relax, enjoy and learn in one of the most beautiful, romantic locations imaginable. Napa Navigator will help you safely travel these country roads to find the most charming wineries, scenic locations, fun picnic areas and delicious restaurants on and off the beaten path. It explains the customs and secrets of this region to help you feel right at own home.
It is filled with brief chapters about the diverse regions and easy to read maps created by Tour Guides to help you create your own adventures in Wine Country. There is even a short chapter, ‘The ABC’s of Wine Tasting’ to help you enjoy your winery experience more. $15.95 - 138pages - 12 ounces - 9” X 6” - 15 Maps - 27 Photos - Amazon 979-8846164093

Sonoma Navigator: A Guide for Mapping Your Wine Country Odyssey

Sonoma Wine Country’s Most Helpful Insights, Maps & Winery Directory. Sonoma County is bordered by the ocean, bay and mountains and cut by numerous valleys. That produces an amazing number of different climates and growing conditions for a small county. It allows the wineries to make a wide variety of wonderful wines for you to enjoy in the many beautiful locations. The Navigator describes what makes each region unique and worth visiting.
Our easy-to-read maps will guide you there quickly and safely even when GPS gets confused by the winding country roads lined by towering redwoods. The winery directory includes the tour guide/author’s commentary from their numerous visits with guests. There is even a short chapter, ‘The ABC’s of Wine Tasting’ to help you enjoy your winery experience more. $15.95 - 138pages - 12 ounces - 9” X 6” - 15 Maps - 27 Photos - Amazon 979-8846163645

The 2024 Astrology Wine Tasting Calendar with Day Planner and Wine Journal

Wine and Astrology are two enjoyable and illuminating topics that have been linked since when wine was the only health drink and electric lights didn’t hide the night sky. Astrology is a tool for describing how nature and society is organized and it can help us easily understand the personality of the most popular wine grapes. Can you think of a more Solar wine than golden Chardonnay, whose name means, ‘The Gates of God’? How about a more Saturnian wine than Cabernet Sauvignon, with its powerful structure and need for aging?
Our seminar relates the popular wine varieties to the traditional astrological meaning of the major planets. As participants taste their way through the wines, and their planets, they will learn something about both. These connections explains why certain people prefer particular wines and even regions, because the planets in own chart align with those of the grape.
When a person understands why they like a special wine their first reaction is to want to take it home. In the same way that winemaking is timed by the seasons, our experience of wine changes with Sign of the Moon. After all, Luna commands the tides, the water inside of our bodies and inside of our favorite grapes. While BioDynamic winemakers prefer certain Moon Signs for tastings, we’ve refined that system, because we’ve found that what changes with the Moon is the part of the tasting experience that people most the enjoy! Our seminar explains how using the Moon Signs can make every tasting enjoyable and satisfying. Contact us at 707-235-2364 or amicistours@gmail.com to arrange a seminar at your winery or for your wine club members. $15.00- 144 pages - 7 ounces - 8.5” X 5.5” by .5” Shipping $3.00 - Buy with credit card or Pay Pal
The Amicis Winery Guides are designed to help you safely and enjoyably plan and navigate your visit in Wine Country
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