The Vineyard [Paperback]

Set in the Napa Valley at the turn of the century, this novel beautifully evokes the characters' love of the land and the rhythms of life lived close to the earth and its seasons. Spirited Alda Pendle is the daughter of a viticulturist who has taught her his craft. When he dies, leaving her without property, her skills make her indispensable to the solitary owner of one of the old vineyards in the valley. The novel provides a vivid history of winemaking in California to the Prohibition era.

Idwal Jones(1890-1964) was the author of novels as well as non-fiction works, includingVines in the Sun.Robert Mondaviis founder and chairman of the board of Robert Mondavi Winery.

The book is structured along the sequence of the vineyard year, from planting to harvest, so that every essential process of grape growing and winemaking comes in for its due attention. Jones knows about the various crises of disease and of economics that troubled the industry, and he identifies and describes the kinds of wine, good and bad, that were sold in the state. Thomas Pinney, author ofA History of Wine in America