“In this deeply moving personal memoir, Peterson takes readers behind the scenes of the most significant developments in the California wine industry in the last half century.”
“From Gallo to Screaming Eagle, the author walks the reader through some of the most astonishing times in the wine industry. Told from the vantage point of one who was there, high points and low points of an energetic and changing industry come to life with clarity, wit and veracity.”
“‘Dr. Dick’ Peterson takes the reader on a journey through the fifty odd years that he spent creating new wines and tasting, studying and marrying personal taste sensations together with biochemistry. The story combines these personal experiences of dealing with individual business managers, often under trying conditions. He does it brilliantly, making the book a pleasure to read.”
“A fascinating look at the personalities of key players in the wine industry and the resulting personalities of the wineries they operated. It is an eye opening revelation of how winemakers create new wines, written in down to earth languages that is as enjoyable as it is memorable.”
Reviews In the Press
WineReviewOnline.com, September 27, 2016
“Book Review: ‘The Winemaker,’ by Richard Peterson” by Marguerite Thomas
“This is a book about so much more than wine and winemaking. First and foremost it is an account of the development of California’s wine industry by someone who helped shaped it into what it is today, but additionally The Winemaker is a charming personal reminiscence of a life fully lived. Among the things that set this chronicle apart from other wine-themed histories is that the author’s own life parallels and echoes that of California’s post-Prohibition wine industry…”
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Napa Valley Register, August 28, 2015.
“Richard Peterson’s ‘The Winemaker’ chronicles California’s tumultuous wine revival” by Sasha Paulsen.
“Written with an insider’s eye and the deft touch of a storyteller, “The Winemaker” re-creates the tumultuous years when California was learning to make wine again and breathes life into the memorable characters, like Andre Tchelistcheff, and Ernest and Julio Gallo, who drove the changes. […] Although at 399 pages, “The Winemaker” might be deemed a “weighty” book, it is balanced with finesse, humor and insight. It’s a wonderful read.”
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Vinous.com Video Interview, October 2015
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com, interviews Dr. Richard Peterson about his new book, THE WINEMAKER.