The introduction's title captures the essence of this book, "The Wine Country:  A Latitude and an Attitude." Ms. Weir connects the dots along the 38th parallel between lifestyles in the Mediterranean and California's Napa and Sonoma valleys.  Further, she defines wine country cooking as "a simple, unfussy, updated Mediterranean way of preparing and eating food that changes with the seasons and celebrates the fruits of the field, the orchard, the pasture, the river, and the sea, paired with your favorite wines."  This cookbook spans the table with gracious recipes for all types of dining and for all courses.  Every recipe we've tried has returned top notch results! The rich photography augments the descriptive writing perfectly and further entices the reader into creating a "wine country" kitchen for themselves.  Joanne Weir is an award-winning author of seventeen cookbooks, a cooking teacher, television host, and professional chef.