Greed, Murder, Obsession, and an Arsonist in the Vineyards of California
September 21, 2015
Dinkelspiel (Towers of Gold) has a personal stake in California's rich wine legacyâher wealthy great-great-grandfather, financier Isaias W. Hellman, essentially controlled the state's wine business in the late 1800sâbut she maintains her objectivity in this dark exposé that uncovers a history of violence, deceit, and obsession. The book pivots on the October 2005 arson fire that destroyed a former Navy bunker near San Francisco, which had been converted into a wine storage facility housing an estimated 4.6 million bottles valued up to $400 million. The man convicted of that crime, Mark Anderson, is now serving a 27-year prison sentence. He communicated numerous times with Dinkelspiel, who often questions Anderson's credibility while telling his sordid story. Via numerous interviews with Anderson's acquaintances and former employees, government agency representatives, winemakers, and other industry experts, she weaves Anderson's misadventures into the cinematic, convoluted history of wine in California's seductive Napa Valley. The author's gripping descriptions of the fire and its aftermath, her unflinching narrative, and her vast knowledge of the subject matter make this a page-turner for both wine aficionados and casual tasters. Agent: Michael Carlisle, Inkwell Management.
September 15, 2015
The events and characters behind a 2005 Napa fire that caused the greatest destruction of wine in history: 4.5 million bottles worth more than $250 million. Berkeleyside co-founder Dinkelspiel (Towers of Gold: How One Jewish Immigrant Named Isaias Hellman Created California, 2008) chronicles the story of oenophile Mark Anderson and his downward spiral into becoming a thief, a grifter, and, ultimately, the arsonist responsible for destroying some of the oldest wine libraries in California. Anderson was a longtime resident of the northern California wine country whose personal history was shrouded in a web of lies. However, the elaborate charade of maintaining a created persona unraveled when his crimes become known to the California wine community. In response, Anderson was forced to take drastic measures in an attempt to burn evidence of his crimes. While part of this readable story is a character study of Anderson, the narrative is interwoven with Dinkelspiel's family history in old California. Some of the wine burned by Anderson was a 19th-century port made by Dinkelspiel's great-great grandfather Isaias Hellman (who was the subject of the author's first book). In the telling of the early history of winemaking in California, she explores Hellman's place in a tangled tale of violence caused by infighting over ownership of large wineries and sprawling ranchos. More than just a crime story, this is a book about the wealth, passion, and murky reality shaped by life inside the twisted vines of California's most revered crop. "It's the pursuit of the experience," writes the author, "the belief that wine opens up worlds and forges friendships that drives people to be so obsessed. Humans have worshipped wines for eons, from Noah to the Greeks." An enjoyable read for wine connoisseurs and neophytes alike.
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October 1, 2015
Wine has been produced in California for centuries. Now a multibillion dollar economic driver, the production and sale of this "elixir of the gods" is also an enterprise that, from its earliest days, has had more than its fair share of scoundrels and scandal. Use and abuse of indigenous slave labor and later outrageous examples of theft, fraud, murder, and extortion seem to be as much a part of the business as the grapes themselves. Using a 2005 arson as a starting point, Dinkelspiel (Towers of Gold) offers a fascinating and extensively researched account of historical events featuring a cast of larger-than-life characters and intriguing details about the winemaking industry. VERDICT The author's journalistic style and a personal link to the Vallejo wine warehouse blaze make for a page-turning narrative that can be enjoyed even by those who aren't wine connoisseurs. Readers are likely to never look at a bottle (or label) of California red, white, or blush in the same way.--Linda Frederiksen, Washington State Univ. Lib., Vancouver
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