When Eric Arnold set out to write this book, he knew pretty much nothing about wine other than how much it would take to make him happier - and how much more would make him barf. Eric quit his job, gave up his apartment in Brooklyn and moved to Marlborough, New Zealand to live and work at Allan Scott Wines, all with the aim of writing the first wine book that doesn't suck. He returned home to New York with a completed manuscript 14 months later.

The book is broken into three parts. The first takes you through the harvest - the most crazy, hectic, engaging and important time of year at any winery, anywhere in the world. The second part takes you through everything that happens in the winery to turn grape juice into wine, while part three shows what has to be done in the vineyard to grow grapes for the next year's harvest. One-third of the people Eric meets through all three stages are some of the most real, down-to-earth, hardworking, fun-loving folks imaginable; another third are completely insane; and the rest are a combination of the two.

Since most Americans can't find their own country on a map, as Miss Teen South Carolina so eloquently explained, Eric felt it best to have some illustrations in the book that show where New Zealand is and the general lay of the land. Click on any of the thumbnails to see a few of the book's illustrations, created by Carly Tushingham.