I've always wondered if the "Complete Idiot's" referred to in "The Complete Idiot's Guide" series referred to the people buying the guides or the people writing them.
However, having had the chance to look over the just published "Complete Idiot's Guide To Starting and Running a Winery" I can now say with some assurance that they don't necessarily refer to the authors.
This is niche publishing at its finest. Let's face it, how many people are really going to be serious enough to want to start their own winery to buy this book? Certainly a few. But, the cool thing is that Thomas Pellechia has written a book that will appeal to and work for those who already have a small winery or brand as well as those contemplating getting into the industry.
Like most of the "Idiot's Guides" I've seen, "Starting and Running a Winery" is incredibly dense and detailed, YET it is not academic or dry. The books author, Pellechia, is a long time author as well as the proprietor of the Vino Fictions" blog. He is also a former winery owner and retail owner. He knows the business inside and out.
The book is broken down in to six distinct parts, each with subsection and includes a great set of resources and forms in its appendix. As I was reading this book, it occurred to me that operations such as CrushPad really should be buying this book in bulk and giving it away to their clients for free. The book is filled with exactly the kind of information that every micro-vintner in America probably ends up scrounging around for or asking others about. Yet here it all is, from the basics of sourcing grapes and interaction with government entities to marketing, public relations and distributor relations.
One of the best things about "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting and Running a Winery" is that it will wear well over time. The micro-vintner trend, which this book seems particularly aimed at, isn't ending any time soon and much of the information small vintners need won't change either. And it's all here.
