William A. Ausmus has put together a must-have guide for every wine lover with Wines & Wineries of California’s Central Coast: A Complete Guide from Monterey to Santa Barbara (2008, University of California Press, $24.95, paper).

This one-stop resource for touring and tasting at convenient wineries located from Monterey to Santa Barbara, is organized into county-by-county, alphabetical listings for this bountiful wine-producing region.

In comparative tastings, wines from California's Central Coast rival those from such renowned regions as Bordeaux, Burgundy and Napa, yet they also offer superb value. This is the first comprehensive guide to one of the world's most dynamic and beautiful wine regions and the setting for the award-winning movie Sideways.

The guide profiles nearly 300 wineries personally visited by Ausmus and are five detailed maps making it easy to chart your path to each winery. Ausmus also provides winery ratings, winemaker recommendations and contact information for each winery.

Wines & Wineries of California’s Central Coast is available at local booksellers and online at borders.com and amazon.com.