When writer Daedalus Howell left Hollywood and returned to his native Sonoma County, he found it transformed into “Wine Country.” He embarked on a journey of wine and words that became “I Heart Sonoma: How to Live & Drink in Wine Country,” a collection of hilarious personal essays.

Berkeley, CA (PRWEB) February 10, 2012

When writer Daedalus Howell left a middling career in Hollywood and returned to his native Sonoma County, he expected to find the rural, rolling hills of his youth. Instead, he found the bucolic landscape strewn with vineyards and overrun with tourists. In short, Howell had found “Wine County.”

A fish out of water in his home town, Howell embarked on a personal journey through words and wine, writing an award-winning column for the 138-year-old Sonoma Index-Tribune and other regional and national publications. Berkeley-based digital publishers, FMRL (http://fmrl.com), has published these hilarious personal essays as “I Heart Sonoma: How to Live & Drink in Wine Country.”

The new ebook features Howell’s dark humor on a variety of subjects like the unspoken war between Sonoma and Napa, how “artisanal” is the New “Xtreme” and how wine country weddings can lead to heartbreak (which the Sonoma-born star of ABC’s The Bachelor can’t tell you). Here’s some useful information from Howell’s ebook:

1.) How can I tell if a wine is corked? Look at the neck of the bottle – if the cork is still lodged within it, the wine is, as it is known in the trade, “corked.” Similarly, if the wine is closed with a screw cap it’s said to be “screwed.” Hence the term “screwed up,” which is colloquial slang for “empty bottle.” For example, the bottle presently in front of me is empty, thus, “I’m screwed up.”

2.) You can’t judge a wine by its label. True, but you can judge a label by its wine. During the first glass, opinions run the full gamut – from “Hmm” to “Uh-huh.” The second glass of wine leads to more in-depth label observations like “Hey, this bottle has a label on it.” By the third glass, label critiques are often characterized by proclamations of “I love you, man” and “Let’s get another bottle of – wait – what’s it say on the label?”

3.) Sonoma’s winery owners are filthy rich. Well, winery owners used to be filthy rich but, as the adage goes, to make a million in wine, start with ten million. Wine is largely a labor of love. And a tax shelter. The trick is getting the owners to “write off” a bottle in your presence. I’ve written off many a bottle since moving to Sonoma and a few have even written back.

“I Heart Sonoma” is available on a variety of digital platforms, including the Apple iPad, Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Kobo and Sony eReaders. It is also available through the Google eBookstore and at independent bookstore sites through IndieBound.org.

For more information about the “I Heart Sonoma,” visit http://iheartsonoma.fmrl.com. For more information about Daedalus Howell, including an author bio, blogs, short films and availability for readings, workshops and events, visit http://dhowell.com.