Dave Tong

What the hell, may as well have a vanity page. In case you're wondering, I am not Chinese. I'm actually British - from Bolton, near Manchester. To the North East of the town there's a small township called Tonge- that's where the name comes from. It refers to a long strip of land between two rivers.

While in the UK I was a life member of The Campaign for Real Ale. I was an active branch member, helping to organise several successful beer festivals. I also edited and published the local monthly free sheet and a pub guide - Beer In Bolton.

I moved to Santa Clara in 1995 (it was that or London - no contest, really) and began exploring the local wine country. When I readVineyards In The SkyI decided I wanted to learn more about the area, so I readLike Modern Edens. Unfortunately that book stops at exactly the point that the modern era begins - the formation of the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA. I soon realised that nobody had ever fully documented the wineries of the SCM/SCV AVAs. It seemed an ideal time given that the area is at such a turning point, where the last wave of pioneers of quality wines are retiring (Ken Burnap, Anne and Jerry Anderson) or passing on (Duane Cronin) and are handing over to a new generation (Bradley Brown, Paul Romero, Kevin Harvey) who are dedicated to producing world class wines from this historic area.

You can reach me at [email protected].