Cabernet

For over 30 years, photographer Charles O’Rear has been fascinated with wine and the process that transforms ordinary grapes into a world-class wine. To understand the making of two of the most renowned varietals, the bold red cabernet and the more delicate white chardonnay, O’Rear traveled 100,000 miles, visited four continents, talked with hundreds of winemakers, and captured thousands of unprecedented images. In many ways, these books are like the profiled wines themselves: full of character, lush beauty, subtlety, and surprise.

In CABERNET, O’Rear illuminates processes that the casual observer never has a chance to see. He and his camera are everywhere: looking down at vineyards from the window of a Cessna flying at 5,000 feet; tucked inside a stainless fermenting tank; or sprawled in the dirt of a September vineyard. Whether he’s with the pickers in the field, the vintners in their aging caves, or the revelers enjoying the festivities of a successful harvest, O’Rear truly captures the essence of cabernet’s mystique.