The original covering of Terroir of Golf by David Droschak can be viewed on Golf Travel Wire.

Field Notes: Golf and grapes? A perfect pair

Eight years in the making and 352 pages later, the coffee table book Terroir of Golf – A Golf Book For Wine Lovers has emerged. With each section of prose and stunning photographs, the book, authored by Taba Dale, serves as a reminder of the immense connection that many have with golf and grapes.

Terroir is a French word that derives from the Latin terra, meaning earth, land or soil. Dale, who has also penned the travel books A Summer in Ireland and Golfers, Scotland Is Calling, says she regards wine and golf courses as living works of art.

“Golf and the wine culture were kind of screaming at me,” Dale says of why she spent almost a decade traveling and researching the book. “And it is totally cool to travel to these places and then discover the wine aspect of each golf destination. You went for the golf and then found there is an amazing wine component that is delightful to experience as well.”

Dale’s last of five chapters in the hardback book is entitled “Golf Clubs and Resorts with a Strong Wine Culture.” It highlights such locations as Adare Manor Resort in Ireland, Real Club Valderrama in Spain, The Course at Wente Vineyard in California and Whistling Rock Country Club in South Korea.

She provides some amazing details of her visits to several of the clubs, which should be on every avid golfer’s bucket list.

“When we went to Adare Manor, the head sommelier took us into the wine cave and showed us how port tongs are used to open an old, expensive bottle of wine,” Dale says. “The day we played Valderrama, I was fascinated by the gnarly bark of what turned out to be cork oak trees. This is where cork for wine bottles come from and the bark can be harvested and then regenerates itself. And at Whistling Rock in South Korea we were shown the 30,000-bottle wine cellar and 10,000-bottle tasting room. That blew me away.”

Want some inside info of professional golfers with their own wine labels? Dale provides close to 60 pages on how some of the greats of golf have made an impact on wine culture and its connection to the game. The list of pro golfers Dale highlights includes Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Gary Player, Annika Sorenstam, Cristie Kerr and Jan Stephenson.

“I think the wine aspect marries so well with golf because the game is a social one and we love spending time with our golfing friends, sharing our on-course experiences, often with dinner and that is when the wine flows,” Dale says.

Terroir is $95, including FedEx three-day shipping in the United States.