Historians will enjoy this insight into the history of alcohol written by an expert in the field. This book contains classic material dating back to the 1900s and before. The content has been carefully selected for its interest and relevance to a modern audience.

"A fascinating book that belongs on every wine lover’s bookshelf."—The Wine Economist "It’s a book to read for its unstoppable torrent of fascinating and often surprising details."—Andrew Jefford, Decanter For centuries, wine has been associated with France more than with any other country. France remains one of the world’s leading wine producers by volume and enjoys unrivaled cultural recognition for its wine. If any wine regions are global household names, they are French regions such as Champagne, Bordeaux, and Burgundy. Within the wine world, products from French regions are still benchmarks for many wines. French Wine is the first synthetic history of wine in France: from Etruscan, Greek, and Roman imports and the adoption of wine by beer-drinking Gauls to its present status within the global marketplace. Rod Phillips places the history of grape growing and winemaking in each of the country’s major regions within broad historical and cultural contexts. Examining a range of influences on the wine industry, wine trade, and wine itself, the book explores religion, economics, politics, revolution, and war, as well as climate and vine diseases. French Wine is the essential reference on French wine for collectors, consumers, sommeliers, and industry professionals.

Variously regarded as a sacred, religious drink, inebriant, and even the work of the Devil, wine has always been much more than a commodity. From its origins in ancient Mesopotamia to its present incarnation as a vast, multinational business, wine has consistently generated passions that verge on mania. In A Short History of Wine, Rod Phillips sets out to tell the story of wine in the Western world with all its grandeurs and miseries. Packed with fascinating stories, unexpected insights, and the myriad tricks of the trade, A Short History of Wine is an essential book for anyone who treats wine with the zeal it deserves. Phillips re-creates each of the great eras of wine production, from the prehistoric fruits of the Fertile Crescent to this decade's explosion of the consumer wine culture with its varied values and palates, and vividly conveys the sheer magnitude of wine consumption and enjoyment. Among the many engaging themes that Phillips explores is the endless struggle between nature and nurture -- is wine the pure product of the grape, or should it be enhanced by the addition of other substances? He revisits times when wine was a favorite among the American Founding Fathers (Ben Franklin praised it, as a God-given boon), and he sheds light on wine's enemies, both natural and human, recalling dark times when disease struck vineyards, counterfeiting and fraud ran rampant, and anti-alcohol movements peaked. Spanning the globe from Hunter Valley to the Rhine, from Napa Valley to Burgundy (not overlooking Peru and Ohio), A Short History of Wine is an astonishingly enjoyable guide to the social, cultural, and economic worlds inside a bottle.

Historians will enjoy this insight into the history of alcohol written by an expert in the field. This book contains classic material dating back to the 1900s and before. The content has been carefully selected for its interest and relevance to a modern audience.

A unique look at the meaning of the taste for wine in Britain, from the establishment of a Commonwealth in 1649 to the Commercial Treaty between Britain and France in 1860 - this book provides an extraordinary window into the politics and culture of England and Scotland just as they were becoming the powerful British state.

This charming vintage text provides a brief history into the wines of Germany and Switzerland, and mentions the famous German vineyards Steinberg and Johannesburg, both of which remain of historical significance today. This would make a welcome addition to any wine enthusiast or historian’s library. Sections include: Two theories on the origin of German wine – Along the banks of the Rhine – Old Wines – Cleanliness in wine-making - Some famous casks: Heidelberg – Königstein – The Twelve Apostles – The goblets of St. Goar – German industry and persistence – Germany’s debt to the mediaeval monasteries – The Steinberg – Auctioning Steinberg wines – The Johannisberg vineyard – The vintage season – Adulteration of wine in Germany – Advisory councils – Planting under difficulties – “The blood of the Swiss” – A rare Swiss wine – The valley of the Moselle - A Berncastel wine, “The Doctor.” – Healthful quality of the wine. This rare work is being republished in a high quality, modern and affordable edition, complete with a specially written concise biography.

This book takes an irreverent look the development of Britain's national tastes. The eclectic scope of the book includes a discussion of the wine list at the coronation of George VI, the impact of French Chateau legislation in 1855 upon the obsessive Victorian claret fiends of the day, the explosion of Hock as the typical plonk of the 1970s, and the many frauds, marketing ploys, and outrages perpetrated on the traditionally naive British market over the years. Lavishly illustrated with paintings, photographs, labels, and woodcuts, this light-hearted journey through the cultural history of wine is a wonderful book for anyone who enjoys a glass or two.