A Short History of Wine

by RoderickPhillips (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  2000

  $3.27

  This engaging book traces the history of wine in the Western world with all its attendant grandeurs and miseries. Through fascinating anecdotes and unexpected insights Phillips recreates each of the great eras of wine consumption, with their very different values and palates, and vividly conveys the sheer awfulness of much that has been drunk and enjoyed. The author takes the reader through the myriad tricks of the trade. Spanning the globe, from the Hunter Valley to the Rhine, from the NapaValley to Burgundy (and not excluding such unpromising regions as Peru and Ohio) A Short History of Wine is an astonishingly enjoyable guide to the social, cultural and economic worlds inside a bottle.

• Used

  Paperback
  2001

  $8.04

  From the earliest evidence of fermented grapes in 5000 BC, to the popping of corks at the start of the year 2000, wine in its various forms has always been more than just a drink. Throughout its heady and volatile history it has aroused extraordinary passions: as a gift from God or a curse from Satan; as a marker of social sophistication or drunken revelry; in religious ritual and in sexual seduction; as a healthy tonic and something that can kill. Rod phillips distills the rich, often fruity story of our palates through the ages, from the debauched drinking parties of Ancient Greece and Rome, where wine was mixed with sea water or honey; through the flourishing trade of the Middle Ages; to 17th-century Venice, where a wine fountain was constructed for shipyard workers; and on to the birth of port, champagne and New World wines. Ending with the industry of today, this is a hugely entertaining celebration of the gladness of the grape everywhere.