A Short History of Wine

by Rod Phillips

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.

Genres: Wine, Nonfiction, History

400 pages, Paperback

First published July 27, 2000

Reviews

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the few books that I had started and did not finish. That is not to say that I didn't enjoy it, I think I just got distracted...and then stopped working in the wine industry.

This was a very interesting book. But for me, it was hard to get through. The author's tone and writing is excellent. It was engaging and full of good information. However, even a "short history" was pretty dense.

I am one of those people that wants to start at the beginning when I am becoming engaged in a subject, so I found myself really wanting to get through this...but that was just it, I had to GET THROUGH it. I wasn't looking forward to it, I was scratching out hours so that I could finally finish it and move on to the next wine book. I feel like I'm giving it a bad rap, and I shouldn't...I mean I gave it four stars! But I have to admit, this one was a struggle for me...which is pretty unusual for a subject that I'm interested in...

Take from this what you will...

[Andrew Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough review of the history of wine as we know it in the West.

[Greg Talbot · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bottle of Korbel Champagne Brut lays dormant in my frig. Waiting for that happy celebration. A special occasional with my girlfriend. An encouraging performance review from my manager. Maybe even something as simple as finishing a good book. But it also waits to be understood. From it’s bubbly properties to its interesting history. My hope was “A Short History of Wine” by Rod Phillips” would help guide me on this journey. While it didn’t dampen my appreciation of wine, it didn’t enhance my understanding of it.

Phillips to his credit has written exhaustively about wine from the traces of early vintages in Egypt, and walks us through the historical path of viticulture across the world. He writes best on patterns with wine producers and how they are broken. Some examples include political upheavals, social criticism from the temperance movement and grapevine phylloxera that destroyed harvests. There are historical patterns and cultural truths about the wine that become apparent.

My problem stems from what is left out of scope. Phillips has passing paragraphs about Louis Pasteur, or how tempering a bottle with sulphur was used to try to preserve wine. Somehow technological advancements are passed over. From reading the book there is very little I can tell you about the interaction of the grapes, technology, the biology and the chemistry. Rich detail is not found here, just a broadness, and eventually a boring plainness

Also for a history book, it would have been helpful to anchor passages or chapters on particular events or persons. It’s hard to find structure or a guiding hand through the progression of notes. More like a data dump, and occasional one liners that should be massaged with more life.

Unfortunately I can not recommend this book. Viticulture is fascinating though, and I imagine my interest will grow. For now, my bottle waits.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, I never finished this one. I had to return it to the library (this is why I buy too many books). Anyway, I love wine and the history of wine. This is a fantastic book for all wine lovers, and even lovers of history. You travel from lifetimes ago to the present learning about the global history of societies and social classes, politics and many other contributing factors all influenced by WINE. I need to get back to this one.

[Linnea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This took me forever to read, despite being interesting, well-researched, and enjoyable. Good overview of the origins of wine and various societies' interactions with it through to the 21st century. Good source of new vocabulary.

[Karen M]

Picked up at the Big Book Sale!

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but a little dry. Lots of facts and figures.

[Giles Denmark · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting and entertaining