Wine and the Vine

The products of the grape vine are amongst the most diverse of any agricultural crop. This is not only the result of differences in soil and climate: it also reflects the labour of countless generations of vine growers and wine makers, each set in their own distinctive human context. It is this interaction of people and environment over time, creating specific cultural identities, that lies at the heart of any understanding of the emergence of viticulture and wine production. Wine and the Vine provides an introduction to the historical geography of viticulture and the wine trade from prehistory to the present. Throughout the rich symbolic and cultural significance of wine is related to its evolution as a commercial product. Thus the book discusses, for example, both the numerous roles assigned to wine by different religions and the internationalisation of wine production and marketing.Particular themes which form a focus for analysis include the role of the Roman Empire in influencing the spread of viticulture; the importance of political factors in determining the contours of the medieval wine trade; the use of wines and vines as social symbols throughout history; the global spread of viticulture under colonialism and imperialism; and the role of global corporations in the modern wine industry.

“'An organised odyssey through centuries of wine making, illuminated by the author's viticultural excursions and always fired by his enthusiasm for the subject. In short, this book has both depth and breadth and demonstrates enthusiastic scholarship throughout. It will be appreciated by all who claim more than a passing interest in wine.' - Times Higher Education Supplement 'This book is for anyone who wants to know where wine came from and the role it has played throughout history.' - New York Times 'A thoroughgoing examination of the complex interplay of the entire range of environmental and cultural factors that have marked human relationships with wine for at least the past ten thousand years.' - Journal of Wine Research 'A thoroughgoing fascinating book offering many insights into the importance of wine in our culture and the effect of variables such as religion, government, marketing, economics and even colonialism on the growth of the wine industry ... It will give the wine lover scores of insights into aspects of wine that for decades have simply been taken for granted.' - California Grapevine '... Unwin's study offers originality, scholarship, and depth. It is certainly a volume to be savoured rather than quaffed, being based on substantial, diverse and polyglot sources, rather than the usual recycling of wine bibbers' tales.' - Journal of Historical Geography '...a book that fills a major gap in the history of the drink trades (particularly in the English Language) and which should satisfy the generalist and the specialist alike; one that will be appreciated by wine buffs as much as by historians seeking a quick guide to the political and economic significance of the Anglo-Gascon wine trade in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries or the role of the wine trade in the nineteenth century economic crises.' - Business History”

An organised odyssey through centuries of wine making, illuminated by the author's viticultural excursions and always fired by his enthusiasm for the subject. In short, this book has both depth and breadth and demonstrates enthusiastic scholarship throughout. It will be appreciated by all who claim more than a passing interest in wine.'</strong> - <em>Times Higher Education Supplement</em><br /><br /><strong>This book is for anyone who wants to know where wine came from and the role it has played throughout history.' - New York Times

A thoroughgoing examination of the complex interplay of the entire range of environmental and cultural factors that have marked human relationships with wine for at least the past ten thousand years.'</strong> - <em>Journal of Wine Research</em><br /><br /><strong>A thoroughgoing fascinating book offering many insights into the importance of wine in our culture and the effect of variables such as religion, government, marketing, economics and even colonialism on the growth of the wine industry ... It will give the wine lover scores of insights into aspects of wine that for decades have simply been taken for granted.' - California Grapevine

... Unwin's study offers originality, scholarship, and depth. It is certainly a volume to be savoured rather than quaffed, being based on substantial, diverse and polyglot sources, rather than the usual recycling of wine bibbers' tales.'</strong> - <em>Journal of Historical Geography</em><br /><br /><strong>...a book that fills a major gap in the history of the drink trades (particularly in the English Language) and which should satisfy the generalist and the specialist alike; one that will be appreciated by wine buffs as much as by historians seeking a quick guide to the political and economic significance of the Anglo-Gascon wine trade in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries or the role of the wine trade in the nineteenth century economic crises.' - Business History

Tim Unwin is a Reader in Geography at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Wine and the Vine provides an introduction to the historical geography of viticulture and the wine trade from prehistory to the present. Throughout, the rich symbolic and cultural significance of wine is related to its evolution as a commercial product. The book thus discusses both the numerous symbolic roles assigned to wine and the vine by people of different religions and also the internationalisation of wine production and marketing.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.