Wine and Society: The Cultural and Social Context of a Drink

Cover......Page 2
Wine and Society: The Social and Cultural Context of a Drink......Page 4
Contents......Page 6
List of figures......Page 7
List of tables......Page 8
Preface......Page 10
Acknowledgements......Page 12
1 Introduction......Page 16
The aim of this book......Page 18
The structure of this book......Page 20
Some qualifications and definitions......Page 21
Bibliographical note......Page 22
2 The history of wine......Page 23
The prehistory of wine......Page 27
The spread of the vine......Page 29
The Greeks and Romans......Page 31
The ‘Dark Ages’ and the medieval period......Page 38
The ‘Age of Discovery’......Page 40
Revolutions: Science, technology, consumption and politics......Page 41
The ‘golden age’ of wine......Page 47
Depression and decline......Page 49
The twentieth century......Page 53
Bibliographical note......Page 58
A healthy drink......Page 62
The importance of sweetness......Page 63
The idea of the two wines......Page 64
Aesthetics......Page 65
The geography of production......Page 66
The impact of the two wines......Page 69
Produce or product?......Page 70
The significance of the agricultural versus industrial approaches......Page 73
Wine and the expression of national identity......Page 75
Conclusion......Page 78
Bibliographical note......Page 79
4 The structures of wine production......Page 80
Smallholders......Page 81
Négociants......Page 83
Co-operatives......Page 85
Family companies......Page 90
Public companies and large enterprises......Page 94
Boutique producers......Page 96
Conclusion......Page 98
Bibliographical note......Page 99
The origins of wine differentiation......Page 100
Classifications......Page 102
Classifications in the modern world......Page 105
The success of classifications......Page 106
Classification by vintage......Page 108
The origin and spread of appellations......Page 109
Legal frameworks......Page 114
The impact and effectiveness of appellation systems......Page 115
Defining terroir......Page 118
Debating terroir......Page 121
Conclusion......Page 124
Bibliographical note......Page 125
Large-volume brands......Page 126
Cult and icon wines......Page 131
A cult wine in the making......Page 132
Icon wines......Page 133
The impact of new technology......Page 135
Varietal wines......Page 137
Bibliographical note......Page 140
7 The motivation to drink wine......Page 144
Analysing consumption......Page 145
A framework for wine consumption......Page 146
What shapes the wine consumer?......Page 148
The consumer’s values......Page 149
The consumer’s involvement with wine......Page 151
The marketing perspective: Segmentation......Page 153
The anthropological perspective......Page 155
The sociological perspective......Page 156
Conclusion......Page 168
Bibliographical note......Page 169
8 The symbolic role of wine: religion, sex, fertility and status......Page 170
The origins of the religious connection with wine......Page 171
Wine in Greek and Roman religion......Page 174
Wine in the Bible......Page 175
The role of the church......Page 177
Modern symbolism......Page 178
The development of wine as a marker of status......Page 179
Wine and status amongst the first civilizations......Page 180
The Roman Empire......Page 181
The impact of the consumer revolution......Page 182
Wine and status in the modern world......Page 185
Bibliographical note......Page 188
Introduction......Page 189
The elements of a civilized drink......Page 190
Restraint......Page 191
A natural drink......Page 193
Wine as an art form......Page 200
Wine and philosophy......Page 202
Wine and aesthetic consumption......Page 203
Wine in the arts......Page 206
Wine and food......Page 208
Introduction......Page 209
The development of the lifestyle wine......Page 214
The future of lifestyle wines......Page 219
Conclusion......Page 220
Bibliographical note......Page 221
10 The contemporary wine consumer......Page 222
The changing nature of wine consumption......Page 223
The development of wine literature......Page 225
The modern era......Page 227
Wine education and wine clubs......Page 228
Wine tourism......Page 229
The role of gatekeepers......Page 231
Wine critics......Page 232
Wine show systems and judging......Page 236
Wine as an investment......Page 239
Conclusion......Page 242
Bibliographical note......Page 243
Introduction and context......Page 246
Fraud in the past......Page 248
The spread of fraudulent practices......Page 249
Adulteration......Page 253
Misleading claims......Page 255
Price deceptions......Page 257
Modern deceptions:Variations on a theme......Page 258
Bibliographical note......Page 260
12 Wine, health and abuse......Page 261
The historical context......Page 262
Wine and health: A scientific assessment......Page 265
Coronary artery disease......Page 266
Atherosclerosis and CAD......Page 270
Wine and protection from atherosclerosis......Page 272
Wine as an anti-microbial agent......Page 273
Wine and cancer......Page 274
Wine in moderation......Page 277
Immoderate wine use and abuse......Page 278
Not all wines are created equal......Page 280
Wine and social dysfunction......Page 281
Conclusion......Page 283
Introduction......Page 285
The role of religion......Page 286
Alcohol consumption and the rise of temperance......Page 289
The twentieth century and prohibition......Page 294
Conclusion......Page 299
Bibliographical note......Page 300
The culture of politics......Page 301
The political process......Page 303
Social control......Page 304
Diplomacy and international relations......Page 305
Promoting the economy......Page 306
Control of production......Page 309
Control of distribution......Page 313
Political conflict......Page 314
Bibliographical note......Page 322
15 Conclusion......Page 327
A paradoxical drink......Page 328
Wine as a quasi-religious experience......Page 332
Wine as a metaphor......Page 333
The social context of wine......Page 334
References......Page 337
A......Page 361
B......Page 362
C......Page 363
D......Page 365
F......Page 366
G......Page 367
K......Page 368
M......Page 369
P......Page 370
R......Page 371
S......Page 372
U......Page 373
W......Page 374
Z......Page 376