Synopses & Reviews
Because science and technology have opened new avenues for vintners, our taste in wine has grown ever more diverse. Wine is now the subject of careful chemistry and global demand. Paul Lukacs recounts the journey of wine through history--how wine acquired its social cachet, how vintners discovered the twin importance of place and grape, and how a basic need evolved into a realm of choice.
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"Fascinating." Eric Asimov
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"Lukacs, well aware that his subject is often clouded with pretense, writes with an eye for pungent detail." New York Times
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"Thoughtful and provocative, this book shows that the history of wine is as complex as the history of human society." The New Yorker
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"Rather than an eternal cultural verity, wine is the product of innovative discontinuities, according to this flavorful history.... [Lukacs's] absorbing treatise shows just how much the grape's bounty owes to human ingenuity and imagination." Esther Mobley Wine Enthusiast
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"Just when it seemed that there was nothing new to be said about wine, Paul Lukacs tells an intriguing and original tale that is thoroughly enjoyable reading." Publishers Weekly
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"Noted American oenophile Lukacs tells the story of wine over eight millenniums and around the globe. Themes of interest to oenophiles, from wine's longtime disrepute in North America to England's love affair with Bordeaux, and fascinating details--for instance, the unearthing of 26 casks of wine in King Tut's tomb--heighten the pleasure of this engrossing narrative. A richly readable and authoritative addition to the literature of wine." Mark Kurlansky, author of Birdseye: The Adventures of a Curious Man and Salt: A World History
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"I will always be grateful to Paul Lukacs for writing this book. Against a sea of contemporary wine reviews and tasting notes, he has written something far more significant--a book that takes us on a journey through wine's role in our history, our culture, our humanity. is important because it's the story of what wine , and ultimately, the story of why we love it." Kirkus Reviews
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"In highly readable prose, Lukacs tells the story of winemaking's worldwide history, recounting such ever-fascinating stories as the discovery of champagne and the creation of phenomenally unctuous and costly wines from what appear to be overripe, rotten grapes." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
"Meticulously researched history...look[s] at how wine and Western civilization grew up together." --Dave McIntyre,
About the Author
Paul Lukacs is the author of American Vintage and The Great Wines of America. A James Beard, Cliquot, and IACP award winner, he has been writing about wine and its cultural contexts for nearly twenty years. He is a professor of English at Loyola University of Maryland, where he directs the University's Center for the Humanities. He lives in Baltimore.