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.

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.

Reviews
"Fascinating." -- Eric Asimov - New York Times
"Lukacs, well aware that his subject is often clouded with pretense, writes with an eye for pungent detail." -- The New Yorker
"Thoughtful and provocative, this book shows that the history of wine is as complex as the history of human society." -- Esther Mobley - Wine Enthusiast
"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." -- Publishers Weekly
"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." -- Mark Kurlansky, author of Birdseye: The Adventures of a Curious Man and Salt: A World History
"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." -- Kirkus Reviews
"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." -- Booklist


Awards
Winner of Gourmand World Cookbook Award 2014.



Book Information
ISBN 9780393347074
Author Paul Lukacs
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint WW Norton & Co
Publisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 309g
Dimensions(mm) 211mm * 142mm * 25mm