The red and the white : a history of wine in France and Italy in the nineteenth century / Leo A. Loubere ; drawings by Mark Blanton and Philip Loubere.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Loubère, Leo A., author.

Contributor:

Blanton, Mark, artist.

Loubere, Philip, artist.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Wine industry--France--History.

Wine industry.

Wine industry--Italy--History.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xx, 401 p. ) ill. ;

Place of Publication:

Albany : State University of New York Press, [1978]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The delight of Bacchus, wine has ever been man's solace and joy. Growing out of the poorest soil, the wild grape was tamed and blended over millennia to produce a royal beverage. But the nineteenth century brought a near revolution in the production of wine, and democracy in its consumption; technology made wine an industry, while improved living standards put it on the people's dinner table. The vintners of France and Italy frantically bought land and planted grapes in their attempt to profit from the golden age of wine. But the very technology which made possible swift transportation, with all its benefits to winemen, brought utter devastation from America-the phylloxera aphids-and only when France and Italy had replanted their entire vineyards on American stock did they again supply the thirsty cities and discriminating elite.In an exhaustive examination Professor Loubère follows the wine production process from practices recommended long ago by the Greeks and Romans through the technical changes that occurred in the nineteenth century. He shows how technology interacted with economic, social, and political phenomena to produce a new viticultural world, but one distinct in different regions. Winemen espoused a wide range of politics and economics depending on where they lived, the grapes they grew, and the markets they sought. While a place remained for carefully hand-raised wine, the industry had, by the end of the century, turned to mass production, though it was capable of great quality control and consistency from year to year.The author uses a wide range of sources, including archives and contemporary accounts. The volume contains extensive figures, tables, graphs, and maps.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

List of Equivalents

Preface

Introduction

PART ONE Geography of Wine

CHAPTER ONE France's Mediterranean Vineyard

CHAPTER TWO France: Riparian Winelands

CHAPTER THREE The Atlantic Vineyard

CHAPTER FOUR Northern Italy

CHAPTER FIVE Central and Southern Italy

PART TWO Technical, Economic, and Social Aspects

CHAPTER SIX Wine-Making: Tradition & Innovation

CHAPTER SEVEN Economics of Wine

CHAPTER EIGHT The Phylloxera or the Terrible Vine Blight

CHAPTER NINE The New Wine Industry

CHAPTER TEN The Human Element

CHAPTER ELEVEN The Commerce of Wine

PART THREE Crisis & Renewal

CHAPTER TWELVE Era of Crises

CHAPTER THIRTEEN Wine & Politics

CHAPTER FOURTEEN Reorganization of the Wine Industry: BEGINNINGS, C. 1890-1914

Conclusion

Appendix

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Includes index.

Bibliography: p. [381]-394.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-4384-1131-6

0-585-07603-0