Planet of the Grapes: A Geography of Wine

by Robert Sechrist

Overview

A fascinating and comprehensive introduction to the geography, culture, and history of wine that identifies the significance of this simple beverage throughout human history and today.

Wine was one the key founding foods of Western culture (bread and oil being the other two). It has played a key role in human history for thousands of years, having been used for enjoyment, rituals, and religious purposes; today, the production and consumption of wine is a billion-dollar industry that plays an important role in the global economy. Planet of the Grapes: A Geography of Wine provides an interesting and accessible lens through which students can learn about geography, culture, society, history, religion, and the environment. The chapters cover the historical geography of wine, document how drinking wine has often been condemned as a vice, and describe wines by region and type, thereby providing a cultural geography of wine.

Readers will learn about the historical geography of wine, terroir (the environmental conditions that affect grape crops), grape biogeography, the process of winemaking from a geographic perspective, the economic global significance of the wine trade, the ongoing love-hate relationship between wine and government, and what makes individual wine regions distinct. The content is written to be comprehensible to individuals without detailed previous knowledge about wine but provides detailed information and insight that wine connoisseurs will find engaging. Additionally, through the story of wine comes a unique telling of the social transformations in America that have resulted from sources such as anti-immigrant sentiment, pseudoscience, and censorship.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440854385
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	04/24/2017
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	344
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.81(d)

About the Author

Robert Sechrist, PhD, is professor of geography at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA, where he has taught for 30 years.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

A Note on Numbers and Maps ix

Introduction: The World of Wine xi

1 The Historical Geography of Wine 1

2 The Biogeography of the Vine 19

3 Terroir 49

4 How Wine Is Made 69

5 Tasting Wine 81

6 Wine in the Global Economy 93

7 Wines of the European Union 115

8 Wines of the Southern Hemisphere 173

9 Wine in North America 195

10 Frontiers 223

11 Modern Wine Containers 229

12 Cultural Geography of Wine 243

Conclusion 263

Appendix A Affirmation of Grape Variety Produced in Commercial Quantities by Country of Origin 267

Appendix B North American Wine History 273

Appendix C Wine Glossary 277

Notes 283

Bibliography 299

Index 315

Editorial Reviews

Good and fresh information. . . . Recommended.” —Choice

“For wine novices and connoisseurs alike who are interested in making, tasting, or knowledgeably discussing wine.” —Library Jourbanal

From the Publisher

11/01/2017
A fairly lighthearted title belies the scholarly tone of Sechrist's (geography, Indiana Univ. of Pennsylvania) examination of growing conditions, winemaking, and the chemical reactions that make or break a wine-drinking experience. The author touches on religious, ceremonial, and social implications of wine drinking as well as the history of alcohol consumption from ancient times to today. A glossary will help budding wine tasters describe their experience from baked or big to spritzig or woody. VERDICT For wine novices and connoisseurs alike who are interested in making, tasting, or knowledgeably discussing wine.

Library Journal