Publisher's Synopsis
This engaging book traces the history of wine in the Western world with all its attendant grandeurs and miseries. Through fascinating anecdotes and unexpected insights Phillips recreates each of the great eras of wine consumption, with their very different values and palates, and vividly conveys the sheer awfulness of much that has been drunk and enjoyed. The author takes the reader through the myriad tricks of the trade. Spanning the globe, from the Hunter Valley to the Rhine, from the NapaValley to Burgundy (and not excluding such unpromising regions as Peru and Ohio) A Short History of Wine is an astonishingly enjoyable guide to the social, cultural and economic worlds inside a bottle.
