The Story of Wine - Hardcover

Johnson, Lonnie R.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1840001208 ISBN 13: 9781840001204

Publisher: Phaidon Press Ltd, 1998

Synopsis

This fascinating history of wine is written with all the characteristic enthusiasm and wit of its author. The history ranges from the ancient Near East, through the Classical period and finishes with the New World/Old World wine wars of the late twentieth century.

About this title

About the Author

Hugh Johnson is the world's pre-eminent writer on wine. First published in 1977, his Pocket Wine Book sells hundreds of thousands of copies a year. His winning formula of insight, critical appraisal of the world of wine, plus valuable vintage news and wine recommendations has been often-imitated but never bettered. With the publication of his first book, Wine, Johnson established himself at the age of twenty-seven as the most refreshing and authoritative voice on the subject. During the past four decades he has written books that have become landmarks on the subject, including his classic The World Atlas of Wine, co-authored with Jancis Robinson, his Wine Companion, first published in 2003, and The Story of Wine. In his spare time he writes about gardening from his home in Essex.

From Publishers Weekly

First published in 1989 in an illustrated 480-page edition, Johnson's sweeping chronicle of the making, merchandising and drinking of wine has been considerably pared down but remains brimful of fascinating information. Beginning with what we know of oenology in ancient Egypt and Greece, the text travels up to the 21st century, citing, for example, countries that produced the "most exciting wines" of 2003. Along the way, famed wine writer Johnson revisits the ongoing debate of who is responsible for introducing vineyards into France, reveals that the coupling of bottle and cork in the 17th century allowed wine to age properly and recalls Thomas Jefferson declaring that wine was "the only antidote to the bane of whiskey." Sidebars throughout relate sprightly anecdotes, such as the story of Magellan stocking his ships for the 1519–1521 circumnavigation of the globe (he spent more on sherry than he did on armaments—and then got himself killed en route). Some 125 maps and illustrations in lush color and b&w depict everything from a 5,000-year-old panel that is the first known illustration of wine drinking to a striking photo of a hyper-modernistic winery in Spain. While necessarily less comprehensive than the initial edition, this version is a thorough survey of the elixir that, as Johnson says, owes its popularity to its power to banish care.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Phaidon Press Ltd
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 1840001208
• ISBN 13: 9781840001204
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 480