Wine
A Global History
Will be published approx. on 1. October 2026
Book
Hardback
640 pages
978-1-78816-898-4 (ISBN)
Description
'Capaciously informative and endlessly entertaining' Tom Holland, co-host of The Rest Is History
In the beginning, there was the vine.
Wine: a drink, a medicine, a ritual and a commodity. Across millennia, it has been used to celebrate and commiserate, as a negotiating tool and a diplomatic gift. But where - and when - was it first discovered? And how did it become a worldwide phenomenon?
From the planting of grape seeds in conquered territories across Ancient Rome, to the uprooting of vineyards during the Chinese Communist Revolution, this is the first truly global survey of wine from acclaimed historian Kathleen Burk. From a symbol of civilisation to the depths of debauchery, the formation of new trade routes to the consolidation of empires, Burk traces the story of our contemporary civilisation through one of the world's most ancient - and sought-after - pleasures.
In the beginning, there was the vine.
Wine: a drink, a medicine, a ritual and a commodity. Across millennia, it has been used to celebrate and commiserate, as a negotiating tool and a diplomatic gift. But where - and when - was it first discovered? And how did it become a worldwide phenomenon?
From the planting of grape seeds in conquered territories across Ancient Rome, to the uprooting of vineyards during the Chinese Communist Revolution, this is the first truly global survey of wine from acclaimed historian Kathleen Burk. From a symbol of civilisation to the depths of debauchery, the formation of new trade routes to the consolidation of empires, Burk traces the story of our contemporary civilisation through one of the world's most ancient - and sought-after - pleasures.
Reviews / Votes
Capaciously informative and endlessly entertaining -- Tom Holland, co-host of THE REST IS HISTORY A formidable work of scholarship, squelching eight thousand years of wine into a veritable Beaujolais of a book ... Lucid and inspiring. Each page fizzes with revelations. I was astonished and enthralled at every turn -- Matthew Green, author of SHADOWLANDS Erudite and intoxicating, Kathleen Burk's globe-spanning journey through wine history reminds us how deeply every glass is rooted in humanity's past -- Tom Standage, author of A HISTORY OF THE WORLD IN SIX GLASSES Excellent ... It's fantastic * THE REST IS HISTORY * Kathleen Burk's epic work takes you on a fascinating journey from the earliest episodes of Neolithic drunkenness to the sober-curiousness of the 2020s -- Carolyn Boyd, author of AMUSE BOUCHE Praise for Old World, New World: Immensely thought-provoking [and] lucid * Guardian * An ambitious narrative... lucidly narrated and generous * Times Literary Supplement * Balanced, intelligent, insightful and funny -- Dominic SandbrookMore details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 153 mm
Thickness: 58 mm
Weight
940 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78816-898-4 (9781788168984)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Kathleen Burk is Professor Emerita of Modern and Contemporary History at University College London. She has written on wine for more than 20 years and has been awarded a Diploma in Wine and Spirits. She is the co-author of Is This Bottle Corked?, as well as numerous works of history including The Lion and the Eagle and Old World, New World.