Eastern Wines On Western Tables

Eastern Wines on Western Tables: Consumption, Trade and Economy in Ancient Italy offers an interdisciplinary and multifaceted research concerning wine trade and the Roman economy during Classical antiquity.

In 1975 there were 125 wineries in eastern North America. By 2013 there were more than 2,400. How and why the eastern United States and Canada became a major wine region of the world is the subject of this history. Unlike winemakers in California with its Mediterranean climate, the pioneers who founded the industry after Prohibition—1933 in the United States and 1927 in Ontario—had to overcome natural obstacles such as subzero cold in winter and high humidity in the summer that favored diseases devastating to grapevines. Enologists and viticulturists at Eastern research stations began to find grapevine varieties that could survive in the East and make world-class wines. These pioneers were followed by an increasing number of dedicated growers and winemakers who fought in each of their states to get laws dating back to Prohibition changed so that an industry could begin. Hudson Cattell, a leading authority on the wines of the East, in this book presents a comprehensive history of the growth of the industry from Prohibition to today. He draws on extensive archival research and his more than thirty-five years as a wine journalist specializing in the grape and wine industry of the wines of eastern North America. The second section of the book adds detail to the history in the form of multiple appendixes that can be referred to time and again. Included here is information on the origin of grapes used for wine in the East, the crosses used in developing the French hybrids and other varieties, how the grapes were named, and the types of wines made in the East and when. Cattell also provides a state-by-state history of the earliest wineries that led the way.

The story of the Roman Empire’s enormous wine industry told through the remarkable ceramic storage and shipping containers that made it possible The average resident of ancient Rome drank two-hundred-and-fifty liters of wine a year, almost a bottle a day, and the total annual volume of wine consumed in the imperial capital would have overflowed the Pantheon. But Rome was too densely developed and populated to produce its own food, let alone wine. How were the Romans able to get so much wine? The key was the dolium—the ancient world’s largest type of ceramic wine and food storage and shipping container, some of which could hold as much as two-thousand liters. In Dolia, classicist and archaeologist Caroline Cheung tells the story of these vessels—from their emergence and evolution to their major impact on trade and their eventual disappearance. Drawing on new archaeological discoveries and unpublished material, Dolia uncovers the industrial and technological developments, the wide variety of workers and skills, and the investments behind the Roman wine trade. As the trade expanded, potters developed new techniques to build large, standardized dolia for bulk fermentation, storage, and shipment. Dolia not only determined the quantity of wine produced but also influenced its quality, becoming the backbone of the trade. As dolia swept across the Mediterranean and brought wine from the far reaches of the empire to the capital’s doorstep, these vessels also drove economic growth—from rural vineyards and ceramic workshops to the wine shops of Rome. Placing these unique containers at the center of the story, Dolia is a groundbreaking account of the Roman Empire’s Mediterranean-wide wine industry.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1970.

Winner in Drink category - André Simon Food and Drink Book Awards 2016 Volcanic Wines takes a novel approach to the world of wine, using volcanic soil as the overarching theme and link between a wide range of grapes and wine regions. Wine professionals are already deeply attuned to the impact of terroir and soil type on wine characteristics and quality. While consumers tend to rely on grape variety as their main purchasing cue, as the market broadens and general knowledge of wine expands, terroir now figures more prominently in their thinking. It's more widely acknowledged and understood today that even small variations in soil type can result in dramatically different wines, and that the same soil type can yield a distinctive imprint regardless of grape variety or production region. John Szabo introduces geology, volcanism and the correlation between soil type and wine composition, with the right balance of science, personal history and commercial considerations. A wide and breathtaking range of photographs highlight how stunning volcanic wine regions are; together with maps and wine labels, the reader is taken on a visual tour of these remote corners of the globe. Volcanic Wines is a well-researched resource on the history, unique characteristics, wine styles and most celebrated producers in each volcanic region. Personal and anecdotal information helps to humanize the journey, with experiences and discoveries shared in eloquent but accessible, playful prose.