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.

Publisher Review

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 * A thorough, globetrotting biography of the beverage that has inspired, intoxicated, and entranced us for more than eight millennia. From Chinese poets to Benjamin Franklin, The Odyssey to the Qu’ran, Burk traces its evolution across time and place to explore its enduring appeal. A journey sure to enchant any oenophile. — Bianca Bosker, author of CORK DORK 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 Sandbrook A detailed, compendious history that’s rich in wine trivia * Kirkus *