On the Coffee Table: Wine

Title: Wine: A Graphic History

Writer: Benoist Simmat

Artist: Daniel Casanave

via Amazon

As advertised, Wine presents a micro-history of one of the world's favorite beverages.  Simmat and Casanave take us from the early Neolithic era to 21st century visions for the future of the industry, covering all six inhabited continents.  Every technological advance along the way is thoughtfully explained.  The book is thorough, informative and highly readable.  I'm grateful for the glimpses of countries I wouldn't have thought of as having long wine histories: Uzbekistan, for instance.  

A thought about micro-histories in general and each makes a case for its subject "changing the world."  It occurred to me with Wine that it's not so much the product that has changed things.  The broader enterprise of trade is what drives change.  English merchants invented the sealed bottle, allowing the aging for which wine is now prized.  But they didn't do it to improve the product, rather to make it easier to ship.  Similarly, they added sugar syrup to the wines of the Champagne region as a preservative.  The resulting bubbles were a highly marketable side benefit.

I have gripes with the artwork.  While technically proficient, the images include both gratuitous female nudity and questionable depictions of non-white cultures, particularly the Japanese.  It's a shame, detracting from the sophisticated text.  I'd definitely be interested in similar books but let's work on being a little more respectful, gentlemen.