Publisher Description

During the past eight decades French vineyards, wineries, and wine marketing efforts have undergone such profound changes--from technological, scientific, economic, and commercial standpoints--that the transformation is revolutionary for an industry dating back thousands of years. Here Leo Loubre examines how the modernization of Western society has brought about new conditions in well-established markets, making the introduction of novel techniques and processes a matter of survival for winegrowers. Not only does Loubre explain how altered environmental conditions have enabled pioneering enologists to create styles of wine more suited to contemporary tastes and living arrangements, but he also discusses the social impact of the wine revolution on the employees in the industry. The third generation of this new viticultural regime has encountered working and living conditions drastically different from those of its predecessors, while witnessing the near disappearance of the working class and the decline of small and medium growers of ordinary wines. Originally published in Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Table of Contents

*FrontMatter, pg. i*CONTENTS, pg. vii*ILLUSTRATIONS, pg. ix*TABLES, pg. xi*ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, pg. xiii*ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE TEXT, pg. xiv*INTRODUCTION, pg. 1*CHAPTER ONE. Qeneral Trends and Conditions since 1914, pg. 16*CHAPTER TWO. The Viticultural Revolution, pg. 37*CHAPTER THREE. Viniculture: The Marriage of Pragmatism and Theory, pg. 76*CHAPTER FOUR. The Attack on Fraud: Classification and Appellation, pg. 113*CHAPTER FIVE. Cooperatives among Individualists, pg. 137*CHAPTER SIX. The Economics of Wine, pg. 155*CHAPTER SEVEN. The Commerce of Wine, pg. 177*CHAPTER EIGHT. Conditions of Life: Propertied Growers, pg. 212*CHAPTER NINE. Conditions of Life: Laborers, pg. 244*CONCLUSION, pg. 260*NOTES, pg. 267*INDEX, pg. 283

Review

"An important beginning to the task of placing the twentieth-century French countryside in historical context."--American Historical Review "[The book] combines economic, social, political and even technical analysis into a compelling picture of a fascinating society and way of life."--Journal of Social History

Long Description

During the past eight decades French vineyards, wineries, and wine marketing efforts have undergone such profound changes--from technological, scientific, economic, and commercial standpoints--that the transformation is revolutionary for an industry dating back thousands of years. Here Leo Loubre examines how the modernization of Western society has brought about new conditions in well-established markets, making the introduction of novel techniques and processes a matter of survival for winegrowers. Not only does Loubre explain how altered environmental conditions have enabled pioneering enologists to create styles of wine more suited to contemporary tastes and living arrangements, but he also discusses the social impact of the wine revolution on the employees in the industry. The third generation of this new viticultural regime has encountered working and living conditions drastically different from those of its predecessors, while witnessing the near disappearance of the working class and the decline of small and medium growers of ordinary wines. Originally published in Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Review Quote

"[The book] combines economic, social, political and even technical analysis into a compelling picture of a fascinating society and way of life."-- Journal of Social History

Details