Description
Book Synopsis¡Vino! explores the history and identity of Spanish wine production from the mid-nineteenth century to today. Nineteenth-century infestations of oidium fungus and phylloxera aphids devastated French and Italian vineyards but didn’t extend to the Iberian Peninsula at first, giving Spanish vintners the opportunity to increase their international sales. Once French and Italian wineries rebounded, however, Spanish wine producers had to up their game. Spain could not produce only table wine; it needed a quality product to compete with the supposedly superior French wines. After the Spanish Civil War the totalitarian Franco regime turned its attention to Spain’s devastated agricultural sector, but the country’s wine industry did not rebound until well after World War II. In the postwar years, it rebranded itself to compete in a more integrated European and international marketplace with the creation of a new wine identity. As European integration continued, Spa
Trade Review“This is a much-needed study. In the context of Iberian (Peninsular) studies there is no comparable scholarly book dedicated to the study of Spanish wine, published in English. Of particular interest are the archives of wineries the author has been able to access as well as the government publications that should be of interest to future researchers and scholars. The writing is clear and easy to understand, and at times mixes personal anecdotes that makes the reading engaging.”—H. Rosi Song, author of
A Taste of Barcelona: The History of Catalan Cooking and EatingTable of ContentsList of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. How to Sell Wine: Evaluating Nineteenth-Century Spanish Wine on the Market
2.
El laboratorio del vino: Wine Diseases and Science in the Nineteenth Century
3.
Saber beber: Media, Science, and Drinking Well in Early Francoist Spain
4. Wine Goes to the Fair: Spanish Wine at Festivals and Celebrations from the Monarchy to Franco
5. Exposició i Fira Oficial de la Vina i del Vi: A Catalan Wine Festival in Franco’s Spain
6. Making Friends with Wine: International Trade in the Final Years of Franco
7. What to Know about Spanish Wine Today: Modernization of Wine Identity under Democracy
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index
