Description
Book SynopsisThis ability to mask local interests as national concerns convinced government officials of the need, at both national and international levels, to protect champagne as a French patrimony.
Trade ReviewExcellent book. -- Harry W. Paul Journal of Modern History 2005 The denouement of Kolleen Guy's fascinating book is the violent explosion known as the 'revolution of Champagne' in 1911. How the revolt occurred is the heart of this skillful study of a region's economy and society and its relationship to the nation state. -- Thomas Brennan Journal of Social History 2004 A strong contribution to our understanding of the processes by which French national identity was constructed. -- James. R. Lehning Journal of Interdisciplinary History 2005 [Guy] convincingly describes how the circumstances surrounding the evolution of this regional beverage explain changes within French society... Students writing research papers in the fields of gastronomy would find this an excellent model of how they should approach similar topics. Massachusetts Beverage Business 2004 Guy's fascinating book... traces in extensive detail the forces at work to transform this formerly regional product into a world-recognized symbol of French patrimony, elitism, and spirit. In lively style, Guy chronicles the history of champagne production in France and, in turn, the history of France itself through eras of industrialization and war. All readers will find this book absorbing: history buffs, novices to the bubbly, and full-fledged experts. -- Janine Sutherlin France Today A fascinating study of champagne in the years before the Great War... Guy makes us consider the current popularity of products which, like champagne, have a strong regional identity and their increasing centrality to contemporary France's sense of identity. Times Literary Supplement A fascinating book... [Guy] demonstrates how a region with few environmental advantages for grape and wine production was able not only to succeed but to become synonymous with grace, style, and joyful gatherings. Choice 2003 Guy's illustrated book is a well-researched look at one of France's proudest achievements. -- Lori D. Kranz Bloomsbury Review 2007
Table of ContentsContents: AcknowledgmentsOne IntroductionTwo Consuming the Nation: Champagne Marketing and Bourgeois Rituals, 1789-1914Three Industry meets Terroir: Champagne Producers in the MarneFour Resistance and Identity: Cultivation Methods and the Wine Community, 1789-1890Five Boundaries: The Limits of the "True" Champagne, 1900-1910Six Revolution and Stalemate: The Revolt of 1911Seven Conclusion: Champagne and Modern FranceAppendix Notes Bibliographic Essay Index
