Alcohol :a social and cultural history by Mack P. Holt (Editor)Why are we so ambivalent about alcohol? Are we torn between our love of a drink and the need to restrict, or even prohibit, alcohol? How did saloon culture arise in the United States? Why did wine become such a ubiquitous part of French culture?Alcohol: A Social and Cultural History examines these questions and many more as it considers how drink has evolved in its functions and uses from the late Middle Ages to the present day in the West. Alcohol has long played an important role in societies throughout history, and understanding its consumption can reveal a great deal about a culture. This book discusses a range of issues, including domestic versus recreational use, the history of alcoholism, and the relationship between alcohol and violence, religion, sexuality, and medicine. It looks at how certain forms of alcohol speak about class, gender and place.Drawing on examples from Europe, North America and Australia, this book provides an overview of the many roles alcohol has played over the past five centuries.
ISBN: 9781845201654
Publication Date: 2006-03-01
Grasping the Grape : Demystifying Grape Varieties to Help You Discover the Wines You Love by Maryse Chevriere, Sarah Tanat-JonesSure, drinking wine is all fun and good times, but learning about it isn't always as easy. With Grasping the Grape, Maryse Chevriere seeks to be like that friend from school you went to for help because they took the best notes in class (complete with visuals). Featuring profiles of more than 30 of the world's most prominent grapes, this guide to wine gives you the quick download on all the essentials: What the variety tastes like, where it's grown, what wines it's known for, what to drink it with, how to describe it and which other grapes to explore if you're a fan. Because when it comes down to it, learning the grapes is the best way to start your journey into wine. In Grasping the Grape, you'll also find information on key beginner wine drinking topics like how to become a better shopper and FAQs about rosé, as well as a handy plan of action for food and wine pairing, and a drinking game to help you become a sharper taster. If you weren't grasping for a glass of wine before, you will be after this.
ISBN: 9781784882921
Publication Date: 2019
Modern Moonshine : The Revival of White Whiskey in the Twenty-First Century by Cameron D. Lippard (Editor); Bruce E. Stewart (Editor); Bruce E. Stewart (Editor)The craft of making moonshine--an unaged white whiskey, often made and consumed outside legal parameters--nearly went extinct in the late twentieth century as law enforcement cracked down on illicit producers, and cheaper, lawful alcohol became readily available. Yet the twenty-first century has witnessed a resurgence of artisanal distilling, as both connoisseurs and those reconnecting with their heritage have created a vibrant new culture of moonshine. While not limited to Appalachia, moonshine is often entwined with the region in popular understandings. The first interdisciplinary examination of the legal moonshine industry, Modern Moonshine probes the causes and impact of the so-called moonshine revival. What does the moonshine revival tell us about our national culture? How does it shape the image of Appalachia and rural America? Focusing mostly on southern Appalachia, the book's eleven essays chronicle such popular figures as Popcorn Sutton and explore how and why distillers promote their product as "traditional" and "authentic." This edited collection draws from scholars across the disciplines of anthropology, history, geography, and sociology to make sense of the legal, social, and historical shifts behind contemporary production and consumption of moonshine, and offers a fresh perspective on an enduring topic of Appalachian myth and reality.
ISBN: 9781946684813
Publication Date: 2019-04-01
Moonshine : A Global History by Kevin R. KosarYou might think moonshine only comes from ramshackle stills hidden away in the Appalachian Mountains, but the fact of the matter is we've been improvising spirits all around the world for centuries. No matter where you go, there is a local bootleg liquor, whether it's bathtub gin, peatreek, or hjemmebrent. In this book, Kevin R. Kosar tells the colorful and, at times, blinding history of moonshine, a history that's always been about the people: from crusading lawmen and clever tinkerers to sly smugglers and ruthless gangsters, from pontificating poets and mountain men to beleaguered day-laborers and foolhardy frat boys. Kosar first surveys all the things we've made moonshine from, including grapes, grains, sugar, tree bark, horse milk, and much more. But despite the diversity of its possible ingredients, all moonshine has two characteristics: it is extremely alcoholic, and it is, in most places, illegal. Indeed, the history of DIY distilling is a history of criminality and the human ingenuity that has prevailed out of officials' sights: from cleverly designed stills to the secret smuggling operations that got the goods to market. Kosar also highlights the dark side: completely unregulated, many moonshines are downright toxic and dangerous to drink. Spanning the centuries and the globe, this entertaining book will appeal to any food and drink lover who enjoys a little mischief.
ISBN: 9781780237428
Publication Date: 2017-04-15
Sweet, Reinforced and Fortified Wines : Grape Biochemistry, Technology and Vinification by Fabio Mencarelli; Pietro TonuttiWines from Grape Dehydration is the first of its kind in the field of grape dehydration - the controlled drying process which produces a special group of wines. These types of wine are the most ancient, made in the Mediterranean basin, and are even described in Herodotus. Until few years ago, it was thought that these wines - such as Pedro Ximenez, Tokai, Passito, and Vin Santo - were the result of simple grape drying, because the grapes were left in the sun, or inside greenhouses that had no controls over temperature, relative humidity or ventilation. But Amarone wine, one of the most prized wines in the world, is the first wine in which the drying is a controlled process. This controlled process - grape dehydration - changes the grape at the biochemical level, and involves specialist vine management, postharvest technology and production processes, which are different from the typical wine-making procedure. After a history of grape dehydration, the book is then divided into two sections; scientific and technical. The scientific section approaches the subjects of vineyard management and dehydration technology and how they affect the biochemistry and the quality compounds of grape; as well as vinification practices to preserve primary volatiles compounds and colour of grape. The technical section is devoted to four main classes of wine: Amarone, Passito, Pedro Ximenez, and Tokai. The book then covers sweet wines not made by grape dehydration, and the analytical/sensorial characteristics of the wines. A concluding final chapter addresses the market for these special wines. This book is intended for wineries and wine makers, wine operators, postharvest specialists, vineyard managers/growers, enology/wine students, agriculture/viticulture faculties and course leaders and food processing scientists
ISBN: 9781118569214
Publication Date: 2013-04-16
Tequila: a global history by Ian Williams
Call Number: TP607.T46 W55 2015
ISBN: 9781780234359
Publication Date: 2015-05-15
Uncorked: The Science of Champagne by Gérard Liger-Belair; Hervé ThisUncorked quenches our curiosity about the inner workings of one of the world's most prized beverages. Esteemed for its freshness, vitality, and sensuality, champagne is a wine of great complexity. Mysteries aplenty gush forth with the popping of that cork. Just what is that fizz? Can you judge champagne quality by how big the bubbles are, how long they last, or how they behave before they fade? And why does serving champagne in a long-stemmed flute prolong its chill and effervescence? Through lively prose and a wealth of state-of-the-art photos, this revised edition of Uncorked unlocks the door to what champagne is all about. Providing an unprecedented close-up view of the beauty in the bubbles, Gérard Liger-Belair presents images that look surprisingly like lovely flowers, geometric patterns, even galaxies as the bubbles rise through the glass and burst forth on the surface. He illustrates how bubbles form not on the glass itself but are "born" out of debris stuck on the glass wall, how they rise, and how they pop. Offering a colorful history of champagne, Liger-Belair tells us how it is made and he asks if global warming could spell champagne's demise. In a brand-new afterword, he updates the reader on new developments in the world of bubble science and delves even more deeply into the processes that give champagne its unique and beautiful character. Bubbly may tickle the nose, but Uncorked tackles what the nose and the naked eye cannot--the spectacular science that gives champagne its charm and champagne drinkers immeasurable pleasure.
ISBN: 9780691158723
Publication Date: 2013-06-02
Whisky : Technology, Production and Marketing by Inge Russell (Editor); Graham Stewart (Editor)Whisky: Technology, Production and Marketing explains in technical terms the science and technology of producing whisky, combined with information from industry experts on successfully marketing the product. World experts in Scotch whisky provide detailed insight into whisky production, from the processing of raw materials to the fermentation, distillation, maturation, blending, production of co-products, and quality testing, as well as important information on the methodology used for packaging and marketing whisky in the twenty-first century. No other book covers the entire whisky process from raw material to delivery to market in such a comprehensive manner and with such a high level of technical detail. Only available work to cover the entire whisky process from raw material to delivery to the market in such a comprehensive manner Includes a chapter on marketing and selling whisky Foreword written by Alan Rutherford, former Chairman and Managing Director of United Malt and Grain Distillers Ltd.
ISBN: 9780124017351
Publication Date: 2014-08-12
Wine : A Social and Cultural History of the Drink that CHanged Our Lives by Rod PhillipsWine looks at how wine has been used to demarcate social groups and genders, how wine has shaped facets of social life as diverse as medicine, religion, and military activity, how vineyards have transformed landscapes, and how successive innovations in wine packaging have affected and been affected by commerce and consumption.
ISBN: 9781910902479
Publication Date: 2018-03-26
Wine Science by Ronald S. JacksonWine Science, Fourth Edition, covers the three pillars of wine science: grape culture, wine production, and sensory evaluation. It discusses grape anatomy, physiology and evolution, wine geography, wine and health, and the scientific basis of food and wine combinations. It also covers topics not found in other enology or viticulture texts, including details on cork and oak, specialized wine making procedures, and historical origins of procedures. New to this edition are expanded coverage on micro-oxidation and the cool prefermentative maceration of red grapes; the nature of the weak fixation of aromatic compounds in wine - and the significance of their release upon bottle opening; new insights into flavor modification post bottle; the shelf-life of wine as part of wine aging; and winery wastewater management. Updated topics include precision viticulture, including GPS potentialities, organic matter in soil, grapevine pests and disease, and the history of wine production technology. This book is a valuable resource for grape growers, fermentation technologists; students of enology and viticulture, enologists, and viticulturalists. New to this edition: Expanded coverage of micro-oxidation and the cool prefermentative maceration of red grapes The nature of the weak fixation of aromatic compounds in wine - and the significance of their release upon bottle opening New insights into flavor modification post bottle Shelf-life of wine as part of wine aging Winery wastewater management Updated topics including: Precision viticulture, including GPS potentialities Organic matter in soil Grapevine pests and disease History of wine production technology
ISBN: 9780123814692
Publication Date: 2014-05-31
The Winemaker's Hand : Conversations on Talent, Technique, and Terroir by Natalie BerkowitzIn these fascinating interviews, winemakers from the United States and abroad clarify the complex process of converting grapes into wine, with more than forty vintners candidly discussing how a combination of talent, passion, and experience shape the outcome of their individual wines. Each winemaker details their personal approach to the various steps required to convert grapes into wine. Natalie Berkowitz speaks to winemakers from different backgrounds who work in diverse wine-producing regions, including Chile, England, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and the United States. They talk about familiar and unfamiliar grape varietals, their struggles with local terroirs, and the vagaries of Mother Nature. Some represent small family wineries with limited production while others work for corporations producing hundreds of thousands of bottles. Each individual offers rare insight into how new technologies are revolutionizing historic winemaking practices. The interviews are supplemented with personal recipes and maps of winemaking regions. An aroma wheel captures the vast array of wine's complex flavors and aromas.
ISBN: 9780231167567
Publication Date: 2014-06-03
Websites
How Wine Colonized the WorldAs noted in How Wine Colonized the World, wine's roots extend beyond the literal horticultural sense. The beverage is also rooted in history, spirituality, and colonization. Following an interactive timeline, readers will learn more about these roots, traveling from 4100 B.C. (when the first known winery was established in Armenia) to 2013 (discussing China's consumption and production of wine). Along the way, readers will find themselves traveling to six of the seven continents. Unfortunately, Antarctica has yet to cultivate the drink, though the end of the timeline jokingly implies it might be next. Clicking on the right- and left- sides of the page or using arrow keys, readers can scroll through the resource's 24 panels. Each panel offers a short paragraph and visual describing an influential period in the world history of wine. Some panels even contain links to additional related content. This resource was created by VinePair, a "digital media company delivering accessible, entertaining, and inspiring content about drinks and the experiences you have with a glass in hand."
Song of the Vine: A History of WineAlthough the physical Song of the Vine exhibition hung in the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections at the Carl A. Kroch Library at Cornell University about ten years ago, the online version is still available for visitors today. Materials on display are selected from the Eastern Wine and Grape Archive, which documents the history of wine in the Finger Lakes region and the development of the wine industry in the U.S. For example, the section entitled "Wine Comes To America" contains items such as images from Agoston Haraszthy's Grape Culture, Wines, and Wine-making. With Notes Upon Agriculture and Horticulture, published in New York in 1862. Haraszthy, a wine enthusiast, is credited with introducing around 300 different grape varieties to the United States. Also in this exhibition section is a reproduction from "Thomas Jefferson on Wine," and a patent for the Einset Seedless Grape, April 26, 1988. Other sections of Song of the Vine cover practical aspects of winemaking, the temperance movement and prohibition, and grape varieties.
Where Wine Flavors Come From: The Science of Wine AromasWhat comes to mind when you think of esters, pyrazines, and terpenes? Perhaps you are getting flashbacks to your organic chemistry class, but these compounds are not just present in laboratory beakers. They also form the aromas responsible for the flavors that wine connoisseurs know and love. "Where Wine Flavors Come From" explains how some of these compounds interact to create the three basic wine flavor categories: Fruit/Floral/Herbal, Spice, and Earthy. Posted on Wine Folly (a website on a mission to improve appreciation and education surrounding wine), the post introduces readers to the science behind wine flavors through text and useful diagrams. The article was originally posted in 2015 and updated April 3, 2020. Madeline Puckette (a James Beard Award-winning writer and the International Wine & Spirits Competition Wine Communicator of the Year 2019) created the guide with input from sommeliers Geoff Kruth and Matt Stamp. Readers interested in more content from this sommelier duo may be interested in their podcast, Guild of Sommeliers.
Blogs and Podcasts
Inside Winemaking PodcastIf you have already mastered the sourdough starter, perhaps it is time for a new quarantine kitchen experiment. Learn the ins and outs of wine production with Inside Winemaking. Hosted by professional winemaker Jim Duane, this podcast introduces listeners to "the best winemakers in the U.S. [and] spend[s] an hour discussing... questions about growing grapes and making wine." Launched in 2014, the show now has more than 100 episodes packed full of expert advice. Readers will find all of these episodes at the link above. Each installment is accompanied by a brief description and a list of resources discussed during the show. Are you looking for even more winemaking content? Stay tuned! Duane's next goal "is to make a short and simple to understand [video course] guide that distills the most critical aspects of professional winemaking and ignores the stuff you don't need to sweat about." Check back soon or sign up for his e-mail list (via the box at the bottom of the About page) for more on this addition.
UGA Extension Viticulture BlogFrom the University of Georgia's (UGA) Extension Viticulture team, part of UGA's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, comes this blog that aims to "educate, inform, and conduct applied research that will support and positively impact the fast growing grape/wine industry in the state of Georgia, but also neighboring southeastern US regions." Regularly updated, this blog addresses topics including meteorology and viticulture (most recently authored by agricultural climatologist Pam Knox), diseases that affect grape crops, and how to protect crops from birds and mammals. While most entries are aimed specifically at viticulturists in the southeastern United States, some posts appeal more broadly to a global perspective of viticulture. For example, one recent post features a round up about news items regarding weather and wine-growing around the world.
Streaming Video
Bacchus UncoveredProfessor Bettany Hughes investigates the story of Bacchus: god of wine, revelry, theater, and excess. Hughes begins in Georgia, where she discovers evidence of the world’s oldest wine production, and the role it may have played in building communities. In Athens, she reveals Bacchus’ pivotal role in a society where his ecstatic worship was embraced by all classes, and most importantly, by women. In Cyprus, she uncovers startling parallels between Bacchus and Christ. Finally, Hughes follows the god’s modern embrace in Nietzsche’s philosophy, experimental theatre, and the hedonistic hippy movement to conclude that while this god of ecstasy is worthy of contemporary reconsideration it is vital to heed the warning of the ancients: nothing in excess.
Better Wine Through ChemistryThe single most important step to making a good wine is fermentation, which is what gives wine its particular taste and alcohol content. Winemakers add yeast—a single-celled fungus—to grape juice, and if all goes well the yeasts rapidly multiply, crowding out other microbes and allowing fermentation to complete in two to three weeks. But sometimes, the yeasts get stuck and don’t fully ferment—a problem that has plagued the wine industry for centuries. Now a team of geneticists and biotechnologists have discovered what triggers "stuck" fermentation, and are bringing winemakers one step closer to perfecting the winemaking process.
Modern Marvels : WineThe intoxicating effects of wine fermentation have been known throughout time. Nearly every civilization has made wine the centerpiece of religious and cultural life. Learn how vineyards around the world have adapted to natural and cultural conditions to keep this ancient industry thriving in the modern world. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (45 minutes) Distributed by A&E Television Networks.
The Wine WarsAre French wine producers an endangered species? This documentary vividly illustrates the economic dynamics of the global wine wars, examining the explosion in New World winemaking and its implications for the French wine industry. Exploring the venerated Bordeaux and Languedoc-Roussillon regions, the program also visits producers in California’s Napa Valley, the foothills of the Andes, and the Australian city of Adelaide. The film shows how the strictures of tradition and regulation have held back French producers, while technological innovations, new marketing strategies, and a dramatic rise in consumption have made vineyards around the world lucrative. (53 minutes)