Product Description

Seeking to penetrate the mysteries of two great wine regions - 'two opposite civilizations, two distinct ways of feeling' - Jean-Robert Pitte embarks upon an evocative and fascinating exploration of the land, people, and wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy. His account is a rich tapestry of terroir, history, culture, and economics from Roman to modern times. The unique qualities of the wines of each region, Pitte believes, cannot be entirely explained by the differences in their physical environments: they have social origins as well.Beginning with an entertaining look at the remarkable variety of insults exchanged by partisans of the two regions, Pitte delves into the key role played by medieval monks, dukes, and peasant vignerons in building their respective reputations and in creating the rivalry between bourgeois Bordeaux and earthy Burgundy that we know today. His sparkling, fair-minded narrative, engaging the senses and the mind alike, conveys a deep appreciation of two incomparable winegrowing cultures, united despite their differences by a common ambition to produce the best wines in the world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #56678 in Books
• Published on: 2008-07-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 268 pages

Review
"Pitte, a specialist in wine geographies, relates a long and fierce oenophile war in this charming history."--New Yorker "Full of fascinating digressions into the history of the wines, the areas, and the people."--Art Info Brilliant--The Guardian "Whatever you may know about these two great wine regions, you'll learn something new."--Decanter "History buffs will especially savor Pitte's extensive report on France's most legendary wine regions."--The Bloomsbury Review

About the Author
Jean-Robert Pitte is professor of geography and president of the University of Paris IV-Sorbonne. He is the author or editor of twelve previous books, including French Gastronomy and History of the French Landscape.

Customer Reviews

Masterly wine social/geohistory
Accessible yet meticulously researched and articulated social and geohistory of the distinctions and similarities between the two most famous fine wine regions in the world, Pitte's story is the Picasso/Matisse of wine books. Pitte knows his history and he knows his wines, and he is not frightened of applying tough surgery to some of the most widely shared wine mythology. His brief, opinionated, compelling narrative outlines how the two regions developed their different ownership, production, supply chains and intellectual temperaments; and it is surprising somehow that such a brief but compelling history has not been published before. Masterly.