Histoire de la vigne & du vin en France: des origines au XIXe siècle

• Author: ROGER DION
• Publisher: CNRS Éditions
• Language: French
• Release date: 03/2010
• Number of pages: 770
• Dimensions: 23 x 16 cm
• Weight:1200g
• Format: softcover
• ISBN: 9782271069528

Presentation:

Here at last is reissued Roger Dion's masterpiece, which revolutionized the traditional approach to wine history and geography. No, the quality of French wines is not only due to the quality of the terroirs, nor to the quality of the grape varieties. It depends above all on the geographical position of the vineyards in relation to the markets, the tastes and expectations of the customers.

The classified growths of Bordeaux? They owe their richness to the commercial strategy of the English, who, since the Middle Ages, have sought quality products for a market made up of princes and merchants. The great appellations of Burgundy? They can be explained by the requirements of the court of the Dukes of Burgundy in Dijon. The fresh and open nose of the northern Côtes-du-Rhône, dominated by subtle spicy notes? It owes its originality to the expectations of the Lyon bourgeoisie. The success of Champagne? It is the result of an English invention that was very popular with British and French high society. On the other hand, the Languedoc was slow to produce quality wines because the region had difficulties in exporting: its barges going down the Canal du Midi were blocked before Bordeaux... For Roger Dion, terroir is a "social fact, not a geological one", a historical construction above all else.

A loving ode to the terroirs of French wines and the men who shaped them. The unparalleled reference for understanding the great adventure of French vineyards and wine.

The author:

Roger Dion (1896-1981) taught historical geography at the Collège de France from 1948 to 1968. He is one of the greatest French geographers of the 20th century.

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