Thought-provoking reads 2023: Wine edition
To celebrate launching this wine and economics newsletter, this post includes some of the wine and beverage-related books I enjoyed in 2023. It complements my annual “thought-provoking reads” post which can be found here on my Ziemba Insights website. Check those out for other faves - including many on critical minerals.
In Ancient Wine: The search for the origins of Viticulture (2019), Patrick McGovern surveys the archeological and historical evidence of wine-making going back 8000 years. He begins with some amazing archeo-chemical analysis of the oldest wine vessels from the Caucasus and takes one through great chapters on how Persian, Egyptian and other ancestors innovated with wine and related products. A good reminder of how these beverages evolved and were a part of daily calorie counts - those in ancient China often were a mix of different fruit and grains, and many many wines, not just Greek Retsinas were made with resins for aging.
The Blood of the Colony: Wine and the Rise and Fall of French Algeria (2021). Owen White’s book highlights the importance of wine in the economy and society of Colonial Algeria. For a time, wine exports were a major driver of Algeria’s economy, especially in the period when phylloxera meant that France was importing wine from anywhere that would sell it. Even outside of that crisis, cooler climate meant that that wine from sunnier areas (and thus riper and bolder) were attractive. The book also highlights a big colonial era debate, whether colonies should produce goods that complemented or competed with the Monopole – and other stresses.
Bursting Bubbles: A Secret History of Champagne and the Rise of the Great Growers (2019). Robert Walters takes us on a tour of Champagne highlighting the makers and growers who are pushing the envelope. This includes some who are harvesting the grapes a little more ripe, rather than underripe, using rarer less known grapes and making more geographically defined wines (Many champagnes can and are sourced from a very wide geographic area in the appellation). This was one of several books on Champagne and Sparkling wine I read ahead of my Diploma exam and my visit to Reims – and one that highlighted some of the developments beyond the big brands. Some interesting producers to track, if one can find them. Uncorked: The Science of Champagne (2013) by Gerard Liger-Belair, takes the topic of physics of Champagne, including how bubbles form and the best glasses – and solvents to maximize or minimize the bubbles.
From Bordeaux to the Stars: The Reawakening of a Wine legend (2023) This autobiography by recently deceased Bordeaux legend Jean-Michel Cazes, translated by Jane Anson, is a fast-paced tale of his story modernizing the great Chateau Lynch-Bages. He packed a lot in – early days at IBM, the insurance book he managed along with the winery, the challenges Bordeaux faced in the 1960s and 1970s, when energy crises and stagflation hit demand and his work with French Company Axa’s wine division. In addition to Bordeaux, Cazes spent time in joint-ventures in many other wine regions including Hungary, California, Australia.
Holy Waters: Searching for the Sacred in A Glass (2022). Tom Morton’s book is a fast-paced look at the intersection of religion and alcohol (wine, spirit, the occasional random british tipple) and includes suggestions of what to drink for each chapter. An interesting engaging read even if you don’t drink the associated suggestions.
And a Bottle of Rum: A history of the New World in 10 Cocktails (2018). I started reading Wayne Curtis guide when en route to Jamaica. He covers English naval Grog, planters punch, Daquiris, Rum, Mai tai, Mojitos and even Rum and coke. Who knew how many rum-based drinks were so important to history of the Americas.– my kind of beach read.