History of Wine in 10 Glasses

By: Paul Wagner

Narrated by: Paul Wagner

Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

From the Bible to Benjamin Franklin, from the cuneiform tablets of the ancient Sumerians to the dinner tables of modern bistros, wines have always been a part of civilization, culture, and history. Every country in the world has a special relationship with wine and takes a unique approach to the making, serving, and enjoying of it. Wine is an expression of the hopes, dreams, and cultures of the people who make it, so what better way to learn about the countries of the world than by learning about their wines?

Grab a glass, and travel around the world with Professor Paul Wagner, a viticulture and winery technology instructor at Napa Valley College.

Starting in the Caucasus Mountains, you’ll get a taste of ancient history and a lesson on the first wines ever, as well as the gods who were believed to bring them to us. From there, you’ll make stops in Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria and Hungary, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, and all the way to modern times in America with a look at California wines and the wines from Latin America.

With each location, you open the door to a better understanding of countries around the world, while gaining a deeper appreciation of the wines they serve.

©2020 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC.

Interesting and informative

An excellent listen, the narrator is exceptional and it’s a pleasure to listen to him.
I will listen to it again as there are some very important history notes that are great to know. He has made me want to try international wines next time I go wine shopping. I only buy local wine ,proudly SA.

The best!

Learned SO much about wine and all the rich history surrounding wine! A must! Also, the author and narrator is comical :)

History and Wine

If you like history you will love how Paul Wagner blends the expansion of wine throughout the world with World History. We would have paid more attention in high school!

Concise. Informative.

Really good primer on the Int’l history of wine. Smart, yet simple. At time’s surprising.

Just Plain Fun!

If you pay attention, you’ll have a list of wines from round the globe to try. You can sense the author’s passion for his work. I wish I could be a student in his classes! Salud!!

Wonderful contextualizing of wine history

I work in the wine industry, and loved this book. I love the way the author wove in world history with wine history for a real understanding of why things evolved the way they did. Loved his conversational reading style too. A great overview of wine history that is not at all dry!

Captivating

Simply captivating! I couldn’t stop listening. Every chapter was a new adventure into the deep and exciting history of wine around the world. This book has given me a new appreciation for all of the different types of wine available and inspired me to try new wines.

Great overview!

The author mixes history and geography and chemistry into the world of wine. Informative and entertaining audiobook!
I just wish that there was an actual book to accompany his audiobook.

Good short introduction into history of wine

I genuinely enjoyed listening to this short introduction into history of wine. The book is well structured, full of interesting anecdotes and it's lightness fits well the audiobook format.

However, I was quite worried that despite being a novice in wine and not a historian I found 2 historical inaccuracies myself:
1. Author claims that Madeira wine was used as ballast on ships sailing to the New World because it was so bad that nobody wanted to drink it and only by accident they discovered it's actually quite good after returning back from New World. First of all, that does not sound really convincing to me. If nobody intended to drink the wine, they could have used barrels filled with water - that would be cheaper. Or more simply, they could use rocks. I'd argue they took Madeira barrels as ballast to drink it on the way and refill ballast with something else. Second, I always read that Madeira was a decent wine, but aging in high temperature conditions when sailing around equator only made it better.
2. In chapter about Austrian and Hungarian wines author refers to Attila's and Magyar's raids in Europe saying: "Attila the Hun and his Magyar horsemen". This is not a wine-related mistake but a big one. Attila the Hun raided falling Roman Empire in 5th century. Magyars arrived in Central Europe only in 9th century. They both raided Europe but there is quite a gap of more than 400 years between their presence.

One last note: The book is narrated for US audience. However, for me as European it was not a big problem.

Enjoyed!

Thoroughly enjoyed this audible book! Delightful story and very well read. Highly recommend this book to wine lovers.