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Wine: A Graphic History
A graphic history of wine, from ancient times to today
The history of wine is the history of civilization. It is the religious drink par excellence. In Greek mythology, references to wine abound. In the Bible, after the Flood, Noah plants a vineyard. In the Middle Ages, it was in the monasteries and churches that the syrupy drink of antiquity, unpalatable if not diluted, was transformed into the wine we know today. Wine expert Benoist Simmat and artist Daniel Casanave trace the story of wine from its origins in the Mediterranean to the globalized industry of the 21st century. Spanning the innovations that have punctuated wine’s long history, from oak-barrel aging to the invention of the bottle, A Graphic History leaves readers with a fresh view of our own drinking culture.
The history of wine is the history of civilization. It is the religious drink par excellence. In Greek mythology, references to wine abound. In the Bible, after the Flood, Noah plants a vineyard. In the Middle Ages, it was in the monasteries and churches that the syrupy drink of antiquity, unpalatable if not diluted, was transformed into the wine we know today. Wine expert Benoist Simmat and artist Daniel Casanave trace the story of wine from its origins in the Mediterranean to the globalized industry of the 21st century. Spanning the innovations that have punctuated wine’s long history, from oak-barrel aging to the invention of the bottle, A Graphic History leaves readers with a fresh view of our own drinking culture.
232 pages, Paperback
First published October 24, 2018
40 people are currently reading
211 people want to read
About the author
Benoist Simmat
38books20followersBenoist Simmat, né en 1973, est journaliste économique. Ancien du Nouvel Economiste, de L'Agefi et du Journal du Dimanche, il collabore ou a collaboré dans nombre de pages "éco" de la presse nationale, comme celles de L'Express, Libération, Management, La Revue du vin de France, etc. Menant parallèlement une carrière dans l'édition, il est également essayiste et scénariste des nouvelles "BD-enquêtes".
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
June 10, 2021
2.5 Stars!
Did you know that wine contains a natural bacterium, Acetobacter aceti, which turns it to vinegar upon contact with oxygen?...Also not many will know that Ohio is the cradle of American wine growing. Or that a Scotsman, James Busby, had much to do with the early success of wine growing in colonial Australia. Or that the controversial philosopher, Rudolph Steiner would have such an influence over modern wine techniques.
There is much to learn in here, apparently Mago the agronomist (2nd Century BC) was such an important figure in the art of wine making that when the Romans sacked Carthage in 146 BCE, the senate ordered them to spare only the books bearing his name in order to translate them into Latin.
We see how the origins of wine making spread from its roots in the Levant and branched out across time and space, it was Greece and Rome which invented the wine that we know and love today. The evolution of various versions of carrying and containment are charted from the humble yet hardy goatskin canteen and amphorae to barrels and of course glass bottles.
In terms of art work this has some really nice colouring, and lively drawing, but it wasn’t really my cup of tea at all, and quite often I found this a little dull and tedious. So although I learned a bit from this, I wouldn't say that I particularly enjoyed it that much.
October 21, 2023
Un vrai plaisir, la qualité des dessins, l'organisation des chapitres (chronologique et géographique) et la précision des informations apportées permettent une lecture à la fois divertissante et enrichissante.
May 2, 2021
Lecture très intéressante, j'y ai appris des anecdotes que je ne connaissais pas sur le vin et son histoire. J'ai particulièrement aimé le dernier chapitre sur le vin et le tournant écologique.
February 27, 2019
On ne découvre pas qu'une histoire du vin mais bien une évolution historique, sociale et religieuse avec et grâce à un breuvage qui est plus vieux que ce à quoi nous nous imaginions !
Amateur ou non il s'agit ici d'une invitation à la découverte !
Amateur ou non il s'agit ici d'une invitation à la découverte !
February 11, 2021
This was really quite interesting! I doubt I would have read it, if it had been a chapter book, but I really enjoyed the graphic novel layout and the way it made the information digestable and informative without being overwhelming.
March 16, 2019
Une super BD, très instructive tout en étant abordable pour les novices du vin. J'y ai appris plein de choses, et il me tarde désormais de déguster de nouveau un bon verre de vin !
May 31, 2024
Dieser Sachcomic unterscheidet sich wohltuend von den zahlreich bereits erschienenen Büchern, die sich als Weinführer oder Abhandlungen über Önologie ausgeben, hier wird nicht nur über Rebsorten oder Jahrgänge diskutiert, sondern es wird auch ein umfassender Blick auf die Entwicklung des Weinanbaus und des Weinkonsums auf der ganzen Welt im Laufe der Jahrtausende bzw. Jahrhunderte geworfen.
Benoist Simmat zeigt uns, dass der Wein nicht durch Zufälle entstanden ist, sondern sehr stark mit der Geschichte der vorherrschenden Zivilisationen verbunden ist: Er entstand in Mesopotamien, verbreitete sich in Ägypten, dann in Griechenland, Rom und von dort aus in ganz Europa und begleitete den Aufstieg des Christentums (keine christliche Feier ohne Messwein!).
Im Laufe der Jahrhunderte haben Erfindungen die Aufbewahrung, den Transport und den Genuss von Wein ermöglicht: Amphoren, Fässer, Flaschen ... mit manchmal überraschenden Mitwirkenden: Die Flasche und die Champagnermethode sind zum Beispiel den Engländern zu verdanken! Der Mönch Dom Pérignon entwickelte die önologischen Verfahren weiter und führte erstmalig den Korkenverschluss für Weinflaschen ein.
Von Kapitel zu Kapitel erfährt man, wie Wein gelagert, Rebsorten und Böden ausgewählt werden, aber auch, wie sich der Wein in Amerika etabliert hat bis hin zu den modernsten Entwicklungsprozessen: der Wein der Zukunft wird bio sein, überwiegend rosé und der Produzent Nr. 1 wird .... China sein!
Ein informatives Lesevergnügen für Weinliebhaber und Geschichtsinteressierte, die Detailverliebtheit und auch eine Portion Humor, nicht zu vergessen die qualitativ hochwertige Übersetzung, stechen positiv hervor. Zum Wohl!
Benoist Simmat zeigt uns, dass der Wein nicht durch Zufälle entstanden ist, sondern sehr stark mit der Geschichte der vorherrschenden Zivilisationen verbunden ist: Er entstand in Mesopotamien, verbreitete sich in Ägypten, dann in Griechenland, Rom und von dort aus in ganz Europa und begleitete den Aufstieg des Christentums (keine christliche Feier ohne Messwein!).
Im Laufe der Jahrhunderte haben Erfindungen die Aufbewahrung, den Transport und den Genuss von Wein ermöglicht: Amphoren, Fässer, Flaschen ... mit manchmal überraschenden Mitwirkenden: Die Flasche und die Champagnermethode sind zum Beispiel den Engländern zu verdanken! Der Mönch Dom Pérignon entwickelte die önologischen Verfahren weiter und führte erstmalig den Korkenverschluss für Weinflaschen ein.
Von Kapitel zu Kapitel erfährt man, wie Wein gelagert, Rebsorten und Böden ausgewählt werden, aber auch, wie sich der Wein in Amerika etabliert hat bis hin zu den modernsten Entwicklungsprozessen: der Wein der Zukunft wird bio sein, überwiegend rosé und der Produzent Nr. 1 wird .... China sein!
Ein informatives Lesevergnügen für Weinliebhaber und Geschichtsinteressierte, die Detailverliebtheit und auch eine Portion Humor, nicht zu vergessen die qualitativ hochwertige Übersetzung, stechen positiv hervor. Zum Wohl!
January 18, 2025
Livro interessante, descontraído e informativo. Mas peca por se pretender "universal", mas ser, de fato, bastante concentrado na história francesa. Demais países, mesmo nações europeias tradicionais na produção de vinho, são retratadas em pontas finais de capítulo. A América do Sul, então, polo importante, mereceu não muito mais que uma página. O melhor do livro é o início relacionado à Idade Antiga. Idade Média, moderna e início de contemporânea são interessantes, mas com essa enfoque bem francês que me soa incompleto e tendencioso. Achei a parte do Século XX-XXI confusa e com alguns detalhes desnecessários, mais relacionados ao mercado do vinho e suas personalidades, que não é exatamente meu objeto de interesse.
October 28, 2024
A fantastic and simple overview of the history of wine for someone without any background in the subject. Lots of names and places were mentioned, almost like encyclopedic entries; I wanted the book at times to go into much more depth than it had, but a BD doesn’t lend itself naturally to long discussions. Overall, it was a very enjoyable read but lacked some of the excitement and storytelling characteristics of a typical BD. Also, this is a great way for non-native French speakers to brush up on wine related vocabulary.
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October 27, 2024There were some fun facts but was more for someone who already knew a lot about wine to learn more about wine, I felt a bit thrown into the deep end at times. Also the last chapter feels added, it is not in the same format as the rest of the book, and recovers some topics again? Not sure what happened there.
June 15, 2020
It was a great book with a lot of details. It changed the way I look at wine. The drawings are beautiful. It is quite a lot of information packed into the book! It is worth a read if you envoy wine and will give you a thorough understanding of wine and it’s place in history.
June 16, 2024
Quick little read that was decently engaging and fun. Not too snobby, not too elementary, and is efficient at covering a lot of ground in a short amount of words. If you like to drink wine, it’s worth a read.
March 18, 2025
From prehistory to 2019 history of people and grapes. Spamming the world, though focused on France.
Predicted trends: China as largest wine makers and buyers, more organic, biodynamic, and vegan methods used.
Fun illustrations and text.
Has maps, bibliography, and to-reads
Predicted trends: China as largest wine makers and buyers, more organic, biodynamic, and vegan methods used.
Fun illustrations and text.
Has maps, bibliography, and to-reads
January 3, 2021
만화라서 재밌� 거라� 생각은 편견이었�. 와인의 역사 자체가 워낙 길고 복잡� 탓에 내용� 엄청 방대했고, 그래� � 기억하기� 힘들 � 같다. 그래� 와인에 대� 호기심이 생겼다는 데에 의의� 가진다.
June 5, 2021
Настоящее историческое преключение. Кто бы мог подумать, что вино напрямую влияло на развитие мира. Увлекательная история, красивая графика и тонкий юмор.
January 31, 2023
Un livre qui tient ça promesse de la première grappe de raisin à nos bouteilles d'aujourd'hui en passant par toutes les croyances.
January 6, 2024
Passionnant et instructif
September 22, 2024
Interesante y entretenida novela gráfica/cómic sobre la historia del vino, con ilustraciones muy logradas.
November 4, 2024
Excellente BD pour tous les amateurs de vin et d'histoire
August 16, 2021
This is the first time I've read a book on the history of anything and blazed through it quickly and eagerly. Great approach! The only qualm is the writing style was occasionally still info-heavy without providing enough story. The Dionysus thread helped, but could have been more gripping with some character development or some such thing.
Regardless, if you're interested in the history of wine, I found it quite helpful, and it's influenced my conversations at parties!
Regardless, if you're interested in the history of wine, I found it quite helpful, and it's influenced my conversations at parties!
July 15, 2021
This book is a real adventure through time and geography. It is well researched and it is a lovely introduction to the world of wine. BEWARE - this book makes you want to drink and drinking.. often deters you from reading. One of the most interesting aspects of this book is its tracing of winemaking through lands that are now "dry" due to their predominantly muslim culture. An eye opener.
September 17, 2023
Dense information on the history of wine presented in a very approachable graphic novel way with some humour too lighten it up - if you love wine you’ll be sure to learn something to make you seem even more sophisticated while getting drunk.
September 29, 2021
A looooot of information. But I kind of want to read similar books about other drinks, now.
August 8, 2022
Good introductory overview of the history of wine. I found it interesting to realize how much of contemporary wine culture is relatively modern.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
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