The Politics Of Wine In Britain Power And Tastes 16491860

As a potent symbol of political legitimacy and a leading source of government revenue, wine in England and Scotland was a commodity like no other. This fascinating study shows how the taste for wine both reflected and constructed political power during the two most important centuries of modern British history. Wine, and how one consumed it, was never neutral; instead, it was inextricably linked to political party, social class, national identity, and gender. Wine was thus essential to creating modern Britain.