Beyond geography and weather, wine reflects a specific time: technology, popular culture, stories, status, influencers, packaging, marketing, and creative trends all combine to contribute to how "great" a wine is considered. This book looks at the sociology and the chemistry of wine. It covers nearly 75 years that are remarkable in the history of wine, including stories that involve a rare 1920s Clos des Ducs found behind a wall built to hide assets from the Nazis and the genesis of Robert Mondavi as a "brand." Interstitial sidebars and interviews and contributed essays break up these individual entries, and funky, photographic-driven collages decorate the pages. This book appeals not only to wine lovers-but to anyone interested in learning about art and culture.