Wine Wars

From the get-go you just don't want to put this book down, slaloming as it does informatively through economic and social history, the wine industry, the future, and observations setting the scene for the great battle between the market forces redrawing the world wine map and, as Veseth puts it, 'the terroirists who are trying to stop them.' Veseth . . . writes authoritatively and clearly. . . . This is undoubtedly a fascinating read that will be a treat to most tastes and is one of the books of the year.--Paul O'Doherty, JancisRobinson.com

Prelude: Grape Expectations? 1. A Tale of Two Glasses 2. Old Bottles, New Wine Flight One: Globalization-Blessing or Curse? 3. The DaVino Code 4. Missionaries, Migrants, and Market Reforms 5. The Masters of Wine 6. Curse of the Blue Nun 7. America's Hangover Globalization Tasting Flight Two: The Miracle of Two Buck Chuck 8. Martians versus Wagnerians 9. They Always Buy the Ten Cent Wine 10. Everyone's a Critic 11. The McWine Conspiracy 12. The Future of Wine in Three Bottles Two Buck Chuck Tasting Flight Three: Revenge of the Terroirists 13. Mondovino and the Revenge of the Terroirists 14. The War on Terroir 15. The China Syndrome 16. The Best of Wines or the Worst of Wines? Grape Expectations Tasting

Globalization has pushed back the borders of the wine world, creating a complex, interconnected market where Old World and New World wines and producers compete head to head. Writing with wit and verve, Mike Veseth (a.k.a. the Wine Economist) tells the compelling story of the war between the market forces that are redrawing the world wine map and the terroirists who resist them. It is the battle for the future of wine and even for its soul. The fight isn't just over bottles bought and sold, however; power and taste are also at stake. Who will call the shots in the wine market of the future? Who will set the price? Whose palate will prevail? Will it be Two Buck Chuck or tradition-steeped vintners? Veseth masterfully brings all of these questions together in the only book on the wine business written engagingly for all lovers of wine."