Vintage Crime: A Short History of Wine Fraud“This slim yet insightful and entertaining volume documents the many instances where wine drinkers did not get what they paid for, sometimes with deadly consequences.”—New York Times, Best Wine Books of 2023 How fakes, fraudsters, and grape crusaders have shaped the world of wine. This novel take on the history of wine reveals that, whether by adding toxic sweeteners or passing off counterfeit bottles, wine fraud is abundant—and as old as wine itself. Vintage Crime will intrigue even the most sated of wine drinkers with its juicy tales of deception, raising interesting questions along the way: what counts as wine, why do we drink it, and what makes a wine truly authentic? The world of wine prides itself on its aura of respectability, but it has always had a murky side. Packed with engaging vignettes, Vintage Crime brings to life famous enthusiasts and crafty con artists from ancient Rome to modern-day California. It also introduces us to lesser-known industry figures: the scrupulous merchants, honest growers, and cutting-edge scientists who have led the fight against fraudsters. Author Rebecca Gibb holds the rare, sought-after distinction of Master of Wine, yet she writes in an engaging style that doesn’t require any prior wine knowledge, skillfully synthesizing popular wine histories for amateur sleuths and armchair sommeliers alike. A portion of book royalties will be donated by the author towards finding a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 10 | |
Dying for a Drink | 30 |
An Enlightened Drinker? | 50 |
Appellation Nation | 94 |
Winegate | 118 |
You Say Prost I Say Frost | 138 |
Indiana Jones and the Glass Crusade | 163 |
A Message to You Rudy | 185 |
The Last Drop | 203 |
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Common terms and phrases
adulteration alcohol amphoras APPELLATION NATION Austrian wine authentic barrels became Beethoven blending Bordeaux wine Burgundy Capus cellar century Champagne Chartrons Château Châteauneuf Châteauneuf-du-Pape Christie’s claimed cork counterfeit country’s court Cruse family decade Despite diethylene glycol drink ENLIGHTENED DRINkER Épernay experts fermentation finest France France’s fraudsters French wine FROST German GLASS CRUSADE grape growers grapes harvest History INDIANA JONES Jefferson bottles Koch Kurniawan label Lafite lead in wine lead poisoning liters of wine London Marne Master of Wine Michael Broadbent million liters nineteenth NOTES TO PAGES Paris percent phylloxera Pliny port PREDICT A RIOT restaurant Rhône Rodenstock Roman Rome RUDY SAY PROST scandal Schoonmaker sell sold taste Terroir there’s tion trans University Press vignerons vignoble village vines vineyards Vintage What’s wine fraud wine lovers wine merchants wine producers wine trade WINEGATE winemakers winery York Yquem