A History of Wine in 10 Glasses

by Paul Wagner

From the Bible to Benjamin Franklin, from the cuneiform tablets of the ancient Sumerians to the dinner tables of modern bistros, wines have always been a part of civilization, culture, and history. Every country in the world has a special relationship with wine and takes a unique approach to the making, serving, and enjoying of it. Wine is an expression of the hopes, dreams, and cultures of the people who make it, so what better way to learn about the countries of the world than by learning about their wines?

Grab a glass, and travel around the world with Professor Paul Wagner, a viticulture and winery technology instructor at Napa Valley College.

Starting in the Caucasus Mountains, you’ll get a taste of ancient history and a lesson on the first wines ever, as well as the gods who were believed to bring them to us. From there, you’ll make stops in Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria and Hungary, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, and all the way to modern times in America with a look at California wines and the wines from Latin America.

With each location, you open the door to a better understanding of countries around the world, while gaining a deeper appreciation of the wines they serve.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Wine, Food, Audiobook, Food and Drink, Culinary

Audiobook

Published December 15, 2020

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A History of Wine in 10 Glasses is an audiobook by Paul Wagner covering both winemaking and wine from its stone age inception to the present. Wagner organizes the book geographically with each chapter covering a different winemaking region of the world. Wagner’s style is both educational and entertaining and each lesson is paired with a unique wine as homework. The winemaking material is stirred alongside historical facts and quotes, making the lessons go down smooth (oh boy, the puns are starting early this year my Goodreads followers). The negatives of the book are minor. The ambitious scope of the book means the lessons only cover introductory material; however, some important wine regions, particularly California ones, barely get a mention and should have received more attention. Additionally, there are some hiccups (yikes) in the audio that should have been corrected before release. Lift a glass to a fine introduction into the world of wine.

[Juan Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love wine, I think like the old Romans said, it is the drink of the gods.

And to learn a little about wine a good book: "History of Wine in 10 Glasses" by Paul Wagner.

The book tells us about how wine started in Greece and how Rome with her conquests took it to all the places where it was.

Today there are delicious wines in Spain, Portugal, France and even in Germany. We have learned how to grow wine in Austria and Hungary.

The book also takes us on a walk through the history of wine in the United States and Latin America. And finally in places where the English (many years the first wine consumers) took it to places like New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.

Great book. For those who like wine Cheers!

[Lynn Poppe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Narrated by the author, Paul Wagner, this is a very quick look at the history of wine and how wine has impacted history. Mr. Wagner does an amazing job with the narration including a lot of foreign\wine specialty words! Like most wine books I've read, 2/3 of this novel focuses on Old World\European wines. Turns out we owe a lot of thanks to those Roman soldiers planting vines everywhere the went! Interesting and fun facts! Germany is currently producing pinot noirs due to climate change! Mexico's wine production is growing. Basic, informative, and entertaining, this wine history is a good start for any reading looking to learn more about wine. Complete with pairings for each region!

[Cristiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a wine expert, but I subscribe to Audible and this was a free audiobook. Most of them are literally unlistenable, but this is one of the few exceptions to the sad Audible rule. It's an excellent introduction to wines and the wine trade and very strong on the historical background. My only criticism is the very unfunny "jokes" Wagner cracks every now and again: they are extremely irritating and interrupt the otherwise interesting narration.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great to hear about various wines and a few I haven’t tried. I’m mostly a red kind of person but enjoy a nice crisp white occasionally. I’ll have to get all the recommended wines (11) and have my own tastings and re visit this book.

[Niniane · Rating 5 out of 5]

More fascinating than I expected. This audiobook devoted one chapter to each country that is known for producing wine.

We hear about how Roman soldiers were given fields to grow grapes. Chile grows excellent wine but has trouble charging the same prices as France.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author did a good job of taking a big topic and condensing it while also keeping it interesting. I listened to this, I don't know if there's also a book version, but I would like to see the names of a lot of the information.

[Meredith Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

Consisting of 10 “lectures” covering the 10 main wine regions of the world & the wines that region produces, along with history & fun facts for that area, this book was super fun!

[Brenda V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting around the world history. Listened on audio and it kept our attention throughout.

[Riccardo Lo Monaco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply excellent. Highly recommend.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5// quick and interesting listen. Goes into the history of wines but not super in depth for some. Italy has like 800 diff types of grapes. Champagne is all about marketing.

[Andrew McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each chapter was about a different wine region and a concise (20 minute) overview of it, the wine they produce, and big names/types. A fun listen!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun survey through different wine regions, one country/area per chapter. Some of the chapters had the most fascinating history, and I learned a lot. However, there’s a limit to how much you can learn about wine varieties without tasting them. The author occasionally made corny jokes or mentioned things assuming that we all had some background knowledge, when I didn’t. “And of course we’re all familiar with [insert thing I’ve never heard of here].” It didn’t detract from the course overall, but it did make the author sound like the stereotype of a “California wine guy.” He was a good teacher and it helped that he was passionate about wine history. I will probably listen to it again at some point, to absorb more of the details.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

An engaging series of lectures about the history of wine along with the various winemaking regions of the world. Some chapters come across as extended advertisements for the particular wines produced in those various regions.

All in all, it was enjoyable enough though I was miffed that Canada got completely passed over. The United States naturally got an entire lecture, but I figured Canada but at least get mentioned with the rest of the Americas. Instead, it was apparently decided to only cover the wine industries south of the Rio Grande. I’d have felt better about that if countries like South Africa, Australia, and even little New Zealand had not gotten their own little sections. Oh well, I guess if you live next to the USA you become invisible.

Anyway, this was worthwhile I suppose.

[Roland Corwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uses broad strokes to depict aspects of wine and their regions... until he focuses in on something totally unnecessary. It was the most bizarre thing to me. A chapter on German Riesling went from a broad religious backstory, to how they created a numerical system to categorize their wine. I found it fascinating, but it is a weird nugget to put in a lecture that’s three hours long.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The audiobook is a short listen at just under four hours, so it wasn't a thorough history of wine. Nevertheless, the selected timeframes and locations were interesting (like how the Romans brought winemaking to the regions that they conquered to supply to their soldiers or European countries grow hundreds of grape varietals while the US focused on only a handful).

[Michael Whitlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going region by region, this book gives you localized wine history, but more than anything else exposes you to regional specialties you may not have heard of. I have a whole new list of wines I am excited to try.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

The World of Wine can be intimidating, but this series of lectures are extremely approachable, delivered in a fun and storytelling manner while serving as a great educational resource for anyone interested in learning.

Grab a glass, sit back and enjoy.

[Beth Kontny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sooo good!! If you are interested in wine at all this is a fantastic listen.

[Virago · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative, educational, easy listen. This was a great lesson on wine and the narrator did a great job keeping the listener engaged.

[Molly Maine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative, great speaking voice, logically set out (though it starts getting hinky at the end). Definitely something to re-listen to periodically.