Bacchus in Gaul

Whether it's a grand cru from Burgundy or an anonymous glass of red wine, drinking wine is a pleasure. But it's even more enjoyable if you know a little about the history of this drink of the gods, which is outlined in this richly illustrated book. The epic begins in the Caucasus, where winemaking was "invented" ten thousand years ago. Through the Greeks and Romans, viticulture reached Gaul, the "promised land" of Bacchus.

The god of wine has had its highs, such as in the Middle Ages when there was no competition from coffee or soft drinks, and vines were even planted in the far north of the Kingdom of France, the County of Flanders. But there were also low points, like the disastrous crisis around 1900, caused by the phylloxera coming from America. And there were ambivalent episodes, like at the beginning of the modern period, where Bacchus lost ground on one side but, on the other hand, gave France new kinds of nectar, like champagne.

A book to "savor."