History, Culture, and Material Culture of Wine, 1700-2000

People have been making and drinking wine for thousands of years. It is not surprising, then, that wine has a material history that is equally rich and complex. Wine has long been intimately connected to agriculture, industry, and commerce. It has been and remains the mainstay of regional economies in France, Italy, California, and elsewhere, yet is also an immense multinational business and cultural phenomenon. Wine is associated with rituals and celebrations, serves as a marker of social distinctions, and is variously viewed as healthful or dangerous. It can be fabulously expensive or dirt cheap. Whatever the price, wine is alcoholic and has the potential to induce altered states. This course traces the history of wine over the last three centuries, primarily as played out in Europe and the United States. Emphasis is on wine as an iconic form of material culture at the center of a constellation of ancillary objects—bottles, corks, corkscrews, labels, wine coolers, wine glasses, decanters, etc., all with their own historical narratives. The course also explores the histories of canonical wines, the phenomenon of wine tourism, and the recent interest among philosophers in the aesthetics of wine. Some tasting involved. Requirements include short classroom presentations and a substantial course project. 3 credits.