Wine Wars II: The Global Battle for the Soul of Wine

Summary

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.

Wine Wars II begins by exploring wine globalization, where listeners follow "Missionaries, Migrants, and Market Reforms" to faraway New Zealand and learn how to unlock the secrets of their local retail "Wine Wall" by mastering the "DaVino Code." Globalization brings a world of wine to our doorsteps. Commodification helps us make sense of the resulting embarrassment of riches, but at a cost. Listeners must decide if they are Martians or Wagnerians, consider why "They Always Buy the Ten Cent Wine," and then probe the puzzle of "Outlaws, Prisoners, and the Great Escape."

Who stands in the way of the global wine market's assault on wine's very soul? Resistance is not futile, but that doesn't mean the future of wine is secure. A final section explores "Wine's Triple Crisis," environmental crisis, plus economic crisis, plus identity crisis. Taken together these crises pose the most serious threat to wine as we know and love it.