Can anyone tell me anything on the development and performance of the French Wine sector in the post World War 2 period? I am not sure where to start or where I can find this info. Thanks. I hope someone can help.
"Burgundy makes you think of silly things: Bordeaux makes you talk about them, and Champagne makes you do them."-Brillat-Savarin
You might want to look into Jancis Robinson's Oxford Companion to Wine for this one ... it's a bit too specific for this board or for a reply on this thread.
To summarize, I would probably put the development into four stages: post-war recovery era (elegant, balanced wines but quality largely dependent on vintage), mass-production era (70s -- bad quality all around), revival era (renewed focus on quality and reduced yields in the 80s), and post-modern era (90s to present, with a good deal of winemakers slowly converting the more international 'Parkerized' style of wine).
Hope that gets you started. There are lots of great books written on this exact topic out there in academic libraries ... if you can get your hands on the one by M-H Lemay, you're in luck! It's a rarity but it should really help you out.
"I can certainly see that you know your wine. Most of the guests who stay here wouldn't know the difference between Bordeaux and Claret." John Cleese (Basil Fawlty)
Posts: 497 | Location: Mississauga, ON | Registered: Feb 15, 2006
