by Tom Standage
What do beer, wine, spirits, tea, coffee, and Coca-Cola all have in common besides being beverages? According to Tom Standage in his New York Times best seller, A History of the World in 6 Glasses, they changed the course of humanity. A bit far-fetched you wonder? Perhaps, but that doesn’t detract from this delightful book which chronicles the historical impact of these 6 beverages. While this isn’t a traditional wine book, we felt we had to include it because of the chapter on wine which furthered the rise of civilization through its role in the lives of the Greeks on who much of today’s Western society is based.
A History of the World in 6 Glasses takes a light-hearted look at the history of beer, wine, spirits, tea, coffee and Coca-Cola finding interesting points in history where these beverages were the featured stars. In these pages you can discover how spirits furthered America’s case for independence, how tea resulted in the down fall of the Chinese empire and how wine furthered philosophy, poetry, and humanity as we know it.
While at times this book is a bit over reaching in its assumption of the impact of the above beverages, it is full of interesting tidbits of trivia that will surely allow you to sound more interesting at your next wine tasting (i.e. the word ‘brandy’ actually comes from the original ‘burnt wine’) and will keep you entertained for a few hours.
Wine Book Summary
| Verdict |   |
3 out of 5 bunches |
| Proficiency |   |
1 out of 5 glasses |