The Wine Wars: The Mondavi Affair, Globalization and Terroir [Hardcover]

Olivier Torres (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 5, 2006

The Wine Wars describes Californian-based wine producer Robert Mondavi's failure to set up business in a small, world-renowned wine-producing village in the south of France. The business venture was bought to an abrupt halt by an anti-globalization rebellion composed of ecologists, communists, neo-rurals and wild boar hunters. The 'Mondavi affair' illustrates the importance of culture, history, geography and economic and political systems in conditioning our spirit of enterprise and the way in which we do business.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

OLIVIER TORRES is Assistant Professor at the University of Montpellier (ERFI-GREG) and Associate Researcher at EM Lyon, France, and a specialist in small business management. He is the French Vice President of the European Council of Small Business (ECSB) and Secretary of the International French spoken Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (AIREPME). His work in small business research has been internationally awarded on several occasions.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (September 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0230002102
• ISBN-13: 978-0230002104
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,009,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't Buy It!, June 11, 2007

By 

Tinuviel (Irvine, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wine Wars: The Mondavi Affair, Globalization and Terroir (Hardcover)

This book is first of all horribly translated. Chapter 5 is entitled "Things Hot Up." An online machine translation would have been better than this very frustrating butchering of the English language. Obviously no one proofread this and it shows up in the breakdowns of meaning that frequently occur throughout the text. Secondly, it serves as nothing but an excuse for Torrès to rail against French protectionism, ignoring several other larger issues brought up by the Mondavi Affair. He comes up with one interesting idea: "torportism," but it's foundation and expansion is ideologically rather than fact motivated. In short, you might be interested in this book if you care about Torrès opinion--because here you won't find careful scholarly research--but wait for a less expensive edition that is more carefully translated.

2 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Why Should I Buy This Book?, May 26, 2007

By 

John E. Thomson "Doctorjet" (El Dorado Hills, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wine Wars: The Mondavi Affair, Globalization and Terroir (Hardcover)

I did not rate this book because I have not read it, and I probably will not buy it.
I suspect that author of the book, like a lot of French wine makers, is obsessed with the his self-importance and is convinced that others ought to "pay the price I ask, and just shut up." If the book were a reasonable price I might consider buying it. Try the "Rise and Fall of Mondavi", as I am going to do.
The struggle between globalization and local terrior in France is set forth in the "Mondovino" DVD, which won an award as a documentary film at Cannes.
Who is right and wrong is not as important as the way the French and the Americans (and the Italians and others) look at wine.

John E. Thomson, Ph.D.
El Dorado Hills, California