Bordeaux: People, Power and Politics (Hardcover)

~ Stephen Brook (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Focusing on Bordeaux, one of the world's key wine-producing regions, Stephen Brook's Bordeaux: People, Power and Politics reveals the compelling, often cutthroat passage of some of the greatest bottles (and lesser ones, too) from Bordeaux's premier producers to market. The "much abused [selling system of] Bordeaux," says wine expert Nicholas Firth, "apparently the most chaotic means of distribution of any major product, is the most effective means of distributing the products of thousands of estates to a hundred countries." Taking this as his premise--and conclusion--Brook, a leading British wine writer, provides an incisive exploration. Not a book for the general wine reader, Bordeaux will, however, be of immense interest to those who wish to investigate the commercial life of the region in depth.

In chapters such as "Rise of an Empire" and "Power Groups: Who Owns What," Brook offers commentary on the winemaking, winemakers, and wine styles in modern Bordeaux; Bordeaux's economic structure; how producers market their wines; the place of old families and corporations; and much more. Throughout, evocative color photographs depict the locale, while detailed investigations of pertinent families--with family trees included--pinpoint old clans and new, corporate and other owners. Fair-minded and intriguing, the book will add immeasurably to the understanding of the world it so readably evokes. --Arthur Boehm

Product Description

Written by one of the world's leading authorities on the region, this handsome volume is an incisive, no-holds-barred exploration of Bordeaux as a wine culture. Brook looks at how Bordeaux's wines are produced, marketed, and sold. Illustrated with portraits and family trees the region's key winemakers are featured, and the power of the press, merchants, negociants, and consumer over the wines, culture, and economic health of the world's most famous wine region is also considered.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Mitchell Beazley (September 10, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1840003634
• ISBN-13: 978-1840003635
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #632,905 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great text AND beautiful photos, February 4, 2002

By A Customer

Before, I would always wonder why Bordeaux wine is so expensive. Many had told me that it was, indeed, superior. I am glad that Stephen Brook took the time to explain in common language, all the factors that have made this wine region such a "hot-spot" for the wine industry.

This book is not only a look at this wine region and it's wines, but a must read for all who are interested in the power structure of Europe, especially France.