Rise of British middle classes in 18th, 19th centuries shaped wine industry
The birth of the cult of fine wine can be dated precisely. On April 10th 1663, Samuel Pepys, diarist and man-about-London, noted that he had enjoyed "a sort of French wine called Ho Bryan that hath a good and most particular taste that I never met with".
As Pepys was savouring his tipple, big economic shifts were under way. London was on the rise, starting to replace Amsterdam as the hub of world trade. Its merchants were growing in power, wealth and appetite—for, amongst other luxuries, claret. By the 18th century Londoners were the world's biggest consumers of good claret.
Previously drinks became famous and popular because of their royal connections. The court of France's King Louis XIV, who himself drank Burgundy and the still wines of Champagne, was the arbiter of most alcoholic taste. Now, for the first time, a wider social group, including both aristocrats and commoners such as Pepys with fashionable aspirations, set the tone.
Read entire article at The Economist
As Pepys was savouring his tipple, big economic shifts were under way. London was on the rise, starting to replace Amsterdam as the hub of world trade. Its merchants were growing in power, wealth and appetite—for, amongst other luxuries, claret. By the 18th century Londoners were the world's biggest consumers of good claret.
Previously drinks became famous and popular because of their royal connections. The court of France's King Louis XIV, who himself drank Burgundy and the still wines of Champagne, was the arbiter of most alcoholic taste. Now, for the first time, a wider social group, including both aristocrats and commoners such as Pepys with fashionable aspirations, set the tone.