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Champagne in Britain, 1800-1914

How the British Transformed a French Luxury

Graham Harding author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Published:20th Apr '23

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Champagne in Britain, 1800-1914 cover

A history of champagne in Britain exploring its place in society, luxury status, consumer trends, marketing strategies and advertising success.

Winner of the 2022 OIV AWARD 2022 in the History category

From its introduction to British society in the mid-17th century champagne has been a wine of elite celebration and hedonism. Champagne in Britain, 1800-1914 is the first book for over a century to study this iconic drink in Britain.

Following the British wine market from 1800 to 1914, Harding shows how champagne was consumed by, branded for and marketed to British society. Not only did the champagne market form the foundations of the luxury market we know today, this book shows how it was integral to a number of 19th century social concerns such as the ‘temperate turn’, anxieties over adulteration and the increasingly prosperous British middle class.

Using archival sources from major French producers such as Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot and Pommery & Greno alongside records from British distributors, newspapers, magazines and wine literature, Champagne in Britain shows how champagne became embedded in the habits of Victorian society. Illustrating the social and marketing dynamics that centered on champagne’s luxury status, it reveals the importance of fashion as a driver of choice, the power of the label and the illusion of scarcity. It shows how, through the reach of imperial Britain, the British taste for Champagne spread across the globe and became a marker for status and celebration.

Graham Harding has taken the agreeable subject of champagne and provided us with a very rich and detailed study of branding and marketing in nineteenth-century Britain... this study sheds significant light on how a key luxury product’s market changed and how marketing and branding strategies evolved. The book is a great resource for those interested in modern marketing and its culture. * Social History *
Fascinating... not only as a window into the specific world of champagne but also broadly speaking in terms of the evolution of branding over that period of time. -- Tamlyn Currin * Jancis Robinson *
This book is attractively produced and illustrated and will be an indispensable reference for both wine historians and those interested in marketing strategies in industrializing Europe before the Great War. It also makes good reading. * Food & History *
If you enjoy champagne or are interested in the historical development of modern marketing and branding techniques, this book is a must read, as necessary as it is for a champagne afficionado to taste Krug, Crystal, or Dom Perignon, at least once, to see if they are worth the hype. * Cultural and Social History *

ISBN: 9781350212930

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

312 pages