The Wine Empire: Markets, Colonies and the Rise and Fall of the British Empire over Three Hundred Years

Since the 17th century, Britain has been an ambitious maritime country and actively engaged in overseas trade of various commodities. Britain's long-standing strong demand for wine has driven generations of British people to overseas colonies to engage in winemaking and export trade. In addition to grabbing profits, wine producers also pride themselves on their mission of "civilization and enlightenment." Wine has become a means to control and conquer what they consider uncivilized and exotic lands, and to popularize Western moral values ​​and lifestyles. In the eyes of British consumers, "cheap and inferior" has been a lingering label for colonial wine, a "crude potion" that cannot compete with high-end European wines for a long time. After World War I, colonial wines were endowed with patriotic connotations and became popular among the British middle class and working class, strengthening the business ties between the dominions, colonies and Britain. During World War II, imperial wine became an important drink that could boost morale and unite national strength. By combing the history of winemaking in the British colonies and the long-standing trade relations between the colonies and Britain, this book tells the history of Britain's colonial expansion for more than three hundred years, showing the changes in the balance of power and status between Britain and its colonies before and after the two world wars, as well as the process of the British consumer market shifting from an elite monopoly to a civilian and popular one.