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A History And Description Of Modern Wines by Redding, Cyrus, a rare interior highlight of the 1833 - wine book.
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  • A History And Description Of Modern Wines by Redding, Cyrus, a rare interior highlight of the 1833 - wine book.
  • A History And Description Of Modern Wines by Redding, Cyrus, a rare example image of the 1833 - wine book.
  • A History And Description Of Modern Wines by Redding, Cyrus, a rare fascinating view of the 1833 - wine book.
  • A History And Description Of Modern Wines by Redding, Cyrus, a rare highlighted image of the 1833 - wine book.
  • A History And Description Of Modern Wines by Redding, Cyrus, a rare example from the work of the 1833 - wine book.
  • A History And Description Of Modern Wines by Redding, Cyrus, a rare view of the 1833 - wine book.
  • A History And Description Of Modern Wines by Redding, Cyrus, a rare fascinating view of the 1833 - wine book.
  • A History And Description Of Modern Wines by Redding, Cyrus, a rare highlight from the volume of the 1833 - wine book.
  • A History And Description Of Modern Wines by Redding, Cyrus, a rare sample view of the 1833 - wine book.
  • A History And Description Of Modern Wines by Redding, Cyrus, a rare detail view of the 1833 - wine book.
  • A History And Description Of Modern Wines by Redding, Cyrus, a rare detail of the 1833 - wine book.
  • A History And Description Of Modern Wines by Redding, Cyrus, a rare interior highlight of the 1833 - wine book.
  • A History And Description Of Modern Wines by Redding, Cyrus, a rare example image of the 1833 - wine book.
  • A History And Description Of Modern Wines by Redding, Cyrus, a rare fascinating view of the 1833 - wine book.
  • A History And Description Of Modern Wines by Redding, Cyrus, a rare highlighted image of the 1833 - wine book.
  • A History And Description Of Modern Wines by Redding, Cyrus, a rare example from the work of the 1833 - wine book.
  • A History And Description Of Modern Wines by Redding, Cyrus, a rare view of the 1833 - wine book.
  • A History And Description Of Modern Wines by Redding, Cyrus, a rare fascinating view of the 1833 - wine book.
  • A History And Description Of Modern Wines by Redding, Cyrus, a rare highlight from the volume of the 1833 - wine book.
  • A History And Description Of Modern Wines by Redding, Cyrus, a rare sample view of the 1833 - wine book.
  • A History And Description Of Modern Wines by Redding, Cyrus, a rare detail view of the 1833 - wine book.
  • A History And Description Of Modern Wines by Redding, Cyrus, a rare detail of the 1833 - wine book.
A History And Description Of Modern Wines

The First Modern Wine Book: Redding’s Manifesto in a Bottle

Redding, Cyrus

A History And Description Of Modern Wines

1833, London, Whittaker, Treacher, & Arnot

First edition

$450 USD

Overview

Cyrus Redding’s A History and Description of Modern Wines, first published in 1833 and revised through numerous editions until his death in 1870, stands as the most informed and influential wine book of its century.

Inside the book

The book was far more than a record of what was being drunk - it transformed how wine was described. Unlike his predecessors, Redding traveled through vineyards, evaluating wines by clarity, hygiene, and varietal character, while rejecting the fanciful mixtures and unscientific lore of antiquity. His work set a new standard for wine literature, built on empirical observation, comparative tasting, and a modern sensibility. Redding combined trenchant criticism with praise for progress. He condemned “stationary” traditions, particularly in Italy, where co-fermented grapes, dirty vats, and untrained vines produced wines he found rustic or sour, while applauding regions that embraced science and hygiene. These judgments were not mere snobbery but a call to reform, urging winegrowers to embrace purity, naturalness, and technical rigor. One striking chapter offers a glimpse into the Champagne trade of the early 19th century. Redding exposed how English merchants profited from deception, selling weak local wines as fine Champagne, or worse, refilling bottles with gooseberry wine to produce a counterfeit sparkle that fooled the inexperienced. In contrast, French growers, with reputations at stake, sold their lesser wines honestly rather than adulterating them. This tension revealed an early struggle over authenticity, showing how fraud thrived in markets detached from vineyards. Redding even noted a lawsuit brought against a publication that exposed Champagne fraud, proof that the deception was lucrative enough to protect through legal means. Through such accounts, Redding underscored that the value of terroir and the integrity of winemaking were already urgent concerns two centuries ago. His book was not just a catalog of bottles but a manifesto for modernity, marking a decisive shift in wine writing, from romantic idealism to critical analysis, technical literacy, and a global perspective that still informs how wine is described today.

Why La Fenice chose it

Redding taught wine to speak plain English: no myths, just taste, clarity, and truth. Before Parker, before Broadbent, Redding poured clarity into wine’s story with the first truly modern wine book: critical, empirical, and visionary, the standard-bearer for everything that followed.
Condition Report

[1] f.e., XXXV, 407, [1] r.e.

Original dark red cloth binding, gilt title on spine label; frontispiece detached. Numerous charming steel engravings as head- and tailpieces and within the text, all on oenological themes, some mythological or decorative, others illustrating the techniques described in the volume. Stain on pp. 22, 23. Very good condition. Reference: P. Lukacs, “Inventig Wine: A New History of One of the World’s Most Ancient Pleasures” pp. 147.

Dimensions (inches): 9 x 6 x 1.5
About the author

Cyrus Redding (1785–1870), English journalist, wine writer, lived in France for a time, gaining firsthand knowledge of European vineyards, which informed his classic wine history. Is regarded as one of the earliest English writers to systematically study and popularize wine culture.

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