Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Irish Merchants and Bordeaux (Irish Merchants and Bordeaux: The Irish Role in the Invention of Grands Crus Wines)
Período documentado: 2015-09-01 hasta 2017-08-31
This project is important because it shows that our most esteemed consumable commodities are not products of human skill or nature or alone, but instead of human innovation acting with natural resources, and within technological and cultural limitations, in order to meet consumer demand. Specifically, this project shows how Bordeaux grand crus wines, among Europe's most famous luxury commodities, were gradually invented by (mostly) Irish merchants over the course of the eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries, as they purchased the most expensive and esteemed young wines from around the Bordeaux region, and then manipulated these wines in order to satisfy the demands of wealthy British and Irish consumers. It was this style of wine that would become known as "grands crus." This project should provide a helpful case study for commodity historians and business students, as well as provide a fascinating story for wine lovers around the world.
The overall objective of this project is to focus on previously unused private archival sources to tell a story about economic migration, business innovation, international conflict and cooperation, national identity, and cultural assimilation, all of which remain important topics for Europe and the world today.
During the course of my research, I have collaborated with over 25 scholars from Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Spain, and the United States.
I have disseminated my ongoing research in many different ways and on numerous occasions. I have given three radio interviews on my research which are available to the public in podcast form. I have given 16 public lectures regarding my research, 14 in English and 2 in French. I have organized two conferences at which my own work was presented. The first of these conferences attracted a popular audience and was attended by over 400 people, the second was a small conference attended by pre-eminent Irish, French, and American historians.
So far, four articles written during the course of my grant have been accepted for publication. I am seeking publication for two more articles that have already been written, and in 2020 I hope to have completed my book on the topic of the Irish wine merchants in Bordeaux.
The result of my work so far has been a increased understanding of the way in which Bordeaux grands crus wines were invented, the critical role of Irish merchants in their invention, the broader trading context between Ireland in France in the eighteenth century, and a better understanding of the daily lives of the Irish community in Bordeaux, all of which have been discussed in my written and spoken work.
The potential impact of these deliverables will include a better understanding of how Bordeaux grands crus wines were a complex creation of French producers, Irish merchants, and the British and Irish markets; a greater awareness that many of Europe's most iconic commercial products are an artifact of international cooperation; a heightened historical awareness among producers and consumers about the emergence of the idea of "purity" and "authenticity" in the wine industry; a realization that wine and other products have always been produced for the demands of consumers, and that as wine producers face the challenges posed by global warming, they will continue to have to innovate in order to conform to consumer demands, and lastly, an awareness and celebration of the profound and complex history behind something as simple as a glass of wine.