Wine has held its place for centuries at the heart of social and cultural life in western Europe. This book explains how and why this came about, providing a thematic history of wine and the wine trade in Europe in the middle ages from c.1000 to c.1500.

Wine was one of the earliest commodities to be traded across the whole of western Europe and through the examination of its production, distribution and consumption, Susan Rose here provides telling insights into the culltural, social and religious history of Europe at the time.