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Selling to reluctant drinkers: the British wine market, 1860–1914

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  • James Simpson

Abstract

Attempts to stimulate wine drinking in Britain in the early 1860s succeeded in tripling wine imports, but this increase proved short lived, and per caput consumption was no greater in 1914 than it had been in 1815. Supply volatility, together with difficulties in establishing impersonal exchange mechanisms in place of those based on the personal reputation of economic agents, made it difficult to create a mass market. Not only did consumers receive insufficient information to identify quality prior to purchase, but the high price of some wines also encouraged cheap imitations, some of which were prejudicial to the health of the drinker.

Suggested Citation

  • James Simpson, 2004. "Selling to reluctant drinkers: the British wine market, 1860–1914," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 57(1), pages 80-108, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ehsrev:v:57:y:2004:i:1:p:80-108
    DOI: 10.1111/j.0013-0017.2004.00273.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Duguid, Paul, 2003. "Developing the Brand: The Case of Alcohol, 1800–1880," Enterprise & Society, Cambridge University Press, vol. 4(3), pages 405-441, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Samuel Garrido, 2017. "The fruit of inequality: wine, efficiency, agrarian contracts and property rights in Catalonia (1898-1935)," Documentos de Trabajo (DT-AEHE) 1701, Asociación Española de Historia Económica.
    2. Markus Lampe & Paul Sharp, 2015. "How the Danes discovered Britain: the international integration of the Danish dairy industry before 1880," European Review of Economic History, European Historical Economics Society, vol. 19(4), pages 432-453.
    3. Stéphane Becuwe & Bertrand Blancheton & Samuel Maveyraud, 2022. "New evidence on wine in French international trade (1848–1913): Import discrimination as export quality promotion," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 75(4), pages 1242-1269, November.
    4. Pinilla, Vicente & Serrano, Raúl, 2008. "The Agricultural and Food Trade in the First Globalization: Spanish Table Wine Exports 1871 to 1935 – A Case Study," Journal of Wine Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 3(2), pages 132-148, January.
    5. Dubois, Magalie, 2021. "The market for wine quality evaluation: evolution and future perspectives," Working Papers 321855, American Association of Wine Economists.
    6. María‐Isabel Ayuda & Hugo Ferrer‐Pérez & Vicente Pinilla, 2020. "A leader in an emerging new international market: the determinants of French wine exports, 1848–1938," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 73(3), pages 703-729, August.
    7. María Isabel Ayuda & Hugo Ferrer-Pérez & Vicente Pinilla, 2018. "How to become a leader in an emerging new global market: The determinants of French wine exports, 1848-1938," Working Papers 0124, European Historical Economics Society (EHES).
    8. Kammas, Pantelis & Sakalis, Argyris & Sarantides, Vassilis, 2021. "Pudding, plague and education: trade and human capital formation in an agrarian economy," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 112206, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    9. Jacquinet, Marc, 2006. "The evolution of Port merchants: An evolutionary analysis of the transformation of an economic sector (1700-1833)," MPRA Paper 26691, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Mérel, Pierre & Ortiz-Bobea, Ariel & Paroissien, Emmanuel, 2021. "How big is the “lemons” problem? Historical evidence from French wines," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).

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