Howard, Sarah (2004) Selling wine to the French: official attempts to increase French wine consumption 1931-36. Food and Foodways 12 (4), pp. 197-224. ISSN 0740-9710.
Abstract
In the early 1930s, France faced a steadily worsening surplus of wine as a series of large harvests combined with the effects of a worldwide and domestic depression. During this period, successive governments were unwilling to limit France's wine production. The French State, believing that increased wine consumption would liquidate the surplus, therefore undertook the strategy of persuading French consumers that it was their patriotic duty to drink more wine. This article examines attempts to encourage wine consumption in France. It particularly analyses the efforts of the Comité de propagande du vin, set up by the government in 1931. It looks at the methods employed by the committee to encourage wine consumption including radio broadcasts, cinema films, poster campaigns, touring wine fairs, and sporting events. The article also discusses those groups such as teachers and doctors who supported the campaign and extended wine propaganda into France's schools and hospitals. The article suggests that the episode is a demonstration of the important role played by wine production and consumption in French national identity.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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School: | Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Historical Studies |
Depositing User: | Sarah Hall |
Date Deposited: | 20 Feb 2017 17:19 |
Last Modified: | 02 Aug 2023 17:31 |
URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/18196 |
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