Episode 61 with Karl Trybus

Whether Rioja, Ribera del Duero or Albariño, Spanish wine has become a major component of the country’s image internationally, but this wasn’t always the case. In this episode, Karl Trybus, a professor of history at Limestone University, traces the history behind Spain’s wines from the nineteenth century to the present day, including the the effects of the oidium and phylloxera epidemics in the country and Spain’s efforts to promote its wines abroad, with a special emphasis on its unique sherry and cava wines. Trybus even treats us to a few recommendations of some of his personal favorites to try.

The Episode

The Guest

Karl J. Trybus is Professor of History and Department Chair for Humanities and Communication at Limestone University, Gaffney, SC. He earned a Ph.D. in History from the University of Connecticut. His current book, ¡Vino! The History and Identity of Spanish Wine (University of Nebraska Press, 2023), explores the development and changing identities of Spanish wine from the mid-nineteenth century to today. His first book, The Rosary, the Republic, and the Right: Spain and the Vatican Hierarchy, 1931-1939 (Sussex Academic Press, 2014), investigates the relationship between the Holy See and Spain during the Second Republic and Civil War periods. He is currently beginning a project on Jerez de la Frontera’s Fiestas de la Vendimia and their relationships with product identity and history.

Suggested Readings

• Anderson, Lara. Control and Resistance: Food Discourse in Franco Spain. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2020.
• Baiocchi, Talia. Sherry: The World’s Best-Kept Secret. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 2014.
• Guy, Kolleen M. When Champagne Became French: Wine and the Making of National Identity. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003.
• Miller, Montserrat. Feeding Barcelona, 1714-1975: Public Market Halls, Social Networks, and Consumer Culture. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2015.
• Mintz, Sidney W. “Food and Eating: Some Persistent Questions.” In Food Nations: Selling Taste in Consumer Societies, edited by Warren Belasco and Philip Scranton, 24-33. New York: Routledge, 2002.
• Parkhurst Ferguson, Priscilla. Word of Mouth: What We Talk about When We Talk about Food. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2014.
• Simpson, James. “Selling to Reluctant Drinkers: The British Wine Market, 1860-1914.” Economic History Review 57, no. 1 (2014): 80-108.
• Simpson, James. “Too Little Regulation? The British Market for Sherry, 1840-90.” Business History 45, no. 3 (2007): 367-382.
• Tolosa, Lluís. Marketing del Enoturismo: 12 Errores Habituales, 12 Propuestas Alternativas. Barcelona: Tolosa Wine Books, 2017.
• Wallner, Anne. Cava: Sparkling Happiness. London: Grenadine Publishing, 2012.