Clearly this is an academic-orientated work that the average reader can take advantage of, looking at the very earliest origins of Sicilian wine and wine culture and a general walk through history to more current times. Matters such as geography, ecology and broad social issues are also brought under the author's analytical gaze. Nothing appears to have been left out. Despite its long historical pedigree, Sicilian wine does not have the same reach, exposure and awareness that is enjoyed by other wine-growing regions. A number of factors are responsible for this and are behind the gradual changes that have led to the wine's present-day exposure. In a strange way this development is like reading an action novel, if such a comparison may be used. Changes within the industry, technological developments and political manoeuvres have all played their part and the author gets behind these and gives an interesting, jargon-free commentary to the reader.