Can Elites be Authentic? The Comparable Authenticity of Elite Status in the Rosé Wine Revival

• In Event: 078 - Section on Sociology of Culture Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 05. The Sociology of Taste

Abstract

Elite consumption is increasingly described as omnivorous, driven by the pursuit of authentic products, places, and lifestyles. While authenticity is not an inherent attribute of cultural objects, empirical studies and theoretical predictions suggest today’s elites find authenticity among those less privileged. The case of rosé wine—and the newfound popularity the category gained from 2001-2011—provides a counterexample. Based on an analysis of elite wine writing during this period, I show how critics reimagined the characteristics of rosé to render the category “comparably authentic”: commensurate with European traditions of winemaking and wine drinking, and worthy of the world of authentic elite lifestyles of leisure. Rosé was not accepted on its own terms—as an authentic style worthy of respect. Instead, through comparisons, rosé was recast using elite consumers, tastes, and lifestyles—not those of the less privileged people or places in the category’s past—as the referent for its authenticity.

Author

• Connor John Fitzmaurice, Boston University