The project concerns the cultural and social role of French wine in Poland from the middle of the 17th to the beginning of the 19th century. The aim of this work is to demonstrate the process of reception, different forms of perception and social role of wine in a country not belonging to the wine culture sphere.The 18th century is a time of major social transformations. Changes in attitudes, aspirations, sensitivity and ways of communicating are signs of a consumer revolution. Old Christian principles are becoming to be negated and it is the phenomenon of consumerism which replaces them with egalitarianism and individualism. The analysis of information regarding the sale, consumption and production of wine helps to demonstrate the transformation of the Polish society.Apart from society, the wine itself also changes dynamically, with the appearance of new methods of its production and preservation enabling the export of not only the drink itself, but also of the fashion, taste and material culture connected with it. On its way from the cellar to the table, wine is accompanied by objects which become the inseparable elements of the drinking culture. The glasses and ways of serving wine evolve together with the taste of the banqueters.Research in the influence of wine on the development of Poles’ taste and their image of France and the French is naturally compatible with the idea of Polish-French cooperation and provides an opportunity to demonstrate the mutual influence of the two cultures.
