Matters of Taste: Cultural Value and Class

In this essay, I will particularly focus on the manner in which food and drink transcend their physical forms representing nourishment and necessity, and become meaningful symbolic entities which represent cultural values that both challenge and reproduce class divisions. Firstly, it will be established that food and drink maintain cultural value through constructed symbolism. I will then assess the arguments for and against the position that the cultural value of food and drink has an inextricable relationship with class.

Champagne as Luxury

I came to the realisation that Champagne is one of the most affordable everyday luxuries in wine consumption. But beyond the idea that Champagne is an exercise in celebration of some meritorious action, I think it’s not a matter of whether or not a person will purchase Champagne. Rather, it is a question of what brand of Champagne will be purchased. Champagne houses, through marketing, force a deeper connection with the consumer.