'Bannelong sat down to dinner with Governor Phillip, and drank his wine and coffee as usual': Aborigines and wine in early New South Wales (original) (raw)

This article examines the interaction between Indigenous Australians and wine during the early years of European colonization in New South Wales. It explores British officers' motivations for offering wine to Aborigines and their responses, positioning wine consumption as a microsite of transnational exchange. Rather than reiterating negative narratives around Aboriginal alcoholism, it contextualizes the historical significance of wine within broader themes of cultural exchange, colonialism, and economic development, highlighting a notable gap in existing historical scholarship on the Australian wine industry.