Rod Phillips teaches history at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, where he is a specialist in the history of France and the history of wine.  He is the author of many books on social and cultural history and wine, including French Wine: A History and 9000 Years of Wine: A World History.

Rod grew up in New Zealand and has long been fascinated by wine, reading so much about it at an early age that he became a wine steward for a local restaurant while still in high school. He has a particular appreciation of France and French wines, and travels there several times each year to do historical research or to visit wine regions.

His research about wine has brought him to wine regions all over the world, and he has written extensively for the wine media, including Guildsomm in the US and the World of Fine Wine in the United Kingdom. Rod has also judged in wine competitions in France, Italy, Canada, the U.S., and Chile, and other countries.  He has written the scripts for three TED-Ed videos, and since 2019, he has given an annual lecture on wine in art at the Timken Museum of Art in San Diego.

Beyond wine, Rod’s interests as a historian include food and drink and animals.