Champagne - Laws, Treaties, Wars

Question 1

What impact did armies have on Champagne

Answer 1

Champagne always found itself in the middle of major conflicts in France, both domestically and abroad. There were 5 major wars that heavily impacted Champagne. They were:

• 100 years war
• 30 years war
• 16th Century Religious Conflict
• World War I
• World War II

Question 2

What helped champagne gain access to the European markets

Answer 2

Napoleonic Wars 1803 - 1815

Question 3

What dominated the region of Champagne during World War 1

Answer 3

Trenches

Question 4

Why was Champagne the region the Germans during World War I wanted to occupy

Answer 4

Cause Champagne was attached to the idea of real “FRENCHNESS”

Question 5

After World War I how were the vines replanted in Champagne

Answer 5

Vignes en Linges ( vines in rows)

Question 6

Before World War I how were the vines planted in Champagne

Answer 6

Vignes en Foule ( vines in a crowd)

Question 7

Gamay made up what percentage of vines in the Aube after World War I

Answer 7

80%

Question 8

What was the purpose of the CIVIC

Answer 8

To protect the integrity of the Region of Champagne and represents the Growers and Negociants equally

Question 9

Was Troyes ever once considered the capital of Champagne

Answer 9

• Yes, during the Carolingian Dynasty

- Lasted until the French Revolution

Question 10

During the Hundred Years War, how did the church grow in power and wealth

Answer 10

• Getting Tithes from the rich and poor alike filled their coffers
• Donations from the wealthy were often in the form of land grants

Question 11

What was the Metheun Treaty

Answer 11

Signed in 1703, was an agreement between England and Portugal, guaranteeing Portugal 1/3 the duties excised upon the wines of France

• Basically a battle between Port (Portugal) and Champagne

Question 12

What made Champagne begin to expand to markets outside of Britain? To places such as Poland, Russia, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Scandinavia and the newly born United States in the 18th Century

Answer 12

In 1728 King George II prohibited the importation of wine in bottles.

• The import tax was lifted in 1786 but not the bottle ban
• Bottle ban was lifted in at the turn of the century (1800s)

Question 13

How did the Napoleonic Code effect the land of Champagne

Answer 13

It mandated that an inherited estate be equally divided among sons.

• This idea fragmented the already modest sized parcels the rising bourgeoisie had manged to purchase and reduced many landholdings to sizes uneconomical to farm

Question 14

What was the Madrid Agreement

Answer 14

• Created in 1891
• Ratified by 9 countries
• The purpose of this treaty was to establish a union by which registered trademarks would be protected within all its members countries
• This treaty was not very effective on a global scale due to the fact that so few countries ratified the agreement at the time

Question 15

What areas made up the official Champagne region of 1908 and what was it called

Answer 15

Champagne Viticole

3 Districts within Marne

• Reims
• Epernay
• Chalons

Communes and Cantons of:
- Vitry -le-Francois
-Heiltz -le-Maurupt
-Conde-en-Brie
-Chateau-Thierry
-Charly
-Braine
Vailly ( in Aisne)

Question 16

What was the echelle des crus

Answer 16

• was used to set the price of grapes throughout the region and eliminated a lot of heavy handed negociations that occured each year between growers and producers
• Officially Validated a 200 year old text written by Nicolas Bidet evaluating the quality of the wines produced from various villages of Champagne

Question 17

What law was put into place in 1911

Answer 17

• The word “champagne” must appear on labels, corks, and packing crates and the phrase
• ” Vin Declare Originaire de la Champagne Viticole” (Wine declared to be a native of Champagne) must appear on shipping documents

Question 18

What was the Champagne Deuxieme Zone

Answer 18

A special appellation that was granted in 1911 to some growing areas that had been denied apart of the Champagne Viticole in 1908.

Question 19

What halted trading in the early 20th century with countries such as Germany, Austria, Hungry and Poland

Answer 19

World War I

Question 20

What halted trading with Russia in the early 20th Century

Answer 20

The Russian Revolution

Question 21

What halted or slowed down exporting to the United States and Canada in the early 20th Century

Answer 21

Temperance Movement

Question 22

What was the purpose of the AVC ( Association Viticole Champenoise)

Answer 22

• They wanted to make sure that everyone followed the best practices to restore the vineyards to a level equal to or superior to what had existed before the war so that champagne could regain its standing in the global wine market

Question 23

What grapes did the AVC promote for planting

Answer 23

Chardonnay

Pinot Noir

Pinot Meunier

• These grapes were grown on sites the AVC knew they would excel at

Question 24

What was a main reason for the decrease in champagne growers from the end of the 19th century til 1937

Answer 24

World War I and The Great Depression

Question 25

In 1989 the Madrid Agreement was changed to

Answer 25

The Madrid Protocol