Foundation** Flashcards
(138 cards)
1
Q
How is Vin Santo produced?
A
drying the freshly harvested grapes on straw mats in a warm and well ventilated area of the house; some dry the grapes by hanging on racks indoors.
2
Q
Fossils of Italian Vitis vinifera vines date back to what time?
A
Quaternary Period of Cenozoic Era, 2.5 million years ago
3
Q
When did the Etruscan civilization develop and when was the peak?
A
developed prior to the 8th century BCE and peaked in the 6th century BCE
4
Q
What was the role of the Etruscans in the evolution of Italy’s viticultural history and wine industry
A
valued wine as part of their advanced civilization; improved wine production in northern and central Italy; domesticated wild vines; trained vines up trees (alberata); developed commercial export trade of wine with France and Spain
5
Q
What is alberata?
A
system of training vines up trees (prototype of modern pergola training systems)
6
Q
Where and with what grapes is alberata viticulture used today?
A
In Campani’s Aversa DOC Asprinio (Greco di Tufo) grapes are trained on poplar and elm trees [AAA: alberata Aversa Asprinio]
7
Q
What was Magna Graecia?
A
Great Greece, the name given by Romans to southern Italian territories occupied by the Greek settlers between 8th and 6th century BCE
8
Q
Where in Italy was the biggest influence of Greek viticulture?
A
Southern Italy, “Oenotria” - the land of vines
9
Q
What contributions to viticulture were introduced by the Greeks?
A
brought grape varieties from Greece; introduced low head-training of vines; turned wine into an essential commodity, influencing style and preservation
10
Q
Who is Dionysus?
A
Greek god of wine [G>D]
11
Q
Who is Bacchus?
A
Roman god of wine [R>B]
12
Q
When was Italy first united?
A
42 BCE under the Romans, most recently 1861
13
Q
What tribe conquered the northern part of Italy in the 6th and 5th centuries BCE?
A
Celtic tribes, taking control from the Etruscans, notable influence in Emilia-Romagna
14
Q
Who was Columella?
A
the most important writer on agriculture of the Roman empire, 1st century CE, wrote Res rustica (“Agriculture”), wrote about concept of terroir
15
Q
What were the main characteristics of Roman wine?
A
often sweet and high in alcohol
16
Q
What additives were used with Roman wine?
A
diluted with water and were usually flavored and stabilized with a mixture of sea water, resin, herbs, spices and honey.
17
Q
Name 3 grand crus of Roman wine. Where they red or white?
A
Lazio’s Caecubum, Campania’s Falernum and Sicilia’s Mamertinum; all white
18
Q
Name the 2 finest wines of Northern Italy during the reign of Augustus?
A
Rhaeticum (Retico) produced in Veneto and the Pucinum made in Friuli Venezia Giulia.
19
Q
When and who was the first emperor of the Roman Empire?
A
Caesar’s adopted son, Octavian, known as Augustus, 27 BCE.
20
Q
When was Rome the largest city in the world?
A
The city of Rome was the largest city in the world c. 100 BCE – c. 400 CE, with Constantinople (New Rome) becoming the largest around 500 CE.
21
Q
When did the seat of the Roman Empire move to Constantinople?
A
330 CE
22
Q
When did the Roman Empire split in the two parts?
A
395 CE
23
Q
When did the Western Roman Empire fall?
A
476 CE
24
Q
Who were the Lombards?
A
Germanic tribe that settled in Italy in 568 CE and took control of northern Italy from the Roman Emperor Justinian.
25
What was the impact of the Celtic tribes on viticulture in Italy?
essentially a strong negative influence by destroying the Etruscan culture in the 6th and 5th centuries BCE
26
What was the impact of the Dark Ages on viticulture in Italy?
Viticulture continued in a diminished role only for religious and medicinal purposes, without any known emphasis on quality.
27
What was the impact of the Germanic tribes to viticulture in Italy?
Goths and Vandals invaded northern Italy in the 5th century CE, finally resulting in fall of Western Roman Empire and complete economic collapse including viticulture.
28
What was the importance of the rise of Italy’s city states?
created a class of wealthy merchants interested better quality wines; encouraged written documentation of the state of viticultural practices
29
How did the discovery of the Americas impact Italy’s wine regions?
marked the beginning of a deep economic crisis in Italy because the Mediterranean trade routes lost importance. The economic decline was particularly severe in Italy’s southern regions.
30
Who was Pier de Crescenzi?
a Bolognese jurist, now remembered for his writings on horticulture and agriculture, the 'Ruralia Commode' in 1309.
31
Name 3 leaders that influenced Italy’s unification.
The unification of Italy was attained during the 19th century by the Kingdom of Sardegna under the leadership of King Vittorio Emanuele II di Savoia, the Prime Minister, Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour and General Giuseppe Garibaldi,
32
What was the impact of the 19th century epidemics of phylloxera and disease on the future of Italy’s wine regions?
The ravages of phylloxera resulted in the replanting with international varieties, particularly in the northeast regions of Veneto, Trentino and Friuli Venezia Giulia. Consequently, many indigenous grape varieties were never replanted and were lost forever.
33
Be familiar with how 20th century events have shaped Italy’s modern wine industry
The world wars caused great destruction and poverty and opened a period of deep political, social and economic crisis. Rebuilding after the wars created the economic and industrial boom of the 1950s and 1960s. The birth of a consumer class with disposable income was beneficial for the wine industry and resulted in better quality wines.
34
When was the united Kingdom of Italy declared?
March 17, 1861. [St. Patrick's Day]
35
Who was Giacomo Tachis?
An Italian enologist from Piemonte, known as the father of Super Tuscan wines, shaped Italy’s modern red winemaking practices; he died 2016.
36
What is mezzadria?
the Italian version of sharecropping, abolished in the 1960's, was most common in northern and central Italy
37
Who was Mario Schiopetto?
Italian winemaker produced and promoted quality white wines of Friuli Venezia Giulia in northeast Italy, in particular the subregion of Collio. He emphasized cold fermentation and avoidance of oak. He died 2003.
38
Who was Giorgio Lungarotti?
(1910–1999) was an Italian agricultural entrepreneur and viticulturalist who operated in Torgiano, a medieval town in the Perugia area (Umbria), championed Sagrantino wine
39
Who was Antonio Mastroberardino?
In the second half of the 20th century the Mastroberardino estate was the only name known for quality wine from Campania. Antonio was grandson of Angelo Mastroberardino (1850–1914) who founded the winery in Avellino in 1878. Antonio died in 2014.
40
Where Italy is situated within the rest of Europe, what are the limits of latitude?
located in the central southern part of Europe between the 35th and 47th parallels north. [35 is also % of mountains; 42 is % of hills]
41
What is stivale?
Italian for boot, the shape of Italy.
42
What is the length of the coastline of Italy?
4600 miles, about 3 1/2 times that of Florida
43
What is the highest peak of the Apennines?
the Massif of Gran Sasso in Abruzzo is the highest peak, reaching 9,500 ft
44
What are the two main mountain ranges of Italy and where are they situated?
the Alps, along the entire Italian northern border, and the Apennines which form the backbone of the entire peninsula. Mountains account for 35% of Italy's terrain.
45
What is the role of the Alps in northern Italy’s climate?
The Alps block the cold winds arriving from Northern Europe and the humid air currents coming from the western Atlantic Ocean; results in a continental climate with alpine influence.
46
What is the role of Italy’s mountains on viticultural practices?
Mountains cover 35% of Italy and
| are found in the Alps and Apennines. Mountains have important impact on climate, but account for few vineyards.
47
What is the role of Italy’s hills on viticultural practices?
Hills cover the largest part of Italy (42%) and
| are found across the entire territory. This is where the vast majority of vineyards are found.
48
What is the role of Italy’s plains on viticultural practices?
Plains are the source of much bulk wine.
49
Where are most of Italy’s hills located?
Most of Italy’s hills flank the Apennines in the central and southern areas.
50
What are the 3 types of Italian hills?
1, Sedimentary hills, formed by the uplift of ancient sea bed. 2. Morainic, gentle rolling hills (or "mounds",) formed by Alpine glacial deposits and containing a high gravel and sand content. 3. Volcanic, the remains of ancient, extinct volcanos; usually possessing a conic shape. [not metamorphic, soil type]
51
What are examples of the sedimentary hills?
the hills of Langhe, Valpolicella, Collio, Montalcino, and Chianti.
52
What are examples of the morainic hills?
Northern Piemonte, the hills around Lake Garda (Bardolino, Lugana) and in Franciacorta.
53
What are examples of the volcanic hills?
Veneto, Toscana, Lazio, Campania and Sicilia.
54
Name the two main Italian plains and their relative proportion of the Italian landscape.
Plains account for the smallest proportion
(23%) of the Italian landscape. The flat and
fertile Padana Plain (or Po Valley) represents
more than two-thirds of this percentage. The second largest plain is Tavoliere delle Puglia.
55
What wine regions are found in the Padana Plain (or Po Valley)?
It includes part of Piemonte, Lombardia, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia.
56
What are the four most important surrounding seas around Italy? (subdivisions of the Mediterranean Sea)
The Adriatic Sea separates Italy from the Balkan Peninsula to the east; the Ionian Sea
separates the southern portion of Italy from
Greece to the southeast; the Tyrrhenian Sea is
between the southwestern coast of mainland
Italy and the islands of Sardegna and Sicilia;
lastly, the Ligurian Sea is in the northwest
between the region of Liguria and the French
island of Corsica.
57
What are the most important tributaries of the Po River?
Important tributaries of the Po River
include Tanaro, Dora Baltea, Sesia, Ticino,
Adda and Oglio. [TAOS-TD]
58
What are the most important lakes in Northern Italy and what is their effect on the climate?
Lake Garda, Lake Como, Lake Maggiore and Lake
| Iseo, moderate the cooling influence of the Alps. [MC(I)G, from west to east]
59
What is the etymology of "Mediterranean"?
It derives from the Latin “Mediterraneus”, meaning "in the middle of earth" because of its position between the continents of Africa, Asia and Europe.
60
What are the most important rivers that empty directly into the Adriatic Sea?
the Po, Adige, Brenta and Tagliamento rivers. [TBAP from north to south]
61
What are the most important rivers in central and southern Italy?
the Tevere (aka Tiber, empties west of Rome), Arno (empties at Marina di Pisa) and Volturno (empties NW of Naples)
62
What are the most important lakes in central Italy?
Where are they located?
How were they formed?
```
Lake Trasimeno (a depression formed by geologic fractures in Umbria, near Tuscany ),
Lake Bolsena (a crater lake) near Orvieto in Lazio
Lake Bracciano (volcanic origin) in Lazio, north of Rome)
```
63
What were the native tribes in northern Italy before 1000 BCE?
Liguri, Salassi (Piemonte), Rhaeti (Northern Alps), Veneti
64
What were the native tribes in central Italy before 1000 BCE?
Umbri, Piceni (Marche)
65
What were the native tribes in southern Italy before 1000 BCE?
Samnites
66
Who was Pliny the Elder?
Roman author of The Naturalis Historia, a model for all later encyclopedias, lived 23-79 CE
67
What were the effects of the political divisions of Italy from the 12th to 18th century?
fragmentation of territory, lack of national idenitity, commercial and cultural isolation, preservation of indigenous grapes and wine styles
68
Between the 16th and 18th centuries, what outside enties controlled much of Italy?
France, Spain, Austria (Habsburg)
69
Between the 16th and 18th centuries, what Italian enties controlled much of Italy?
Papal States, Grand Duchy of Toscana, Duchy of Savoia, Republic of Venezia
70
What event in the 18th century set the stage for unification of Italy?
In 1720 the Duchy of Savoy obtained the island of Sardegna from the Austrian Habsburg Empire and became the Kingdom of Sardegna.
71
When was the DOC system establishied in Italy? When was first DOC granted?
1963, 1966
72
What is coltura promiscua and its effect?
mixed crop cultivation, the basis of mezzadria, slowed adoption of modern agricultural techniques
73
Who united southern Italy in 1130?
The Normans formed the Kingdom of Sicilia.
74
In the 14th century what were the Maritime Republics?
The best known among the maritime republics are Venice, Genoa, Pisa, and Amalfi (near Naples.) Less known are Ragusa, Gaeta, Ancona, Noli. [V-GAP]
75
When was the first mention of Nebbiolo, Barbera and Garganega?
14th century
76
When was the turning point of wine culture after the Dark Ages?
13th century
77
When did corks and glass bottles come into common use in Italy?
late compared to France and Germany, not until 19th century; one exception is early adoption in Piemonte in 17th and 18th centuries
78
What is the climate of the Padana Plain?
fully continental
79
What is the climate of the hills north of Padana Plain?
semi-continental
80
Which 5 Italian regions have autonomous status?
Valle D'Aosta (in Western Alps,) Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Sicilia, Sardegna [FASTS]
81
Name 4 subregions of the Italian Alps.
Maritime Alps, Dolomiti, Carnic Alps, Julian Alps
82
Name countries bordering Italy.
France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia [not Germany, Serbia or Croatia]
83
Comparing the Adriatic Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea, which has greater influence on the climate? and why?
the Tyrrhenian sea is deeper and has a greater influence on the climate.
84
On the Italian Peninsula what is climate of the costal areas?
fully Mediterrean
85
On the Italian Peninsula what is major determinant of climate in the inland areas?
Altitude moderates climate (more so than latitude)
86
What are the 4 main soil types of the Italian Peninsula?
sedimentary, morainic, metamorphic, volcanic
87
Which soil type represents the majority of vineyards in the Italian Peninsula?
sedimentary
88
What are examples of sedimentary soil in Italy?
Montalcino, Chianti, Langhe, Valpolicella, Collio, Colli Orientali del Friuli, Conegliano Valdobbiadene
89
What is the origin of sedimentary soil?
marine, alluvial, orogenesis, or a combination
90
What are metamorphic soils?
formed by high temperature and pressure that transforms sedimentary or igneous rock
91
What are examples of metamorphic soil types?
schist, gneiss
92
Where are metamorphic soils most commonly found?
Alps, eastern Sardegna, Sicilia, Calabria
93
What are the three political divisions in Italy?
Regions, Provinces (like US counties), Municipalities (communi)
94
How many political regions are in Italy? How many wine growing regions are in Italy?
20; 21 (Trentino-Alto Adige is a single administrative region and two different wine growing regions)
95
What is the impact of the political boundaries on the winemaking in Italy?
Strong political boundaries leads to increased diversity of wines throughout Italy.
96
Describe the Italian Wine Pyramid of quality before and after 2009.
DOCG/DOC > PDO (DOP)
IGT > PGI (IGP)
VDT > Generic (vino)
97
Blind tasting applies to which categories of the quality pyramid?
DOCG only (but not done by Consorzio)
98
What are examples of sub zone (sottozona)?
Classico, other geographic areas, based on grapes
99
Which is bigger, subzone or MGA?
subzone
100
What is an MGA?
Menzione geografica aggiuntiva - more restricted area of production (smaller than sub-zone)
101
What are the production requirements of a sub-zone?
usually [not always] stricter than DOC/DOCG.
102
What are the production requirements of an MGA?
usually the same as DOC/DOCG
103
What is the equivalent of a French cru in Italy?
MGA
104
What is the production breakdown of DOP, IGP, vino in Italy?
each about a third each, varies year to year
105
What is the Disciplinare?
set of rules governing area and production rules of the DOCG/DOC/IGP
106
What is the Consorzio?
group of producers, merchants and cooperatives that represent one or more of the DOC/DOCG's; no longer conducts quality analysis of the wine since European reforms
107
What is the Classico designation?
original and historic area of the designation
108
What are the characteristics of the pergola training system?
high above ground, labor intensive, horizontal or inclining vines, low density, low risk of sunburn
109
A majority of Italian vineyards use what type of training system?
low, vertical training
110
What are the two most common white grapes in Italy?
Cattarrato Bianco and Trebbiano Toscana, (then Chardonnay, Glera, Pinot Grigio)
111
Where was the Etruscan civilization centered?
Tuscany and Umbria
112
Where did the Etruscan civilization spread?
From Tuscany and Umbria, both north (Piemonte) and south (Campagnia) Italy
113
The use of amphorae in Italian viniculture was most notable in what time?
Roman times
114
When were wooden barrels introduced into Italian viniculture?
Middle ages??? (barrel use for wine dates from Roman times when use started in Gaul)
115
What areas were added to Italy after WWI?
Trentino Alto Adige and part of Friuli Venezia Giulia
116
When was the Italian wine renaissance?
1960's - 1970's
117
Name 3 defining moments of the Italian wine renaissance.
emergence of Super Tuscans (Sassicaia); single vineyard wines in Barolo; modern wine white wine making in Friuli
118
What subregion of the Mediterranean sea near Italy is the most shallow?
Adriatic, and therefore relatively less of an influence on climate
119
Which Northern Italian regions lie adjacent to the sea?
Liguria, Emilia-Romana, Veneto, Friuli
120
How is granite formed? Examples?
volcanic magma solidified in the subsoil; Sardegna and Alps
121
How is basalt formed? Examples?
volcanic magma reached the surface; Soave
122
How is porphyry formed? Examples?
volcanic eruptions formed deposits of porphyry; Alto Adige
123
What are the two most common red grapes in Italy?
Sangiovese, Montepulciano (Merlot, Barbera)
124
For generic wine (vino) what can be on label?
country, color, vintage, grape [no region]
125
What are the two main categories of training systems?
high and low
126
What are the two most common low training?
cordone speronato, Guyot (less common is alberello)
127
What is chaptalization? Is it allowed in Italy?
Chaptalization is the addition of sugar during fermentation in order to boost the wine’s final alcohol content; no
128
Name areas of the Italian Alps where heat trapping mountains promote grape ripening.
Enfer D'Arvier (Val d'Aosta,) Inferno of Valtellina (Lombardy,) Bolzano (Alto Adige)
129
What is arrichhimento? Is it allowed in Italy?
must enrichment with MCR (Mosto Concentrato Rectificato) is allowed with annual permission in poor vintages with permission; yes
130
Is acid adjustment allowed in Italy?
Yes, but depends on EU climatic zone as to whether deacidification and/or acidification is allowed
131
What are examples of morainic soils?
Northern Piemonte, Franciacorta, Valtellina, around Lake Garda
132
In the 17th and 18th century the Austrian Habsburg Dynasty took control of Northern Italy to the detriment of which country?
Spain
133
What region was linked to tendone training
Southern Italy in areas of bulk wine production; replaced by Pergola Abruzzato
134
What training system uses old wood?
Cordone speronato, low training
135
What are variants of Guyot training?
low; Archetto in Tuscany, Cappuccina (Capovolta) in Vento
136
Where does the bora have the greatest influence?
eastern wind from the Balkans, influences Friuli region
137
What grape variety cannot appear on an Italian generic wine label?
Pinot Noir, but can appear on DOC wine label as in Valle d'Aosta
138
What is relevance of Ticino River?
forms part of border between Piemonte and Lombardy feeds Lake Maggiore; also the most important perennial left-bank tributary of the Po
