France - General Flashcards
In which period did France first see large-scale vine growing be practiced, and where were they initially planted?
Roman Gaul, followed by plantings in the Greek colony (today called Marseille) and by having vines brought over from Italy.
Initially vines were only planted in the south of the country, in the 1st century in the Rhone valley and probably close to Bordeaux for ease of sea trading.
Who brought along the major expansion of vineyards in 800CE and after 1000CE?
Charlemagne (crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800CE)
The period of the monasteries (after 1000CE)
Which period saw the establishment of export markets, what facilitated this, and what were they?
The Middle Ages, facilitated by major rivers and the sea to England, Scotland, Flanders and Holland.
During the Middle Ages where did Paris have its wine supplied by, and why?
Closeby vineyards: immediate proximity to Paris (now abandoned), Auxerre and Chablis, and the Loire River because of difficulty transporting wine overland.
Which development by Dutch engineers led to the rapid expansion of exported wine in the 17th-19th centuries, and what did this eventually lead to?
The draining of marshes in the Medoc (17th cent) providing extensive land suitable for viticulture due to the free draining gravelly soils now exposed, eventually leading to the classification of 1855.
What became the key trading channel for wine destined for north Europe and Paris in the 17th-19th centuries?
Ports close to Bordeaux
What challenges to vineyards appeared in the second half of the 19th century, and when, and how did the industry recover?
Powdery mildew, downy mildew, black rot and phylloxera.
The industry recovered in the early 20th century as solutions were found and widely implemented.
Why did area under vine (including for table grapes and brandy) fall by one third between 1970 and early 2010’s?
The impetus of the EU vine pull scheme (in common with other EU countries.
