Fundamentals Unit - History, Geography & Geology

Question 1

Who invented the waterproof, rollable wooden cask for transporting and storage of foodstuffs?

Answer 1

The Celts around 350BCE

Question 2

Who brought the first grapevines to France and when?

Answer 2

The Phocaeans, Greeks from Asia Minor in 600 BCE. They settled in a colony called Massalia which is now Marseille.

Question 3

What contribution did Romans make to viticulture and winemaking?

Answer 3

They came to defend the Phocaeans and spread vinegrowing through several parts of Gaul for around 5 centuries including SW France, Bordeaux, Bourgogne, Loire, Alsace and Champagne.

Question 4

Who filled the vacuum created by the slow collapse of the Roman Empire?

Answer 4

The Catholic Church saved the vineyards and expanded through new monasteries.

Question 5

Who was Clovis and what was his role in Gaul?

Answer 5

He was a king of the Franks, (German tribes) who invaded Gaul and took over. He eventually united large parts of Gaul under one king and one religion.

Question 6

What myth is associated with Clovis?

Answer 6

He is said to have made a deal with god that he would convert to Christianity if he defeated his enemies. The bishop of Reims blessed a cask of wine which he told Clovis that as long as it did not run dry he would defeat his enemies which he did.

Question 7

What new tradition did Clovis initiate in France?

Answer 7

That men should eat in an upright position and not lying down as the Romans did. His name was also derived as Louis and became the name of 18 kings.

Question 8

What is the “Ban des Vendanges”.

Answer 8

Because of the fragmentation of Gaul under Charlemagne’s sons, feudal lords gained great powers, including the right to tax and prohibit. The BdV was a PRESCRIBED PICKING DATE WHICH MUST BE ADHERED TO. It simplified tax collection on grape harvest.

Question 9

What is unusual about the “Ban des Vendanges”.

Answer 9

It is the only “ban” to survive the French Revolution as it served a good purpose - it helped to deliver a consistent quality of product in a given year.

Question 10

Which part of France did the troubadors inhabit?

Answer 10

They inhabited territory bordering the Mediterranean - Occitania. They travelled the land singing of honor, love and chivalry. Their language was “Langue d’Oc”.

Question 11

Why did troubadors clash with the ruling social order?

Answer 11

They did not agree with the concept of “noble birth”. They believed true nobility involved good character and good behaviour. This was contrary to the social order at that time which was supported by the Catholic Church.

Question 12

What fate befell the Cathars in Occitania?

Answer 12

They were regarded as a heretical sect so Pope Innocent III initiated a formal crusade against them in 1209. They were slaughtered and Occitania was annexed into France

Question 13

Why was the papacy moved from Rome in 1305?

Answer 13

The archbishop of Bordeaux was elected pope and moved it to Avignon where it remained until 1376.

Question 14

Where did Pope John XXII build a summer palace?

Answer 14

To the north of Avignon. This became known as Chateauneuf-de-Pape and the village and wines made there also assumed this name.

Question 15

What effect did the Hundred Years War have?

Answer 15

It decimated the population and left fewer workers to tend the vineyards.

Question 16

What effect did the Bubonic Plague have on the wine industry?

Answer 16

The plague killed large numbers of people wherever there was an outbreak. In Burgundy in particular there were few to tend the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir plantings which became neglected. They were slowly replaced by Gamay plantings.

Question 17

What is Claret?

Answer 17

It is the customary English nickname for Red Bordeaux wine since the middle ages. The origin is that the wines then were a blend of white and red fermented together and stored for a short period to produce a “light red”.The word comes from the French “clairet” meaning brilliant or clear. Claret is still used today.

Question 18

What wine innovation was discovered during the Renaissance?

Answer 18

Due to very cold temperatures in the 1600’s it was found the wines had not fully fermented. When spring arrived the fermentation resuscitated (ie secondary fermentation) setting the scene for development of sparkling wine.

Question 19

What happened Alsace after the 30 year war?

Answer 19

It became a territory of France from Germany.

Question 20

When were the marshes of Bordeaux drained and by whom?

Answer 20

In the 1600’s by King Henry IV assisted by the Dutch.

Question 21

Which feat of engineering took place from 1667 to 1681 in southern France?

Answer 21

The Canal du Midi was built to connect Toulouse to the Mediterranean. This provided an important transport artery.

Question 22

When did the French Revolution take place?

Answer 22

In 1789 from Paris.

Question 23

What is CHAPTALISATION? Who invented it?

Answer 23

It was invented by Jean-Antoine Chaptal (1756-1832). It is a process by which sugar is added to the must PRIOR TO FERMENTATION to increase alcohol level in the finished wine.

Question 24

Who discovered yeast?

Answer 24

Jura native Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) discovered yeast and linked it to fermentation.

Question 25

What effect did the Napoleonic Code of Inheritance require?

Answer 25

It required that all landholdings be divided equally among each child in a family.

Question 26

What effect did the Napoleonic Code of Inheritance have in Bourgogne?

Answer 26

Bourgogne was a largely rural area and landowners adopted the Code literally and divided their land between family members. Over time this led to inreasingly smaller holdings which became unfeasible for commercial production. This led to the birth of negociants who bought the grapes from many vignerons to bottle under a single label.

Question 27

What effect did the Napoleonic Code of Inheritance have in Bordeaux?

Answer 27

Unlike the Burgundians the Bordelais were savvy. They adhered to the code by giving each family member paper shares of stock instead of rows of vines thereby maintaining the integrity and sizeof their holdings and their commercial feasibility.

Question 28

When did France begin railway building and how did it influence the wine industry?

Answer 28

1842. Paris was the main centre and wine flowed freely to it. The inexpensive, sun-drenched wines of the Languedoc challenged the northern wine regions on price and approachability.

Question 29

What is the significance of the Exposition Universelle of 1855 in Paris?

Answer 29

Napoleon designated wine a “national strength” and asked the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce to build a display. This included a list of 87 Bordeaux chateaux ranked on market price at that time. This became the “Classification of 1855” which has driven Bordeaux sales since.

Question 30

What three scourges arrived in France from N.America in the 1800’s and changed the wine landscape?

Answer 30

1850’s - Powdery mildew/oidium
1863 - Phylloxera
1882 - Downy mildew/peronespera

Question 31

What effect did the three “scourges” have on the wine industry?

Answer 31

1. A drastic reduction in total production;
2. An exodus of winemakers toother countries;
3. The importation of wine from other countries to make up the shortfall.
   From 1875 to 1889 production fell from 84.5 million hl to 23.4 million hl

Question 32

How was phylloxera overcome?

Answer 32

By the grafting of Vitis Vinifera onto american rootstock which was resistant to the pest. The practice of “layering” in the vineyard (provignage/marcottage) was banned. This resulted in planting permanently in rows. This allowed for horse and tractor use.

Question 33

What was the effect of the old practice of provignage/marcottage?

Answer 33

It created “vigne en foule” - vines in a crowd. Although new vineyards were laid out in rows they became less regimented as old vines were replaced by those donebylayering and left in situ. This resulted in high density of vinesin a vineyard.

Question 34

What happened to Alsace following the Franco-Prussian warof 1870-71?

Answer 34

It was returned to Germany.

Question 35

How was the Champagne/wine industry adversely affected in the early 20th century?

Answer 35

WW2 had a devastating effect on the vineyards manyof which were destroyed.
The Russian revolution saw the end of export to Russia.
Temperance movements in Scandanavia, Canada and USA curtailed all French wine exports.

Question 36

When did the push to create designation of zones and national wine laws begin?

Answer 36

Following WW1 and after WW2.

Question 37

Why is it that the overwhelming majority of french wines are labelled by growing areas rather than varietally?

Answer 37

This is a manifestation of the philosophy of terroir which integrates site, soil, aspect, climate and the hand of man.

Question 38

How many administrative regions are there in France?

Answer 38

There are 13 regions which are further subdivided into departements. These are further divded into communes/villages.

Question 39

Do the administrativeregions accord with wine regions?

Answer 39

No there is no direct correlation. The wine regions straddle numerous boundaries.