1. Introduction to France

Question 1

What is the historical timeline of wine cultivation in France, including its origins and influences from other cultures?

Answer 1

France has a long history of wine with large-scale vine growing being practiced in the period
of Roman Gaul.
Preceded by planting of wines in the Greek colony, today called Marseille,
and by wines having been brought in from Italy.

Question 2

Initially, vines were only planted in the south
of France, e.g. in the first century CE in the Rhône valley and probably near to Bordeaux
with its easy access to the sea for trading. True or False

Answer 2

True

Question 3

When did the major expansion of vineyards happen?

Answer 3

under Charlemagne (crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800 CE) and then the period of the
monasteries after 1,000 CE.

Question 4

When did the major export markets establish for France?

Answer 4

In the Middle Ages

Question 5

What countries were the first that shaped the first export markets for France?

Answer 5

England, Scotland, Flanders and Holland

Question 6

Why were England, Scotland, Flanders and Holland the first major export markets of France?

Answer 6

because major rivers and the sea facilitated the movement of wine

Question 7

Why were there vineyards near Paris?

Answer 7

Because of the difficulty of transporting wine overland

Question 8

What are the vineyard areas near Paris?

Answer 8

Auxerre /o.se.q/
Chablis
and the vineyards of the Loire River

Question 9

What centuries witnessed huge expansion of exported wines especially from Bordeaux?

Answer 9

The 17th to 19th Centuries

Question 10

The 17th to 19th centuries saw a huge expansion of exported wine, especially from Bordeaux, eventually leading to…

Answer 10

the classification of 1855

Question 11

What major development in Bordeaux happened in the 17th century?

Answer 11

The draining of the marshes in the Médoc by
Dutch engineers in the 17th century

Question 12

What was the output of The draining of the marshes in the Médoc?

Answer 12

This providing extensive land suitable for viticulture due to the fast-draining gravelly soils revealed by this work.
Ports close to Bordeaux became the
key trading channel for wine destined for the north of Europe and Paris.

Question 13

What were the challenges that Bordeaux started to face in the second half of 19th century?

Answer 13

powdery mildew
downy mildew
black rot
phylloxera

Question 14

When did the Bordeaux wine industry recovered from the challenges that they started to face in the second half of the 19th century?

Answer 14

only fully recovered in the early 20th century

Question 15

What was the effect of EU vine pull scheme?

Answer 15

France reduced its land under vine considerably

Question 16

The total area under vine including for table grapes and brandy fell by —– between 1970 and the early 2010s

Answer 16

one third

Question 17

The latitude of the grape growing France regions ranges…

Answer 17

from 42 to 40 N

Question 18

What is the exception in France vineyard management regime?

Answer 18

the continued use of bush vines in parts of the south of France

Question 19

What is the common vineyard management system in France?

Answer 19

French vineyards are planted at high density with vines trained on trellises

Question 20

What are the common training systems in France?

Answer 20

The vines often trained with the cane replacement pruned Guyot system with vertical shoot positioning (VSP)

Question 21

—- percent of all vineyard area in France is certified organic.

Answer 21

10% and it increased fourfold in the decade to 2017

Question 22

France’s grape varieties are strongly associated with its —–

Answer 22

individual wine regions

Question 23

What are the top ten grape varieties in Bordeaux?

Answer 23

Merlot
Ugni Blanc
Grenache Noir
Syrah
Chardonnay
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Franc
Carignan
Pinot Noir
Sauvignon Blanc

Question 24

Chaptalisation reduced in France due to

Answer 24

Better canopy management
Warmer climate

Question 25

What factor contributes to the French desire to mature their wines in barrels?

Answer 25

It has long been a standard part of French winemaking
It’s supported by a large cooperage industry

Question 26

Where are the major scientific viticulture and vilification institutions located in France?

Answer 26

Bordeaux and Montpellier

Question 27

What was the original name of Institut national de l’origine et de la qualité?

Answer 27

Institut national des appellations d’origine founded in 1935

Question 28

What does Institut national de l’origine et de la qualité do?

Answer 28

It oversaw the creation of the Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) system and, from 2009, also included oversight of Indication géographique protégée (IGP) wines

Question 29

What is the practices of Institut national de l’origine et de la qualité based on?

Answer 29

This system is based on the idea of
terroir

Question 30

The AOCs embed a commitment to geographically defined appellations that also included detailed rules about methods of production which are:

Answer 30

varieties allowed in an AOC
planting density
allowed training systems
maximum yields
minimum alcohol levels
required length of maturation of wine before release
earliest date the wine can be sold

Question 31

In France, wine without a geographical indication can now carry the name of the variety or varieties and the vintage of the wine. True/ False?

Answer 31

True

Question 32

What is the role of cooperatives in France?

Answer 32

very important for smaller growers with over 40 per cent of wine production being processed by them

Question 33

Why is the wine sector highly fragmented in France?

Answer 33

Three quarters of volume sales by producers in France are through small and medium-sized local companies or private label

Question 34

What is the largest cooperative company in France?

Answer 34

The largest company is Castel Frères (12 per of total volume of sales),

Question 35

What is the second and third largest cooperative company in France?

Answer 35

Carrefour France
ITM Enterprises

Question 36

France exports less wine than either Spain or Italy by volume but is by a significant margin the world leader in terms of value (50 per cent more exported by value than Italy and three times as much by value as Spain). True/False?

Answer 36

True

Question 37

What is the source of tension between wine growers and wine importers in France?

Answer 37

France is also a large importer of wine (mainly from Spain), mainly at the inexpensive level.