Ch1 FR Intro

Question 1

Describe the origins of winemaking in France

Answer 1

Greek colony in what is today Marseille
Large-scale vine growing practiced in period of Roman Gaul
Wines brought from Italy
Initially vines were only planted in the south — e.g. 1st century CE in Rhône Vally and probably near to Bordeaux b/c of easy access to sea trading

Question 2

When did the major expansion of vineyards occur in FR?

Answer 2

Under Charlemagne, crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800 CE, and then in the period of the monasteries after 1,000 CE

Question 3

Describe FR wine industry during the middle ages

Answer 3

Establishment of important export markets in England, Scotland, Flanders and Holland
Key markets developed b/c major rivers and the sea facilitated the movement of wine

Question 4

What wine did most Parisians drink historically? Why?

Answer 4

Because of the difficulty of transporting wine over land, Paris was supplied by vineyard ares close to it or on major rivers
These include vineyards very close to Paris (now abandoned), Auxerre and Chablis, and the vineyards of the Loire River

Question 5

What happened to the FR wine industry in the 17th to 19th centuries?

Answer 5

Huge expansion of exported wine, especially from Bordeaux, eventually leading to the 1855 classification
Key development was the draining of the marshes in the Médoc by Dutch engineers in the 17th century
This provided 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 6

What challenges did the FR wine industry face in the 2nd half of the 19th century?

Answer 6

Powdery mildew, downy mildew, black rot and phylloxera devastated the vineyards
It wasn’t until the early 20th century that solutions were found and implemented on an industry-wide scale

Question 7

What was done in the EU in general and specifically France relative to vineyard area between 1970 and 2010?

Answer 7

Land under vine was significantly reduces through impetus of EU vine-pull scheme
Total area under vine in FR for wine, table grapes, and brandy fell by 1/3

Question 8

What is the latitude range for grape growing regions within FR?

Answer 8

42-49 degrees N

Question 9

What is the climate in FR? Provide examples

Answer 9

The climate varies
Atlantic-influenced/ Maritime Muscadet
Continental Burgundy
Mediterranean Provence

Question 10

What are typical vineyard management practices in FR?

Answer 10

With the exception of continued use of bush vines in parts of the S of FR, virtually all FR vineyards are planted at high density w/ vines trained on trellises
The vines are often trained w/ the cane-replacement pruned Guyot system w/ vertical shoot positioning (VSP)

Question 11

What is the trend in FR relative to organic grape growing?

Answer 11

organic grape growing has increased fourfold in the decade to 2017
Accounts for about 10% of all vineyard area

Question 12

Name FR’s top 10 grape varieties

Answer 12

Merlot (heavy plantings in Bordeaux & Languedoc)
Ugni Blanc (grown in Cognac and Armagnac in SW FR)
Grenache Noir
Syrah
Chardonnay
Cab Sauv
Cab Franc
Carignan
Pinot Noir
Sauv Blanc

Question 13

What is the main regulating body of FR wine?
When was it founded?

Answer 13

INAO
Founded 1935
Originally Institut national des appellations d’origine, now called Institut national de l’origins et de la qualité

Question 14

What are the key responsibilities for FR’s INAO?

Answer 14

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

Question 15

Describe the AOCs rules about methods of production (what elements are regulated as part of the idea of “terroir”?)

Answer 15

varieties allowed
Planting densities
Training systems
Max yields
Min alcohol levels
Req’d length of maturation of wine before release
Earliest date the wine can be sold

Question 16

How has France amended its laws so that AOCs may apply for permission to irrigate?

Answer 16

Only under strict conditions
Proof of water stress to vines req’d
No irrigation permitted after véraison
In no circumstances can irrigation be used to exceed the max yield allowed by individual AOCs

Question 17

When did FR start allowing varietally labeled wines along with the AOC (such as Bourgogne AOC Chardonnay)?

Answer 17

• Since 2009, along with the rest of the EU

Question 18

What is the average vineyard holding size in FR? How does this compare to other EU wine countries?

Answer 18

Size of vineyard holdings in FR is generally much higher than for IT or ESP at 10.5 ha

Question 19

What % of wine in FR is from co-ops?

Answer 19

Co-ops continue to be very important for smaller growers w/ over 40% of wine production being processed by them

Question 20

What is the wine consumption trend in FR?

Answer 20

Wine consumption per capita has been in long term and fairly steep decline
Consumption is now less than 1/2 the level of a century ago

Question 21

Where do the majority of FR’s wine sales come from?
What are the largest companies?

Answer 21

3/4 of volume sales by producers are through small and medium-sized companies or private label —> the sector is highly fragmented
The largest company is Castel Frères (12% of total volume), followed by Carrefour FR and ITM Enterprises

Question 22

How do FR’s exports compare to ESP and IT?

Answer 22

FR exports less wine than either ESP or IT by volume
However, FR is the leader in terms of value — with 50% more value than IT and 3x more than ESP

Question 23

Does FR import much wine? If so, at what price range?

Answer 23

FR is a large importer of wine, mainly at the inexpensive level
This continues to be a source of tension between FR growers and those importing the wine, mainly from ESP