D3 France: Intro

Question 1

In what period was large scale vine growing first practiced?

Answer 1

Roman Gaul.

Question 2

Where were vines originally planted?

Answer 2

Rhône. 1st Century BC. And probably near Bordeaux (easy access to sea for trading)

Question 3

Who was responsible for the major expansion of vineyards? When?

Answer 3

Emperor Charlemagne.

Question 4

Which period saw the establishment of important export markets? What markets?

Answer 4

Middle Ages
England
Scotland
Flanders
Holland

Question 5

What region was responsible for huge expansion of exports 17th-19th Century?

Answer 5

Bordeaux

Question 7

What challenges arose in the vineyards in the second half of 19th Century?

Answer 7

Powdery mildew
Downy mildew
Black rot
Phylloxera

Question 8

Why did the area under vine fall by 1/3 between 1970s and early 2010s?

Answer 8

EU Vine pull scheme

Question 9

Latitude of grape growing regions in France?

Answer 9

42-49

Question 10

Most common vine planting, training and pruning?

Answer 10

High density
VSP
Guyot (cane replacement)

Question 11

Have hectares of certified organic grapes been increasing/decreasing?

Answer 11

Increased nearly 4fold in the decade to 2017

10% of all vineyard area.

Question 12

Top 10 grape varieties?

Answer 12

1. Merlot
2. Ugni Blanc
3. Grenache Noir
4. Syrah
5. Chardonnay
6. Cabernet Sauvignon
7. Cabernet Franc
8. Carignan
9. Pinot Noir
10. Sauvignon Blanc

Question 13

What is INAO? When was it founded?

Answer 13

Institut National des Alpellations d’Origine (nos called Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité). Founded 1935
Oversaw the creation of the AOC system and from 2009 also the oversight of IGP wines

Question 14

What is the AOC system?

Answer 14

Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée.
Geographically defined appellations with rules about methods of production.
-varieties allowed
-planting density
-allowed training systems
-maximum yields
-minimum alcohol levels
-required length of maturation
-earliest date the wind can be sold

System is based on the idea of terroir.

Question 15

When did France allow the grape variety to be listed on the label alongside the name of the appellation? Why?

Answer 15

2009, due to commercial success around the world of varietally labeled wines

Question 16

How big is average size of vineyard holdings compared to other European countries?

Answer 16

Much higher than Italy and Spain

10.5 ha

Question 17

How important are co-ops? %?

Answer 17

Very important for smaller growers

40% of wine production processes by co-ops

Question 18

How is wine consumption in France? Growth? Decline?

Answer 18

Long term and fairly steep decline. Less than half what it was a century ago

Question 19

Largest wine companies?

Answer 19

Castel Frères
12% of total volume of sales

Carrefour France
ITM Enterprises

Question 20

Wine export volume vs value in comparison to other EU countries?

Answer 20

Exports less than Italy and Spain

World leader in terms of value of exports (50% more exported in value than Italy, 3x more than Spain)

Question 21

Is France a large importer of wine?

Answer 21

Yes. Mainly at the inexpensive level.

Continued source of tension between French growers and those importing the wines (mainly from Spain).

Question 22

What was a key development in 17th Century in Bordeaux?

Answer 22

Draining if marshes un Médoc by Dutch engineers