Foundation - History

Question 1

Where did the Etrsican civilaization centered aoround?

Answer 1

Toscana

Umbria

Question 2

Who were the three strong advocates/leaders of the unification by the Kingdom of Sardegna? (3)

Answer 2

1. King Vittorio Emanuele II di Savoia
2. Prime Minister Camillo Benso Count of Cavour
3. General Giuseppe Garibaldi

Question 3

True or False

Corks and glass bottles gradually became common during the 17th and 18th centuries in Italy.

Answer 3

False

While common other wine countries like France and Germany, it did not become widespread until the 19th century in Italy.

Question 4

What are “comuni”?

Answer 4

Municipalities - Italy was divided into seveal kingdoms, duchies, principalities and small political entities knwon as the coumini after 11th century.

Question 5

Name three cities, the so-called ‘Maritime Republics” that were among the richest and most powerful city-states in Europe.

Answer 5

1. Venezia
2. Genova
3. Pisa

Question 6

What happened in 1709 to plant grapes like Trebbiano and Verduzzo, more productive but lesser quality?

Answer 6

The winter freeze that utterly destroyed the vineyards in many European winegrowing regions including those in Northern Italy.

Question 7

Who stated “We have made Italy. Now we must make Italians”?

Answer 7

Massimo d’Azeglio, a former Kingdom of Sardegna Prime Minister

Question 8

Who was PIer de Crescenzi?

Answer 8

A renowned agronomist wrote the first important document about vines and wine at the turn of 14 th century after a long period of obscurity.

Question 9

What is “rinascimento”?

Answer 9

Italian Renaissance

Italy was the center of of the cultural movement from the end of the 13th century until 16th century) preceded the European Renaissance, a period of great cultural rebrith that became the bridge between the Middles Ages and the Modern Age.

Question 10

What did Phoenicians contribute prior to the arrival of Etruscans?

Answer 10

• Promoted the development of viticulture and wine trade in the entire western Mediterranean, including Italian colonies in Sicialia and Saardegna

Question 11

What were three white wines considered to be the first grand crus of Roman Italy?

Answer 11

1. Caecumbum - Lazio
2. Falernum - Campania
3. Mamertinum - Sicily

Question 12

What is “il Risorgimento”?

Answer 12

“Resurgence”

Italy’s political unification movement

Question 13

Which appellation one can find Etruscan’s training system alberata?

Answer 13

Campania’s Avesa DOC

Question 14

True or False

The abolition of the medieval system of mezzadria (share cropping) and the introduction of the DOC system occured in 1940s.

Answer 14

False

in 1960s

Question 15

Who were the original grape-loving tribes prior to 1000BC? (6 tribes)

Answer 15

• Rhaeti, Salassi, Liguri in the northwest
• Venetio in the northeast
• Piceni in the central Italy
• samnites in the south
• Nuragic in Sardegna

Question 16

True or False

Many of the most famous and prestigeous wines in Italy such as Barolo, Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino adopted their contemporary styles and/or blending formulars during the 19th century.

Answer 16

True

Question 17

What did the Romans do in 42 BC to the entire Italian territory?

Answer 17

Granted Roman citizneship uniting the Italian terriotry for the first time in its history

Question 18

True or False

All geographical regions in Italy was inlcuded in the united Kingdom of Italy declared on March 17, 1861.

Answer 18

False

Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Trentino-Alto Adige were still under the Austiran Empire and the Papal states were still independent.

Question 19

What did the Etruscans teach to the tribes in northern and central Italy?

Answer 19

• How to grow vines, to make wine and preserve it
• Domesticated wild vines and trained them high above ground using trees as natual supports
• Their training system, alberata or vite martata all’albero reaminded widesperad particularly in central Italy untif the first half of the 20th century

Question 20

What did the Greeks bring to the original inhabitants after the Etrsucans?

Answer 20

• Brought grape varieties
• Introduced innovative viticultural and wine making techniques such as the low head training method for grapevines

Question 21

What did the Greeks called the south of Italy, realzing the immense potential of southern Italy as a wine producing region very early on, thanks to the ideal climate and variety of suitalble soils?

Answer 21

“Oenotria”, the land of. vines

Question 22

What did the following men in common and contribute:

Giacomo Tachis

Mario Schiopetto

Giorgio Lungarotti

Antonio Mastroberardino?

Answer 22

• Enologist Giacomo Tachis in Toscana greatly contributed to shape Italy’s modern red winemaking practices
• Mario Schiopetto in Friuli Venezia Giulia experimented with modern winemaking techniques that would produce innovative white wines
• Giorgio Lungarotti in Umbria and Antonio Mastroberardino in Campania each laid the foundation for modern viticulture and enology in their respective regions

Question 23

Which two northern Italian wines acquired respect and esteem during the reins of Augustus, Roman emperor?

Answer 23

1. Rhaeticum (Retico) produced in Veneto around Verona (modern day Valpolicella)
2. Pucinum made in Friuli Venezia Guilia

Question 24

What did the Romans contribute to Italian viticulture?

Answer 24

They refined vine training and pruning methods to such a level that some systems remained in use for centuries all over Europe.

Question 25

What did Columella provide in his fundamental work?

Answer 25

“De re rustica” - recommended the ideal soils and winegrowing areas for each grape variety

Question 26

What is “mezzadria”?

Answer 26

The practice of sharecropping became widely adopted throughout the Middle Ages.

Based on this arrangement, the landowner took half of each year’s crop from the famer as payment.

Question 27

When did the use of wooden barrels become widespread?

Answer 27

During the Middle Ages.

The barrels unlike sealed amphorae used by the Romans, were not airtight an contributed to teh poor quality an short life of the wines of this era.

Question 28

Who defeated the Arabs who have taken control of Sicily?

Answer 28

The Normans

Question 29

Which country/house took over Italy from Spain and France during the 17th and 18th centuries?

Answer 29

Austrian Hapsburg

Question 30

What event marked a crucial step towards proces of Italian unification in 1720?

Answer 30

The Duchy of Savoy obtained the island of Sardegna through an agreement with the Austrican Habsburg Empire and became the Kingdom of Sardegna - a major polical power in Italy.

Question 31

When did the Roman Empire split into two and when did the Western Roman Empire fell?

Answer 31

395 AD

476 AD

Question 32

What did German tribe Lombards to the kingdom of Italia to everntually cause the weakenss and instability?

Answer 32

They set several duchies that were clustered around foccal cities.

Question 33

When were the first mentions of important Italian grapes such as Nebbiolo and Garganega dated from?

Answer 33

15th century

along with Cinque Terre, Aglianico. Aleatico, Chianti, Vino Noble di Montepulciano and Sangiovese di Romgana

Question 34

When did Italy annex Trentino, Alto Adige and the remaining part of Friuli Venezia Guilia?

Answer 34

After the First World War.

Question 35

Who did rise up to protect the Pope from Lombards aggrssion to the papal state?

Answer 35

The Franks

Question 36

When was the Kingdom of Italy declared?

Answer 36

March 17, 1861

Question 37

What type of wines did the Romans drink?

Answer 37

Sweet and alcoholic

The wines were diluted with water, and were usually flavored and stablized with a mixture of sea water, resin, herbs and honey.

Question 38

Name the most important families - the ruling “signorie” who controlled the destiny of the comuni.

Answer 38

1. The Medici in Frenze
2. Sforza in Milano
3. Gonzaga in Mantova

Question 39

Name three new enological schools established during 1870s and 1880s in some of the most important winegrowing areas.

Answer 39

1. the Enological School of Conegliano in Veneto
2. Agrarian Institute of San Michele all’Adige in Trentino
3. the Enological School of Alba in Piemonte

Question 40

What name the Romans gave to the southern Italian territories occupied by the Greek settlers?

Answer 40

Magna Graecia (Great Greece)

Question 41

When did the Italian goverment approve DOC legislation?

Which wine became the first wine to be approved?

Answer 41

1963

Vernaccia di San Gimignno in 1966

Question 42

What did precipitate plantings of considerable quantity of international varieties especially in the northeast regions, causing many indigenous grape varieties to disappear forever?

Answer 42

Phylloxera in the late 1800s and early 1900s.