Foundation - History

Question 1

Fossils of wild vitis vinifera vines have been found dating back to the ____.

Answer 1

Quaternary Period

Question 2

When was the Quaternary Period?

Answer 2

250 mya

Question 3

Indigenous tribes of the northwest

Answer 3

Rhaeti, Salassi, & Liguri

Question 4

Indigenous tribe of the northeast

Answer 4

Veneti

Question 5

Indigenous tribe of central Italy

Answer 5

Piceni

Question 6

Indigenous tribe of the south

Answer 6

Samnites

Question 7

Indigenous tribe of Sardegna

Answer 7

Nuragic people

Question 8

What civilization first promoted the development of viticulture and wine trade in the western Mediterranean ?

Answer 8

The Phoenicians

Question 9

Where in Italy did the Phoenicians have colonies?

Answer 9

Sicilia & Sardegna

Question 10

In what modern territories did the Etruscan civilization develop?

Answer 10

Toscana & Umbria

Question 11

The system of training vines high above ground using trees as natural supports developed by the Etruscans

Answer 11

Alberata or vite maritata all’albero

Question 12

Where can vines trained in the alberata system still be found today?

Answer 12

Campania’s Aversa DOC

Question 13

When did the Greeks begin to settle on the Italian peninsula?

Answer 13

Between the 8th and 6th centuries BC.

Question 14

The name given by the Romans to the southern Italian territories occupied by Greek settlers

Answer 14

Magna Graecia (Great Greece)

Question 15

What civilization had the greatest early impact on viticulture in northern and central Italy

Answer 15

The Etruscans

Question 16

What civilization is most responsible for the early advancement of viticulture and winemaking in the south?

Answer 16

The Greeks

Question 17

What did the Greeks call the south of Italy?

Answer 17

Oenotria “the land of vines”

Question 18

Name a specific viticultural innovation that the Greeks introduced

Answer 18

The low head-training method for grapevines

Question 19

What Greek god was linked most strongly with wine?

Answer 19

Dionysus

Question 20

Who conquered the north between the 6th and 5th centuries BC?

Answer 20

The Celts

Question 21

When did the Roman Republic begin?

Answer 21

4th century BC

Question 22

What happened in 42 BC?

Answer 22

The first time the entire Italian territory was united and all were granted Roman citizenship

Question 23

The written knowledge of the _____ formed the basis of viticultural practices adopted all over Europe up to the 17th century.

Answer 23

Romans
(Such as Columella, Cato the Elder, Horace, Virgilius, and Pliny the Elder)

Question 24

Columella’s work “De re rustica” recommended what?

Answer 24

The ideal soils and wine growing areas for each grape variety.

Question 25

Red or white? Lazio’s Caecubum

Answer 25

White

Question 26

Red or White? Campania’s Falernum

Answer 26

White

Question 27

Red or White? Sicilia’s Mamertinum

Answer 27

White

Question 28

Caecubum, Falernum, and Mamertinum are

Answer 28

White wines, that were particularly renowned and considered to be the first grand crus of Roman Italy

Question 29

The wines drunk by the Romans were often _____ and _____ .

Answer 29

Sweet & Alcoholic

Question 30

T / F The Romans diluted their wine with water

Answer 30

True

Question 31

T / F Roman wine was often flavored and stabilized with a mixture of sea water, resin, herbs, spices, and honey.

Answer 31

True

Question 32

Under which Roman Emperor did the wines of Northern Italy begin to acquire respect and esteem?

Answer 32

Augustus

Question 33

Rhaeticum (Retico) was produced where?

Answer 33

Veneto near Verona (modern day Valpolicella)

Question 34

Pucinum was produced where?

Answer 34

Friuli Venezia Giulia

Question 35

What civilization is responsible for spreading the culture of wine and the cultivation of vines in Europe?

Answer 35

The Romans

Question 36

Who was the first Roman Emperor

Answer 36

Augustus

Question 37

Vineyards began replacing _____ causing a problem such that the Roman Emperor Domitian had to issue an edict forbidding the planting of new vines in 92 AD.

Answer 37

Wheat

Question 38

What happened in 330 AD

Answer 38

Emperor Constantine moved the capital from Rome to Constantinople

Question 39

Name the capitals of the Western Roman Empire

Answer 39

Milano then Ravenna

Question 40

What happened in 476 AD

Answer 40

The fall of the Western Roman Empire

Question 41

Which are the Papal States?

Answer 41

Lazio, Marche, Umbria, and part of Emilia-Romagna

Question 42

Occupied Northern Italy from 568-756

Answer 42

The Lombards

Question 43

Occupied Sicily in the 10th Century

Answer 43

The Arabs

Question 44

Defeated the Arabs and took over Sicily and Southern Italy

Answer 44

The Normans

Question 45

The name for the small political municipality in Italy

Answer 45

Comuni

Question 46

Developed around major towns or cities and evolved into city-states

Answer 46

Comuni

Question 47

Who was Pier de Crescenzi?

Answer 47

Renowned 14th century agronomist

Question 48

Metayage (Mezzadria) in English

Answer 48

Share-cropping

Question 49

Name 4 of the most import comuni in the 13th century

Answer 49

Milano, Bologna, Firenze, and Parma

Question 50

Noble families in the 14th century who, thanks to their influence and wealth, were able to control the destiny of the comuni

Answer 50

The signorie

Question 51

Signoria in English:

Answer 51

Lordship

Question 52

The signoria in Firenze

Answer 52

The Medici

Question 53

The signoria in Milano

Answer 53

The Sforza

Question 54

The signoria in Mantova

Answer 54

The Gonzaga

Question 55

13-14th Century, some of the Italian coastal cities that became trade and military centers were referred to as the:

Answer 55

Maritime Republics

Question 56

13-14th century, why did wine producers focus on foreign rather than domestic markets

Answer 56

The many political entities had duties, tolls, and different units of measure.

Question 57

Rinascimento in English

Answer 57

Italian Renaissance

Question 58

What discovery in 1492 marked the beginning of a deep economic crisis in Italy

Answer 58

The America’s

Question 59

Why did the discovery of the America’s hurt the Italian economy

Answer 59

The Mediterranean trade routes lost importance

Question 60

Corks and glass bottles became common in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. When did they become widespread in Italy?

Answer 60

19th century

Question 61

What catastrophe hit the wine regions of Europe in 1709

Answer 61

The winter freeze of 1709

Question 62

What impact did the winter freeze of 1709 have on grape varieties?

Answer 62

Many growers replanted with cold-resistant varieties like Trebbiano and Verduzzo

Question 63

In 1720, the Duchy of Savoy became _____ and a major political power in Italy.

Answer 63

The Kingdom of Sardegna

Question 64

What did many of the most famous and prestigious wines such as Barolo, Chianti, and Brunello di Montalcino do in the 19th century

Answer 64

Adopt their contemporary styles and/or blending formulas

Question 65

This movement was at the base of Italy’s political unification from 1815 onwards

Answer 65

Il Risorgimento (the Resurgence)

Question 66

King Vittorio Emanuele II di Savoia

Answer 66

King of Sardegna during il Risorgimento

Question 67

Camillo Benso Count of Cavour

Answer 67

Prime Minister during il Risorgimento

Question 68

General Giuseppe Garibaldi

Answer 68

The strongest and most active advocate of Italian unification

Question 69

March 17, 1861

Answer 69

The United Kingdom of Italy was declared

Question 70

The ravages of phylloxera in the 19th and 20th century resulted in ______

Answer 70

Planting of a considerable quantity of international varieties

Question 71

Many indigenous grape varieties were never replanted after what catastrophe in the 19th and 20th century

Answer 71

Phylloxera

Question 72

After what event did Trentino, Alto Adige, and the remaining part of Friuli Venezia Giulia become part of Italy

Answer 72

First World War

Question 73

What decade did the first single vineyard wines appear in Barolo

Answer 73

1960’s

Question 74

Vernaccia di San Gimignano was the first

Answer 74

DOC (1966)

Question 75

What decade was the second wine renaissance ?

Answer 75

1990’s