Foundations Flashcards
Indigenous tribes of Italy
Rhaeti - NW
Salassi - NW
Liguir - NE
Veneti - NE
Piceni - Central
Samnites - South
Contribution of the Etruscans
Taught tribes how to
- Grow vines
- Make wine
- Preserve wine
- High training - prototype for modern trellising
- Trade with France and Spain
What did the Romans name the South Italian territories?
Magna Graeci (Great Greece)
Contributions from the Greeks
- Brought new grape varieties ef Muscat Blanc a Petit Grains (Moscato)
- Innovative viticulture and wine making techniques
- low trianed vines
Contribution of the Romans?
- Refined vine training and prunning methods
- Mathcing soils with grape varieites
Columella
1st introduced the concept of terroir by recommending ideal soils for certain areas / grape varieties
1st Grand Crus of the Roman Empire
Caecubum - Lazio
Falernum - Campania
Mamerinum - Sicilia
Wine style prefered by Romans
Sweet & Alcoholic
Diluted with water, flavored and stabilized with salt water, resin, herbsd, spices and honey
Under Augustus
Wines in N Italy gained esteem
- Rhaeticum (Retico) - Veneto near Verona
- Pucinum - Friuli Venezia Giula
Italy became a major center for production and trade of wine via road networks
Under Domitian
Vineyards replacing wheat fields led to overproduction of wine and scarcity of wheat
Domitian issued an edict 92 AD forbidding the planting of new vines in Italy
Fall of Rome
Splite into Byzantine Rome in the East under Constantine 330AB
Capital of West moved to Milan, then Ravenna
5th century Goths and Vandals led to fall of Rome in 476 AD
Middle Ages
Use of wooden barrels becomes widespread (not airtight so quality declined)
Justinian defeates Ostrogoths, but left country weakedn, which was exploited by Lombards who divided the kingdom into several duschies to maintain military dominance
Franks rose to defend the Papal territories against the Lombards in 756. Charlemange defended them again in 774 taking land from Lombards. After his death it set the stage for city-states
The Papal State
Lazio
Marche
Umbria
part of Emilia-Romagna
Middel Ages (cont)
9th - Arabs take Sicilia
11th c - Normas beat Arabs, control S Italy
Comuni developed around major towns evolving to city-states
Metayage & Mezzadri - sharecropping
Comuni - decreased in favor of Signoria (lordship) eg Medici - Firenze Sforza - Milano, Gonzaga - Mantova implementing duties, tolls, tax with different currencies making trade impossible
S Italy - Normans replaced by Crown of Aragon - divided into Kingdom of Napoli then Sicilia
Pier de Crescenzi (14th c)
Wrote 1st imporant doc on wine
Mezzadria
Landowner leased farmland to those who would work it
Owner to 50% of annual crop - made wine
Farmers used for food
Focus on quantity not quality
More prominent in the North and Central Italy
No dedicated vineyards
Abolised in 1960s
13th c - 16th c AD
Italian Renaissance - cultural advancement
Italy still weak politically and militarily - became a major battleground
Spanish - obtained control of a large part of Italy
- *French** - retained dominance over Piemonte
- *Venezia** and Papal States remained independent
Discovery of America
Started deep economic crisis in Italy as Mediterranean trade routes lost importance
Particularly severe in the south
17th/18th c AD
Austrian Habsburg Empire took control from Spain over large parts of the north
Spain retained Napoli and Sicilia
No incentive to improve or innovate, with no export market and few traveling (cork and glass, both common in 17th and 18th centuries didn’t take hold in Italy until 19th century)
Winter Freeze of 1709
Destroyed vines all over Europe into Northern Italy
Encouraged growers to replant cold-resistant grapes varieties -usually lesser quality
1720s
Duchy of Savoy obtained Sardegna through agreement with the Austrian Habsburg Empire and became Kingdom of Sardegna – a crucial step towards the process of Italian unification
1800s
Napoleon had taken control of a large part of northern and central Italy
1814-1815 Congress of Vienna restored Italy’s prior political structure, leaving the country largely under the hegemony of the Austrian Habsburg Empire
il Risorgimento (the Resurgence) lead to unification under the Kingdom of Sardegna’s leader King Vittorio Emanuele II de Savoia and General Guiseppe Garibaldi (who defeated Austrians in 1859)
Wine 1800s
Many of the most famous wine regions adopted their contemporary styles / blending formulas
Enological schools were established, including:
Enological School of Conegliano in Veneto
Agrarian Institute of San Michele all’Adige in Trentino
Enological School of Alba in Piemonte
Italian Unification
The united Kingdom of Italy was declared on March 17, 1861 but did not yet include all.
Veneto and part of Friuli Venezia Giulia were incorporated in 1866
Roma and Papal States annexed in 1870
Trentino, Alto Adige and part of Friuli Venezia Giulia remained independent (until 1915 - WWI)
Challenge was to “make Italians” out of different people, cultures, languages and laws
Phylloxera strikes
First noticed in Lombardia in 1875
Resulted in the replanting of considerable quantity of international varieties, particularly in the northeast
Many indigenous varieties never replanted and were lost forever
Oidium and peronospora also a problem
1900s
WWI led to annexation of Trentino, Alto Adige and remaining part of Friuli Venezia Giulia
Destruction and poverty led to political, social and economic crisis
Enter fascism, which led to dictatorship
Italy became a republic after WWII
Economic and industrial boom gave rise to a consumer class
1960s
First DOC - 1966 - Vernaccia di San Gimignano
Intense experimentation:
Single vineyard wines in Barolo
Sassicaia
Mezzadria abolished
Mario Schiopetto experiment in Friuli with modern winemaking techniques
Clonal selection research increased
EU Wine Laws
meant to align EU standards with those already adopted by WTO and to make label nomenclature more uniform
PDO
Produced from grapes grown in the stated geographical area
Entire production process must take place within the boundaries
DOCGs
Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita
Wine undergoes lab analysis and blind tasting
Each bottle carries a golden seal label (fascetta or sigillo) with a unique alphanumeric code (used to be different colors based on style of wine)
Must have been DOC for at least 10 years
As of 2015 - 74 DOCGs
DOC
Tested for adherence to precise chemical and organoleptic standards
Carry a blue seal label (fascetta or sigillo) with unique alphanumeric code – optional to use serial number instead
As of 2015 - 332 DOCs
New DOCs and DOCGs
must gain approval from Italian government, and since 2012, also from EU
Sottozona
Sub-zone
Typically have more stringent production rules
E.g. Classico
May be linked to a particular grape
Friuli Colli Orientali Ribolla Gialla di Rosazzo DOC
Friuli Colli Orientali is DOC
Ribolla Gialla is the grape
Rosazzo is the sub-zone
Menzione Geografica Aggiuntiva (MGA or MeGA)
Specific delimited vineyard area
Smaller, owned by fewer producers than sub-zones
Somewhat analogous to “cru”
PGI/IGP/IGT
Wines can show grape variety and vintage on label
85% rule (for location)
production process must take place within geographical boundaries
As of 2015 - total of 118
Vini
Vini da Tavola - traditional name now completely replaced and cannot be used
Can be labeled as Wine with an indication of color
OR
Wine with the grape variety and/or vintage (85% rule), but only 7 grapes allowed to appear on label:
Cab Franc, Cab Sav, Merlot, Chard, SB, Syrah and Cabernet (a blend of the 2 cabs)
Disciplinare di Produzione
the official legal document behind each DOCG, DOC and IGT
Formalizes the designations and terms that can be used on labels, grapes grown, geographical boundaries, viticultural and winemaking practices
Also contains the chemical-physical and organoleptic parameters
Consorzio
Voluntary association formed by producers, merchants and cooperatives
Regulated by law and tasked with protecting, promoting and developing the reputation and interest of the DOC/G
Testing is now entrusted to a third party
Equivalent to Comite Interprofessionnei in France and Consejo Regulador in Spain
Italian Wine Labels
MUST appear:
- Name of appellation
- Name of traditional quality designation (DOCG, DOC, IGT)
- Country of origin
- Vintage
- Name and location of bottler (importer may also be required)
- Indication of the batch
- Actual alcoholic strength
- Nominal volume of wine
- Sulfite warning
- Health warning (if required)
Abboccato
medium-dry wine (max 1.2% or 12g/l sugar)
Amabile
medium-sweet wine (max 4.5% or 45g/L sugar)
Annata
Vintage
Bianco
White Wine
Chiaretto
Rose wine made in a specific DOC
Classico
wine produced from the original historic winegrowing area of a DOCG / DOC
Dolce
a sweet wine (more than 4.5% or 45g/L sugar)
Fermo
a still wine
Imbottigliato all’origine
Estate bottled
Liquoroso
a fortified wine
Novello
a wine released shortly after it is made; similar in concept to Beaujolais Nouveau; by law, must include at least 40% wine made from carbonic or semi-carbonic maceration (some appellations require a higher percentage)
Passito
Wine made from semi-dried grapes
Riserva
a wine that went through an extended period of ageing before release; may also have stricter production requirements
Rosato
rose wine
Rosso
red wine
Secco
a dry wine (max 0.4% or 4g/l sugar)
Spumante
fully sparkling wine
Superiore
a wine with a higher minimum actual alcohol content (ranging from 0.5% to 1% more); often have stricter production criteria
Vendemmia
harvest or vintage
Vendemmia Tardiva
late harvest; a wine made from late harvested grapes; the wine can be sweet or dry
Vigna
Single Vineyard; stricter production requirements
Vigneto
also a single vineyard; stricter production requirements
Vivace
light fizzy wine
Italian Mountains and Hills
Account for 77% of the total surface area
Alps - bolcks cold winds and humid air currents
Pre-Alps -
Apennines - considerably lower in altitude
Italy Hills
Hills - 42% – this is where most vineyards are found
Sedimentary - formed by uplift of ancient sea bed
Morainic - glacial deposits containing high gravel and sand (parallel to Prealps)
Volcanic - Veneto, Toscana, Lazio, Campania, Sicilia
Italy Plains
Plains - 23%
Mostly Padana Plain (Po Valley)(2/3 of plains)
Easternmost part of Padana Plain between Veneto and Friuli is a distinct plain called Pianura Veneto-Friuli
Also Puglia Tavoliere
Remainder along coastline and near river deltas
Only a small portion of vines planted on flat plains (Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Friuli, Puglia)
Italian Seas
Mediterranean sub-divided into four major basins
(means “in the middle of the earth” becuase of its position between Africa, Europe and Asia)
Adriatic - between Italy and Balkans
Ionian - between Italy and Greece
Tyrrhenian - southwestern
Ligurian - northwest; near Corsica
Italian Rivers
Very few navigable rivers
Po River - flows horizontally from western Alps to Adriatic at Veneto
Important tributaries - Tanaro, Dora, Baltea, Sesia, Ticino, Adda, Oglio
In the northeast - flowing south - Adige, Brenta, Tagliamento
Central and Southern - Tevere and Arno plus other smaller ones
Italian Lakes
Garda, Como,Maggiore and Iseo in the north moderate the cooling influence of the Alps
Trasimeno, Bolseno and Bracciano are in Central Italy
Italian Climate
Elevation rather than latitude
High elevation extends growing season, allowing grapes to maintain acidity and aromatic complexity
Northern – mostly continental, with alpine influence at higher altitudes; long severe winters, warm sunny summers
Padana Plain - fully continental with hot summers and cold winters
Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Friuli - more affected by Mediterranean
Central and southern - warm Mediterranean climate near coast with mild winters and warm to hot summers
(Tyrrhenian is deeper and larger - stronger influence)
Inland - mountainous, so cooler due to higher elevation
Italian Tempuratures
Coldest average in northern Italy
Padana Plain - one of coldest in winters and one of hottest in summers
Central and southern - higher average temps, particularly in coastal areas
Coast of Sicilia, Calabria and southern Sardegna are highest average
EU Wine-Growing Zones
6 zones: A, B, CI, CII, CIII(a) and CIII(b) where A is coldest
Valle d’Aosta, Trentino-Alto Adige, parts of Lombardia and Veneto are CI
Sardegna, Sicilia, Calabria, Basilicata, Puglia - CIII(b)
Remainder of Italy CII
Italian Rainfall
highest in mountains
lowest on plains and coasts
Generally, more rain in fall and winter
Summer drought can be a problem
Irrigation (under certain restrictions) may be allowed
Hail a threat in northern Italy
Italian Soils
Sedimentary - transported by water, ice, wind, gravity
Moraines - transported by glacier - gravel, clay, silt, sand
Metamorphic - results when sedimentary or igneous rocks are subject to high temps and extreme pressure that causes changes in rock structure
Volcanic - sometimes magma solidifies in subsoil, other times it makes its way to the surface (Soave); Alto Adige has deposits of porphyry
Sedimentary
- Alluvial - transported by flowing rivers - gravel, sand, silt, clay
- Marine - limestone, calcareous marl, dolomite (Alpine and Apennine areas)
Langhe, Valpolicella, Collio, Colli Orientali del Friuli, Conegliano Valdobbiadene, Chianti, Montalcino
Moraines
Sedimentary mound transported by ice
Northern Piemonte, Franciacorta, Valtellina, around Lake Garda
Metamorphic
- granite, schist; found in mountain ranges
- always linked to orogenesis
Sardegna, Calabria, northeastern Sicilia, along the Alps
Volcanic
Magma solidifies in the form of granite (sub-soil) or basaltic lava (surface)
Veneto’s Prealps
Toscana, Lazio, Basilicata, Campania, Sicilia
Orogenesis
the formation of mountain ranges; created sedimentary soils
Hardened clay - found in Alpine and Apennine areas
Political Geography
20 administrative regions
5 have a special autonomous status allowing them to govern with a certain level of autonomy and legislative power:
Valle d’Aosta
Trentino-Alto Adige
Friuli Venezia Giulia
Sicilia
Sardegna
Each region is divided into provinces (named for main city located within the area), and within a province, large number of municipalities (comuni)
Boundaries follow historical lines - mark significant differences in culture, traditions, food, languages, wines and grapes
Vine training systems
Still some use of traditional systems, mostly in combination with modern techniques (high density planting, leaf stripping and green harvesting)
High-trained vine systems
Etruscans introduced first – tree branches as support; produced dense canopy and abundance of grapes
Today generally used with low-density plantings
Pergola
Tendone
Geneva Double Curtain
Sylvoz - horizontal cordon, with shoots haning down
The latter two in Emilia Romagna and Veneto
Pergola
Pergola Veronese - horizontal arms
Pergola Trentina - inclined arms
Widely used in Trentino-Alto Adige, Veneto, Romagna
Tendone
Canopy grows horizontally forming a tent with grape clusters hanging underneath
High productivity - used for table grapes but mostly replaced for wine grapes
Abruzzo, Campania, Puglia, Sicilia
Low-trained vine systems
Vertical shoot positioning, including:
Cordone Speronato
Guyot
Cappuccina - Veneto - Guyot where new cane angles upwards, then downwards like an inverse “v”
Albarello
Cordone Speronato
Single spur-pruned cordon
Suitable on medium-to-poor soils
Allows mechanical pruning
Guyot
Most common
One or two new canes each year trained horizontally
Suitable in poor, dry hillside soils
Alberello
Bush trained
Sicilia, Sardegna, Puglia
Suitable for hot, arid climates
Low-yielding
Labor intensive
Produces high quality, very ripe grapes
Used some in Valle d’Aosta where vine benefits from heat radiating from ground
Zonazione
Ongoing study since 1980s
Data on soil, climate, topography, altitude, humidity, rainfall, sunlight hours, other factors
Goal to analyze the data in order to dive the area under vine into homogeneous sub-areas
Native Grape Varieties
Mostly late-ripening
Require warm conditions in summer and early fall to ripen fully
350-600 genetically distinct and commercially relevant varieties (but could be higher)
International Grape Varieties
Introduced to Italy in 19th century by winemakers who brought back vine cuttings from trips to other European wine regions
Other varieties introduced as a result of political and military events (German varieties brought under Austrian rule)
Another influx after phylloxera
Third influx in 1970s (Pinot Grigio) and 1980s (Chardoonay, SB, CS) and even 1990s (Syrah, Viognier)
Recently, the fashion for international varieties has declined considerably
Most widely planted grape varieties
Sangiovese (more than twice as much as:)
Montepulciano
Catarratto Bianco
Merlot
Trebbiano Toscano
Barbera
Chardonny - mostly for sparkling
Glera
Pinot Grigio
Nero d’Avola
Winemaking, generally
Substantial improvement since 1970s
Influx of EU funds
Experimentation over the years plus modernization (mixed with traditional)
Adjustments
Chaptalization forbidden
Must enrichment allowed in some poor vintages (RCGM / MCR) - strictly regulated
Acid adjustment permitted but strictly regulated
(C1 zones can de-acidify only; CIII(b) can only acidify)
Red Wine new techniques
Fermentation in SS and/or wood, concrete
Pumping over, submerging cap, rotofermenters
Shortened maceration time, though some high-quality producers keep longer macerations
Traditionally large Slavonian oak or chestnut (botti), but now more small French oak barrels and tonneaux (goal to tame tannins and acidity)
White Wine new wine making techniques
Abandoned fermentation on skins
Slow, cool fermentations, SS, cultured yeast, filtration, centrifugation, elimination of oxygen contact
Now, some interest in natural yeast, wood fermentation and ageing, even some short cold pre-fermentation macerations
Sparkling wine new wine making techniques
Mostly tank method with shorter lees-aging
(Good for aromatic grapes)
Traditional Method - Franciacorta DOCG and Trento DOC
Riper grapes mean less need for high levels of dosage
Tank Method
Federico Martinotti developed in 1895
Eugene Charmat adopted it in 1920s
Known as Chrmat method, but in Italy often called Metodo Martinotti
Talento
Term and symbol used to indicate wines made by traditional method. Most producers did not use, so largely abandoned
Frizzante
1-2.5 atm
Emilia-Romagna and Oltrepo Pavese
Usually tank method, but some ancestral method
Sweet Wines
Sweet wine production pre-dates Middle Ages
Appassimento - drying grapes after harvest
Also some sweet wines from late-harvest grapes
Noble rot - muffa nobile
Sweetness Levels
Dolce
Amabile - medium sweet
Abboccato - medium-dry
Secco
Rose Wines
Minor category
around Lake Garda
Direct press or bleeding (salasso)
What is a fascetta or sigillo?
Each bottle carries a golden seal label (fascetta or sigillo) with a unique alphanumeric code
What grape cannot appear on Italian generic labels and which can?
Pinot Noir cannot appear on generic wine labels
Syrah, CavSav and Merlot can appear
What was the first civilization to develop vines in Italy
Etruscan civilization
Where did the Etruscan developed in Italy
Toscana and Umbria
What did the Etruscan do for the wine in Italy
They developed the wine production in northern and central Italy
Which system did the Etruscan trained vines
High above ground using trees as natural supports
How is the Etruscan training system known
Alberata or vite maritata all’alberata
Where is Alberata training system still used nowadays in Italy
Campania’s Aversa DOC
When did the Greeks arrived in Italy
Between 8th and 6th centuries BC
Where the Greeks settled them in Italy
Southern regions of Sicilia, Campania, Calabria, Basilicata and Puglia
How did the Romans name the southern Italian territories occupied by the Greek settlers
Magna Graecia (Great Greece)
What was the influence of the Greeks in the south for wine
The Greeks were instrumental for the advancement of viticulture and winemaking in the south as the Etruscan did for the north
What did the Greeks called south of Italy
Oenotria, the land of vines
Which training system did the Greeks introduce in the south of Italy
Low head-training method for grapevines
Who did conquered the northen Italy in detriment of the Etruscan
The Celtics between the 6th and 5th centuries BC
When did the Romans unified the Italian territory
42 BC
What was the influence of the Romans for the viticulture and winemaking
They improved by adopting the best techniques of both the Etruscans and the Greeks
Which improvement did the Romans introduce
They refined training and pruning methods to a level that some systems remained in use for centuries all over Europe
How was the wine drunk by the Romans
Sweet and alcoholic following Greeks habits
What was the respected wine for the north during the Roman Empire
Retico in Veneto (modern Valpolicella) and Pucinum made in Friuli
What was the role of the monasteries for the wine
Saved wine culture and viticulture by carrying on wine production for religion and medical purposes
When did the use of wooden barrels become widespread
In the Middle Ages
When did the Lombards take control of northern Italy and part of central and south of Italy
5th 6th centuries AD
What did the Lombard do to maintain military supremacy over their territories
Divided the Kingdom into several duchies
Who did defeat the Lombards in northern and central Italy
The Franks
Who did conquer Sicily in the 10th century
The Arabs
Who did defeat the arabs in the 11th century
The Normans (From Normandy France)
When did the mezzadria system become widely adopted
In the Middle Ages particularly in Northern and central Italy
What is Mezzadria
Landowner leased farmland to those who would work it and took half of the crop
When did Mezzadria become widely adopted
Middle Ages
What was called Maritime Republic
Coastal cities which became important trade and military centers like Venezia, Genova and Pisa
What was the order of civilizations in Italy
Etruscan
Greeks
Romans
Lombards
What was the impact of the discovery of the americas to Italy
Economic crisis because Mediterranean trade routes lost importance
When was the winter freeze that destroyed vineyards in Northern Italy
1709
Who were the leaders of unification of Italy
King Vittorio Emanuele II
Camilo Benso, count of Cavour
General Giuseppe Garibaldi
