France Flashcards
What does vigneron mean?
Grape grower
When was the Appellation d’Origine Controlee (AOC) created?
1930s
Given the French emphasis on terrior, most AOC wines are known by their _____ not their _____
Geographic location, grape varieties
Who wrote the first English book on wine?
William Turner in 1568
By approximately _______ , the French has established their our small wine culture.
500 B.C.
By the fifth century A.D., the Roman Empire collapsed, and the vineyards of France fell under the control of who?
The Catholic Church
From the Middle Ages until the eighteenth century, the vineyards of France flourished under control of who?
Monks
How did the French Revolution of 1789 to 1799 change vineyards in France?
Under the orders of Napolean I, vineyards were ousted from CHurch ownership and given away or sold, often to local peasants. In some areas where the Church’s authority has been especially powerful, entire new systems were developed for owning and inheriting vineyards (Burgundy, all children must inherit equally).
Phylloxera is thought to have arrived in France when?
Between 1860 and 1866.
Many French regions today are ____ the size they were before the phylloxera epidemic.
Half
How many different grape varieties are grown in France?
204
France produces more wine than any other country in the world, T or F?
T (although in some years, Italy has produced a tin bit more).
Climatically and geographically, France can be divided into three parts, what are they?
- North (Champagne and Burgundy), continental climate
- South, Mediterranean climate
- Atlantic Coast (Bordeaux and Loire), maritime climate
In addition to wine, France produces what two grape-based spirits?
Armagnac and Cognac
As early as ________ , Bordeaux wines were being shipped down the Gironde Estuary and out to sea, headed to both Scotland and England
The twelfth century
