France Overall Flashcards
What are the 4 levels of AOC?
Regional, District, Communal, Village or Parish, and Vineyard or Single Estate
What white grape is grown only in Bordeaux and the southwest, primarily for sweet whites?
Semillion
How many acres does merlot cover in Bordeaux?
250,000
AOC stands for
Appellation d’Origine Controlle
What red variety is associated with the Northern Rhone Valley?
Syrah
Who is credited with creating glass bottles that wouldn’t explode due to pressure?
Christopher Merret
What red variety is a blending grape in the south of France?
Cinsault
What is a leading white grape in Bordeaux and eastern Loire?
Sauvignon Blanc
Appellation means
Place-name
What are the 2 red grapes of Champagne?
Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier
IGP is also Vin de Pay. T or F
True
What white grape is planted mostly in the south of France and mainly used for vin doux natural?
Muscat
As long as all grapes come from France, entry level vin de table wines can be labeled
Vin de France
What area of France has the longest history of viticulture?
South of France
What religious orders were based in Burgundy?
Benedictine & Cistercian monks
Small quantities of Gamay can be found in what cool climate region in France?
Loire Valley
South of France fortified wines are called
Vin doux Natural
What is the most widely planted white grape in France?
Ugni Blanc
What does IGP stand for?
Indication de Geographique Protegee
In what century did Bordeaux come under the British crown & why?
Henry II married Eleanor of Aquitaine in 12th century
What is the most planted red grape variety in France?
Merlot
How many zone vin de pays/IGP’s are there in France?
90 plus
How many AOC’s are there in France?
more than 300
What white grape is only grown in the western Loire Valley?
Melon de Bourgogne
What European country served as the model for the EU’s wine system?
France
The Champagne region was well known in the 1600’s not for sparkling wines but for
still Pinot Noir wines
What tier of wine categories account for more than 1/3 of all French wine?
IGP or vin de pays
More than 1/2 of France’s Cabernet Sauvignon is grown in
Bordeaux
Tho brought the first grapes to France?
Greeks & Romans
In what regions will you find Chardonnay?
Burgundy, Champagne & Languedoc-Roussillon
What are the 5 most important rivers in France?
Dordogne, Garonne, Loire, Rhone, Rhine
AOC’s produce just under _____ of all French wine.
half
What region has a maritime climate and produce ____ of French vineyard land?
Bordeaux produces 1/3 of vineyard land.
What region in France was the first to develop appellation rules? and when?
Chateauneuf du Pape in 1920’s
What white grape is used primarily for making brandy and cognac?
Ugni Blanc
What are the major topographical features in France?
The Massif Central, southern Alps & rivers that flow from the mountains to the ocean
When did the Roman empire collapse?
5th century
What mountain range protects Alsace?
Vosges
What grape is the main red variety in Alsace and east Loire?
Pinot Noir
What 2 red varieties are grown in the Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence?
Syrah and Mourvedre
The home of French nobility in the Middle Ages was where?
Loire Valley
What red grape is a primary ingredient in most Southern Rhone blends?
Grenache
How many departmental vin de pays/IGP’s are there in France?
52
What white grape is grown primarily in Anjou-Saumur and Touraine?
Chenin Blanc
What red ward climate grape is grown only in the south of France?
Carignan
What region regularly uses varietal labeling on it’s top tier wines?
Alsace
What is the organization that legally protects the use of place names for wine regions in France?
Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualite
How many regional vin de pays/IGP’s are there in France?
6
Trebbiano is also known as _____ in France.
Ugni Blanc
What are the three levels of Vin de Pays or IGP wines?
Regional, departmental and zone
Monasteries acquired holdings in which two regions?
Burgundy & Champagne
What is the primary red grape of the Loire Valley?
Cabernet Franc
When did the deliberate introduction of bubbles into the winemaking process start in Champagne?
End of the 17th century
The British ownership of Aquitaine ended due to warfare in
14th & 15th centuries
What regions have a mediterranean climate and produce ____ of French vineyard land?
Languedoc-Rousellon, Provence, Rhone, Corsica produce half of vineyard land
Ugni Blanc covers more than _____ acres in France.
200,000
Pays d’Oc is a regional IGP which covers
the western part of the French Mediterranean coast.
