Fundamentals Flashcards
Which people are credited with the invention of the water tight, rollable, stackable wooden cast for the storage and transport of the foodstuffs, a vessel they utilized as of 350 BCE?
The Celts who settled in a significant portion of France circa 1200 BCE.
What mathematical shape France is affectionately referred to?
L’Hexabone (the hexagon) due to its six-sided shape.
What increasingly damagine climatic condition Bourgogne has been beset with due to global warming?
And what condition has been experienced in Rhone and Lauguedoc in 2003 and 2018/2019 respectively?
- Hailstorms
- Floods
Which people established the vineyards in South-West France, Bordeaux, Bourgogne and the Loire by the 1st Century CE?
The Romans
What three scourges caused drastic reduction in total production, an exodus to other countries starting from 1850s?
- Powdery Mildew/Oidium
- Phylloxera (1863)
- Downy Mildew/Peronspera (1882)
What was a by-product of Mini Ice Age Northern Europe experienced especially cold periods in 1650, 1770 and 1850 as far as vinifcation was concerned?
It resulted in incomplete fermentations which resuscitated in spring, setting the stage for the development of sparkling wines.
Which grape variety took poorly to American rootstock and its planting dropped to 3% from 33% in the Southern Rhone?
Mourvedre
What river is the longest in France?
The Loire River approximately 620 mi/1,000 km
How many adrministrative regions France is divided into?
13
What are beneifts of the Mistral ? (up to 3)
The Mistral chases away clouds, dust and diesase producing humidityto deliver sunny skies, dry weather and clear air.
True or False:
Most quality vineyards are planted on shallow, moderately fertile soils.
True
What resulted after the Cathars crusade?
Cathars lived in an area along the Mediterranean but were considered to be heretics. Pope Innocent III initiated a formal crusade against them in 1209, slaughtering men, women and children. The land they occupied Occitania was annexed into the growing nation of France.
What is the prevailing wind that blows across much of France reaching as far inland as Champagne in the north and Languedoc in the south?
Westerlies
What two south winds that Languedoc and Roussilon experience?
- Marin
- Autan
How did the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) impact Alsace?
The Thirty Years War resulted from the Protestant Reformation movement and again decimated Europe’s population. Alsace previously quite prosperous was ravaged. In the peace treaty that followed Alsace became a northeastern vineyard of France rather than a southwestern vineyard of Germany and the French king gave land grants to whoever would settle there.
Who discovered “Mutage”?
Arnau de Villa Nova in 1295
Before fermentation is complete, a high-proof, neutral grape spirit is added to the mix. This brings the feasting yeasts to a grinding halt, thereby preserving some of the natural sugars of the grapes, which would otherwise be devoured and turned into alcohol. Those remaining sugars carry along a plethora of sweet flavors, while the neutral spirit pumps up the ABV to 15 percent or higher.
How did the Hundred Years War start and what was the eventual result?
The Hundred Years War (1337-1453) resulted from the English King refused to pay homage to the French Crown and decimated the populace of both nations. It ended with Charles VII reclaiming his crown and his country with the effort of Joan d’Arc.
What are three principal types of climate found in France?
- Oceanic/Maritime
- Continental
- Mediterranean
4.
What intense north wind that origtinates as a mass of cold air lying atop the North Sea and Altantic Ocean.
The Mistral
What were contributions made by Jean Antoine Chaptal (1756-1832) and Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) in advancement of viticulture?
Chaptal invented Chaptalzation, a process which allowed for the addition of sugar to a fermenting must to increase alcohol levels in the finished produce.
Pasteur discovered yeast and linked it to fermentation.
What resulted by the marriage of Henry Plantagenet and Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine?
Henry, grand son of William the Conqueror, and Eleanor represented a significant portion of France. The Duchy of Aquitaine stretched along the west coast of France from just south of the Loire to the Spanish border and expanded inland as far as east as Auvergne.
What smaller administrative entity each of 13 French Admisnistrarive Region divided into?
What smaller administrative entitity further fractionalizes them into?
- Departements/departements
- Commune
Geologically speaking the “hexagon” (France) can be composed of two massifs, two basins and one rift.
Name them.
- Massifs; Armorican Massif / Central Massif
- Basins: Paris Basin / Aquitaine Basin
- Rift: Western European Rift Valley
Describe the practice of Provignage/Marcottage.
The vineyards of the past represented vigne en foule (vines in a crowd). Dead vines were replaced by taking a healthy cane from an existing vine, digging a trench next to it, burying the cane and leaving the remaining buds exposed to air.
A new vine would be propated via provingage/marottage or layering. It was common to have 20,000 vines per ac/50,000 vines per ha.
Giving such density not even horses could fit between the vines to assist with vineyard tasks.
