Fundamentals Book Purple Box Notes Flashcards
Clovis
Clovis name lived on in French royal circles for centuries to come. Its derivaation, Louis, was the nme of 18 French kings. Clovis initiated the novel tradition of having men eat while sitting vs in recline (as was the Roman custom), thus beginning a legacy of French table manners.
Ban des Vendanges
Within their holdings, nobles possessed many powers including the right to tax and the droit de ban (the right to stop or prohibit). The bans des vendanges was a prescribed picking date to which every grape grower must adhere, thus simpliflying the collection of taxes imposed upon the grape harvest. This was the only ban that survived the French Revolution, as it actually served good purpose - it helped to deliver a consistent quality of product in a gien vintage year.
Claret
For 300 years, BBordeaux was Enland’s vineyard. As was customary during the Middle Ages, red and white grapes were fermented together and vating time was short. This light red became England’s beloved “Claret.
a word taken from the French word “clairet” meaning clear or brillant. This wine evolved, but England’s propiertary nickname for Bordeaux remained ever constant.
The Renaissance nd Sparkling Future
During the Renaissance, Northern Europe was in the middle of a “Mini-Ice Age.” Cooler than normal temperatures occurred from the 1600s to 1800s with especially cold periods surrounding 1650, 1770 and 1850. The weather compounded hardships brought about by war but also resulted in incomplete fermentations which resuscitated in spring, setting the stage for the development of sparkling wine.
The Napoleonic Code in Bourgogne vs Bordeaux
Bourgogne was quite rural during the Napoleanic Era. Landowners adopted the NCI quite literally and divided their vineyards among their children. Compounded over time, this resulted in extremely small holdings that were unfeasible for commercil wine production. This heralded the birth of the Burgundian negociant who could purchase fruit from many vigerons to bottle under a single label.
Bordaeux had been involved in the business of wine since Eleanor of Aquitaine, King Henry 82nd and the ensuing 300 years of trade to England. Savvy and aware, the Bordelais adhered to Napolean’s Code by dividing their estate as paper shares of stock vs rows of vines, thus maintaing the integrity and size of their holdings.
Expositiono Universelle of 1855 in Paris
At the request of Napolean 3rd, wine was added to the list of national strengths and incorporated into the showcase of new industries and new technologies on display at the Exposition Universelle of 1855. The Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce was asked to build a display, which they did. They also incorporated a listing of 87 Bordeaux Chateaux, which were ranked based upon the prices these wines of commanded in the marketplace. This historic document went on to become the Classification of 1855 which has driven Bordeaux sales ever since.
Provignage / Marcottage
The vineyards of the past represented vigne en foule (vines in a crowd). Although new vineyards were laid out in rows, dead vines were replaced by taking a healthy cane from existing vine, digging a trench next to it, burying that cane (while still attached to the parent vine) and leaving the terminal buds exposed to air. The buried cane would root, the xposed buds would sprout, and a new vine would be propagetd via provignage/marcottage or layering. The nascent vine could then be left in the ground as is and staked or dug up and replanted. It was quite common to have 20,000 vines per ac/50,000 vines per ha. Given such density, not even horoses could fit between the vines to assist with vineyard tasks. Phylloxera eliminated this practuce and kept the vineyards orderly and in set rows, setting the stage for both horse and tractor.
French Wine Production in the 1800s : The Impact of Phylloxera and Mildews
1875: 84.5mil hectoliters / 2,232 mil US gallons
1889: 23.4 mil hectoliters / 618 mil US gallons
Formation of the Massifs Central and Armoricain
In wht is now Western Europe, ancient rocks (typiclly igneous and metamorphic a billion and more years old) were internally deformed and uplifted about 350 million years ago during a mountain building period referred to as Cariscan or Hercynian. With the passage of time, these ulands were eroded down and sometimes found themselves beneath the sea. Younger strata were deposited on them.
As time moved forward, these layers of rock and sediment ballooned to the surface (due to heat changes at depth) to make land. Subsequently, some of the soft, younger strata eroded away revealing the ancient rocks below. These areas of tougher, older, rocks still make, more or less, higher land. IN the case of the Massif Central, young volcanies have erupted within them.
These old rocks are actually all across Western Europe, but mostly below the ground. In places where they are visible, we have massifs. Thus the Central and Armorican Massifs of France are actually geologically related and joined at depth, beneath the younger strata.
Rift Valley / Graben
A rife valley represents bedrock that has dropped down between paired geologgical faults. This landofrm is also known as a graben, German for ditch or trench.
Slope, Aspect & Elevation
Vineyards are planted on hillsides for several reasons. In cooler and temperate growingn areas, lowlands tend to be frost prockets; on still nights, cold air sinks and settles. In warmer growing areas, hillsides, especially those at significant elevavtion, offer welcome respite from the heat. For every 76m increase in elevation, the temperature drops 0.56c. Moreover, grapevines do not like wet feet, and slopes trypically drain well.
The sweet spot for ideal vineyard land is generally midslope. Soils are typically neither too thin nor too deep here. In addition, the steeper, pper portions of the slope often do not have enough time to absorb all of the rain that falls, while the lower slope often gathers too much. Mid-slope generally receive the ideal amount. Lastly, the sun is lower in the sky in the northern latitudes which result in ample sunshin falling mid-slope.
The orientation or aspect of the slope is also significatn. East-facing slopes captures the early morning sun which dries up heavy dew; this helps to mitigate disease pressure from rot and mildew. In cooler, higher latitude vineyard areas such as Bourgogne, east facting slopes help the soils to warm qickly at the coolest part of the 24hour cycle (dawn). South-facing slopes receive the most sun and the most heat. Moreever, south-facing slopes have their backs to the cold north winds. Grapes typically ripen with ample sugar levels and mature tannins but run the risk of lower acidity (malic acid breaks down with heat). West facing slopes receive their sunshine later in the day but also receive some of the hottest rays after a relatively cool morning. Some grape varities, such as Pinot Noir, do not liike such daily temperature extremes. North facing slopes receive the least amount of sunshine and heat.
Grapes genrelly ripen to moderate sugar levels on North facing slopes and presrve a significant amount of acidity. However, these asme grapes run the risk of contributing herbaceous flavors and less mature tannins when vinified. Some varities thrive on north facing slopes; this explains the appellation of Bourzeron in the Cote Chalonnaise - a bastion of Aligote midst a sea of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
These norms, however, re being re-examined. The overwhelming majority of the idel vineyard orientations in France have historically been south, southeast and east, but many worry that the current period of global warming may render some of these sites too warm for the varieties to which they are now planted.
