History Flashcards
Who is Ausonius?
A Latin poet and winemaker and Bordeaux native who made the first written reference to wines of Bordeaux.
What did Ausonius write?
He referenced his home as “a country famous for Bacchus, its river(s) and its great men.”
What was the Bordeaux region called by the Greeks and Romans?
Burdigala
Who is Pliny the Elder?
A Roman author who mentions the Biturica vine and Burdigala c. 77 AD.
What is Biturica?
A vine believed to have been of Greek origin having been transplants from Epirus (now Albania). It was originally known as Balisca.
What is the evolution of Biturica?
Biturica started as Balisca, then morphed into Biturica, then Vidure (vigne dure, or hard vine).
What current varietal is Biturica linked to?
Authors have tried to link Vidure with modern-day Cabernet Sauvignon as the vine is often called Vidure or Petit Vidure in Graves.
Who occupied Bordeaux for over 100 years?
After the fall of the Roman empire (476 C.E) , the Visigoths, a Germanic tribe invaded and occupied Bordeaux.
How did France come to be?
The Franks united all disparate peoples of Gaul and gave shape to the country, France. This was accomplished under the leadership of King Clovis in the 6th century.
What role did the Roman Catholic Church play?
Held all of European society together during the Dark Ages, and shepherded and preserved both vine and wine culture.
Who owned the lands and vines of Bordeaux?
The nobles and the merchant class at the start of the medieval period.
What was Bordeaux mainly producing by the 12th century?
Red wine (89%).
Until the 17th century, the Medoc peninsula was largely a marshland, true or false?
True.
When did sweet white wines come into deliberate production?
After the end of the Middle Ages (500-1500 AD).
Who is Elenore d’Aquitaine?
She was a French duchess of Aquitaine (territory including Bordeaux) who married the King of England - Henry Plantagenet in the 12th century making Bordeaux English; contributed to rise of exportation of bordeaux internationally esp. within England
What was the impact of the 100 years war on Bordeaux?
In 1337 the war between France & England interrupted the export of bordeaux wine to England; By the end of the war in 1453 France repossessed the Bordeaux region from England
Until the 17th century, what was the most prominent wine region in the left bank?
Graves
When (and by whom) was wine introduced to Bordeaux?
In the mid 1st century by the Romans
When (and by whom) was the Medoc converted from marshland to vineyards?
In the 17th century by the Dutch
What (and when) replaced Graves as the most prestigious wine producing region?
The Medoc replaced Graves in the 17th century
What was the most dominant grape in the Medoc from the 17th - 19th centuries? What replaced it?
Malbec until it was replaced by cabernet sauvignon
