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exploring taste—santa margherita gruppo vinicolo heritage—a short history of wine

ad~1500

monastic orders innovation and new trade routes the invention of from the big frost to the first
in the middle ages during the renaissance champagne decree on chianti

After the Barbarian invasions and the fall of the At the start of the 1600s, progress in glass mak- 1668 is universally recognized as the year Cham- In January-February 1709, Europe was hit by an
Roman Empire, Europe was hit by a major agri- ing allowed the creation of more resistant bottles pagne was born, the first sparkling wine in histo- extraordinary cold wave and frost decimated vine-
cultural crisis. Much of the countryside was aban- and made glass blowing less expensive. During ry. The famous “invention” is attributed to Bene- yards across France, Germany and Northern Italy,
doned and viticulture only survived thanks to re- the same period, the use of corks and corkscrews dictine abbot Dom Piérre Perignon, treasurer of which were later replanted with more resistant and
476 Citeaux Abbey in the Burgundy region) continued 1600 which in France went by the name of vins de gar- 1668 tain cultivars, starting with Pinot Noir. Legend 1700 tected the high quality production areas in Chianti,
the Hautvillers Abbey near Épernay, who reorga-
emerged. New techniques allow better storage,
productive varieties. In 1716, with a decree, the
ligious orders. In particular, the Benedictine and
grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo III de’ Medici pro-
nized the monastery’s vineyard and selected cer-
giving rise to the production of reserve wines,
Cistercian monks (the order founded in 1098 at the
to grow vines at monasteries, producing wine for
has it that Champagne was born by chance when
Pomino and Carmignano, that were already exten-
de as opposed to vins de primeur. The conquest of
liturgical celebrations and personal consumption.
sively renowned at the time and were deriving from
the New World and the launch of new trade routes
several bottles exploded due to a mistake – lead-
very ancient traditions. This measure can be con-
ing it to be called “the devil's wine” (le vin du di-
brought wine to America, while in Europe the first
Even the emperor Charlemagne was interested in
fortified wines appeared: Porto, Madeira, Sherry
sidered the very first production regulation and the
the development of viticulture, as evident in cer-
able), while another version refers to the addition
and, later, Sicilian Marsala.
of flowers and sugar as leavening agents.
forerunner of current designations of origin.
tain rules of the Capitulare de Villis.
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