#Phylloxera

[my-52-weeks-with-christie]

Absinthe: Fun Fact

While researching the phylloxera epidemic in France, I couldn’t find any photos of the blighted vines….However, Vincent Van Gough is thought to have painted an afflicted vineyard in 1888, twenty-five years after the onset of the devastation. In Van Gough’s piece called The Red Vine, the one and only painting he sold (publically) during his lifetime, the grapevine being harvested are wearing…

[useless-catalanfacts]

Hi, so as far as my family knows, our family name is Catalan, but we can't trace our family line before we moved to Cuba. So I was wondering if many Catalan people moved to Cuba when it became outlawed in Spain? Or in the times leading up to it being outlawed?

Thanks!

Hola!

Cuba is one of the countries with a largest Catalan diaspora. Catalan people were forbidden from going to the Americas (who were Castillian colonies) until the year 1778, and it still took a while for people to start going in large numbers.

Catalan people first migrated to Cuba in the 19th century, a few were rich people who went there for commerce (even involved in slave traffic! 😱) and soon more poor people started going, too, after their lives were turned upside-down by the phylloxera pest. Back then, in many parts of the Catalan Countries most people worked in the vineyard fields or related trades that had to do with winemaking, but in the mid-1800s the phylloxera (an insect from North America that destroys vineyards' roots) arrived to Europe and destroyed the fields. The effects of the phylloxera were absolutely devastating: thousands of people lost all their vineyards, whole areas lost their income, poverty reached the extreme. With the countryside ravaged, people desperately looked for new jobs, and many found that the only option was to emigrate. The vineyard-making rural areas suddenly lost population, who were going to the cities or abroad. Most of these Catalan farmers who went abroad went to Cuba, because it was seen as a land of opportunity where people could make a good living. Usually (and like many economical migrants nowadays), they had the idea that they would go, make money, and come back home, but (not unlike many economical migrants nowadays) most did not make that much money, and decided to stay in Cuba. Many Catalan immigrants in Cuba ran corner shops, they were so poor that they slept behind the shop's counter because they didn't have any other home than the shop. I have read that in 19th century Cuba, people even used the expression "to go to the Catalan on the corner" (el catalán de la esquina) or just "to go to the Catalan" (el catalán) to mean going to a corner shop (same as now many European countries say "to go to the Pakistani"). Besides these ones, a strong network of Catalan merchants also established itself in Cuba, trading with sugar and coffee.

Of course, the "corner Catalans" could not afford to come back, but the ones involved in slave trading or commerce with products grown by slaves often could. The poverty at home and the return of these rich people created the image of the "indiano" or "americano", meaning someone who had gone to Cuba (or, less commonly, Puerto Rico), had become rich, and had come back dressed in elegant fashionable clothes, the man smoking a thick cigar, and built a beautiful house in his hometown. The "indiano" became part of the collective imagination, and was a very prestigious person. These "indiano-style" buildings (they sent the command to start building the house from America, before coming back) and the presence of the "indianos" promoted the idea of Cuba as a place of opportunities even more. Still nowadays, in Catalan we have the expression "fer les Amèriques" ("to do the Americas") meaning to get very rich.

Examples of indiano houses in Begur and Cadaqués.

Examples of indiano houses in Sitges.

And the same happened the other way around a bit later: in Cuba, art nouveau was introduced in large part by Catalans, and the early houses built in this style were called "catalanadas" by Cubans.

In Sitges, there's even a pair of "giants" that represent these "indianos". "Giants" are a traditional element of Catalan folk culture, they're hollow figures that represent the mythical founders of a town or someone important from their local history or legends. In the case of Sitges (like in many more towns that used to be the border between Muslim and Christian kingdoms when they were founded), it's a pair of Muslim nobles and Christian nobles from the Middle Ages. But in the 1960s they decided to add another pair of smaller giants to represent the "indianos". This goes to show how the idea of the "indiano" almost as a mythical category has survived.

The "americanos" giants in Sitges.

For these reasons, there is a long list of famous Cubans of the Catalan diaspora, including the president of the first independent Cuban constitutional assembly (Asemblea de Guáimaro) Bartolomé Masó, Facund Bacardí (founder of the Bacardí rum company), the revolutionary and Cuban independence hero Leoncio Vidal, the musician and conductor Xavier Cugat, the poet José Martí, la reina del bolero Olga Guillot, the dancer Aurora Bosch, the anti-Fulgencio Batista intellectual Mario Llerena, the anarchist thinker Fernando Tarrida del Mármol and his uncle the Cuban independence general Donato Mármol, among others.

Besides Catalan-Cubans being involved in Cuban independence from the Spanish empire, they also were involved in the Catalan independence movement. For example, the flag of Catalan independence (estelada) was created in the early 1900s by a Catalan in Cuba, who used the triangle of the Cuban flag that means independence.

The Cuban flag and the Catalan independence flag.

The Catalan diaspora in Cuba also created the first "Casal Català" ("Catalan house") in 1840 in Habana. A Casal Català is a social centre where Catalan emigrants meet, for example to celebrate the Catalan holidays, and also open Catalan culture to other people, such as by offering Catalan classes. Nowadays, there are 128 Casals Catalans in all 5 continents.

Another way in which Cuba has had a deep mark in Catalan culture is the music genre havaneres, which are melancholic songs that fishermen, sailors and emigrants sang.

The other moment with a highest number of Catalan emigrants (refugees and exiles) was after the fascists' victory in the Spanish Civil War (1939), but few of them went to Cuba then. Most went to Mexico, Venezuela, and France, and some also to Chile, Argentina, Colombia, and to a lesser extent the UK and the USA.

[ripeteeth]

many-sentence sunday

I recently reread Good Omens and was suddenly reminded of how idiotic and delightful these two freaks are, and then this started to spill out:

The mime slowly felt his way around the invisible box; Crowley tried not to look at Aziraphale. He was always trying not to look at Aziraphale; by the time the angel laid a hand on his arm, he was a lost cause.

“Would you mind terribly?” His lower lip did the thing that Crowley hated. “You know how Above gets when we don’t keep our hands clean.”

Crowley raised a brow. Seemed a bit rich to borrow someone else’s hands to do your dirty work. Still, he’d never been able to deny the angel.

“It’s about free will,” Aziraphale had once told him somewhere in Valencia, nosing over a glass of Manzanilla. “They must have the potential to do evil, even up to the last moment.”

Crowley chewed on an almond, thinking. “But what if someone was threatening them? Gun at their head and all that. Not really fair to ask them to do the right thing and kill them if they don’t.”

Both thought of the martyrs they’d met throughout the years. Odd ducks, the lot; Aziraphale shuddered. ”Well, Evil is there to be thwarted, otherwise how would you have the Good? That’s its whole purpose.”

“Could just make them all Good, couldn’t you? The humans?”

Aziraphale paused. “Suppose it would be a lot easier,” he admitted. “But the Plan is-“

”Ineffable,” Crowley had groaned. “I get it.”

It was a conversation they’d had before. It cropped up every few centuries, like an ignored system update, but it was always the same. It would always be the same.

The mime popped out of existence.

“Oh, thank you,” Aziraphale beamed. “Shall we order a bottle then? I had this exquisite Côte-Rotie just a few weeks ago.” A pause. “It reminded me of you.”

“Sure, angel,” Crowley said, and swallowed back the rest.

“Do you remember the first time we came here?” Blue eyes matched the sky above; Crowley drowned in him, watching how Aziraphale took in the vineyard with a shining, swiveling look. Crowley packed that vision away to remember later, and dusted off another.

“1900. Just after the epidemic.” The insect phylloxera had arrived in 1863, creeping through the vines, sucking away the moisture until all that was left were dead leaves to sweep at the dirt. Nearly all of Europe’s vineyards had been destroyed; Crowley had awoken from his long nap in 1897 and, when he heard the news, nearly gone right back to sleep.

“Mmm. We had a bottle of the Beaucastel. Beautiful wine. Plums. Crushed blackberries. Fresh tobacco. You make yours mainly with Mourvèdre too, don’t you, Crowley?”

The tips of his ears were warm. “Wanna split the tartare?”

[familyabolisher]

At times in the writing of wine history, wine itself has been treated as a historical actor. This is the case in many of the sweeping histories of wine, such as Hugh Johnson’s original Vintage: The Story of Wine, Paul Lukacs’s recent Inventing Wine, John Varriano’s Wine: A Cultural History, or Marc Millon’s Wine: A Global History. These lucid and entertaining histories, written by great narrators with serious wine expertise, follow a similar narrative arc. Wine is the central protagonist, the potable Zelig, popping up in different historical moments in different parts of the world. The story begins in the Fertile Crescent, where Wine is born, or in the ancient Mediterranean, where Wine enters a boisterous adolescence in the symposia and bacchanalia of the ancient Greeks. The reader is invited to pause and appreciate the wine-themed mosaic and shards of amphorae. The story then skips a few centuries and a few hundred miles, to medieval Europe (we are left to wonder what Wine has done in between), where Wine joins forces with powerful and institutionalized Christianity and canny monks create a patchwork of orderly clos on the Côte d’Or: bless them! Wine remains in France, or perhaps summers in Germany, and Bordeaux emerges in the seventeenth century, eventually finding its way to Britain (we are treated to a Samuel Johnson quote, or Pepys). Port and sherry have their seafaring adventures. The nineteenth century opens with Champagne surviving war, producing widows and conquering Russian markets; France produces Pasteur, who produces better wine, a triumph of science and the Enlightenment; wine is enjoying its golden years. Then, three-quarters of the way through this drama, tragedy strikes, in the form of the vine disease phylloxera. Wine is dealt a staggering blow and its very survival is threatened. Fortunately, a new world of scientists, mavericks, and neoliberal entrepreneurs emerge: capital is found, the plucky New World steps in to help, and new vines are grafted. Wine is saved! This cannot be criticized as being a Eurocentric narrative, because the tale concludes in California, or Uruguay, or China. Undeniably, at the conclusion of this story there is incredible momentum and optimism. Global wine production is the highest it has ever been, consumption of wine is high, and wine is (relatively) cheap. Were he a wine historian, Francis Fukuyama would declare it the end of wine history.

This hagiography of Wine is a great read: a mouth-watering tale of high drama, blind monks, and supple tannins. And it is not necessarily inaccurate. But it is, on the other hand, what British historians have called a Whiggish narrative: one that presumes continual progress, culminating in the current era, which is assumed to be the best ever. This Whiggishness may overlook some of the current difficulties in the market, or shrug off past problems in the wine industry, since all ended well. Geographically and chronologically it is uneven, such that the producers studied here generally do not merit inclusion until they have become major global actors. This type of narrative structure is what gives the false impression that South Africa produced a great wine called Constantia in the eighteenth century, and then produced nothing again until 1994. The place of Wine as the embattled protagonist who overcomes many hardships (vine diseases, consumer apathy, high taxation) and emerges triumphant and affordable in the late twentieth century, is also what is known in Marxist terms as “commodity fetishism.” As Bruce Robbins has argued, in the new commodity histories, “each commodity takes its turn as the star of capitalism.” The commodity itself, rather than the social and economic relationships that led to its production, becomes the driving force of the narrative.

Jennifer Regan-Lefebvre, Imperial Wine: How the Empire Made Wine's New World

[sgiandubh]

I'm position anon. Thanks so much for the answer! Enjoy your day!

Dear (returning) Position Anon,

You are welcome! I am always glad to share, because I know what a damn fantasy this job is to many. And yes, it is a formidable job.

You are welcome to ask anytime. Here's another pic for you:

This, Anon, was my view every morning, in August 2020, from Aunt Taxiarchia's humble abode on the island of Lipsi, in the Dodecanese. 600 people, 1 taxi (Barba/Uncle Pandelis), 4 restaurants (of which one of the very best in the country, owned and operated by my friend Manolis Hiras) and home to an exceptional grape variety, the Fokiano, untouched by phylloxera.

Life is slow on Lipsi and is probably stuck somewhere around 1955. To give you a brief idea of how these people are, if you care enough to make friends out of strangers, let me tell you how Aunt Taxiarchia bid me good night, one evening I told her I will probably be back late (because Manolis' chicken with apricots was to die for):

'Va bene. Ti lascio con la luna' (Ok. I'll leave you in the Moon's good care).

They all speak Italian simply because the Dodecanese was occupied by Italy from 1911 to 1947. And that probably also explains why the main tourist crowd are the Italian owners of luxury yachts.

You should forgive my babble. I tend to get enthusiastic very easily about things I really love.

[realtattle]

Why did you let Skitter on the team?

she's got the goods (ants, bees, wasps, spiders, horntails, sawflies, beetles, weevils, cockchafers, billbugs, pillbugs, butterflies, ladybugs, fritillaries, moths, swifts, cassiflies, cockroaches, crickets, grasshoppers, locusts, katydids, diplurans, damselflies, dragonflies, earwigs, fleas, gnats, midges, water scorpions, slugs, aphids, cicadas, froghoppers, ground pearls, jumping plant louses, kermes, laefhoppers, mealybugs, grape phylloxera, lanternflies, cottony-cushion scales, ice bugs, mantispid, owlflies, spongillaflies, chewing lice, bird lice, rhynchophthirinans, human lice, pubic lice, mantids, mayflies, psocids, thrips, termites, strepsipterans, assassin bugs, ambush bugs, backswimmers, bat bugs, bed bugs, coreid bugs, creeping water bugs, damsel bugs, flat bugs, flower bugs, lace bugs, marsh treaders, giant water bugs, chinch bug, stinkbugs, unique-headed bugs, water boatmen, leaf insects, webspinners, bristletails, diplurans, proturans, springtails, roly polys, buffalo treehoppers, calponia harrisonfordi, bombardier beetles, vampire moths, aha has, toe bitters, tongue-eating lice, titan beetles, filbert weevils, giant wetas)

[the-man-in-the-wind]

The grapevine over our pergola.

I planted this when I built the pergola, about 27 years ago.

Safe to say it’s faring better than I am!

I can’t exactly remember what cultivar it is but I’m fairly sure it’s ‘Regent’, which is a phylloxera and mildew resistant hybrid.

The grapes are good for making wine, which I have done with mixed success, or as eating grapes, but they are a little small and somewhat too seedy for that. They are fairly sweet though.

The entrance to the pergola is south facing so the vine gets a lot of good sunlight through the growing season.

It gets a borderline brutal pruning in late autumn and has, on occasions, made a break for freedom by crossing over the fence at the back of the pergola into my neighbour’s garden.

[thedansemacabres]

The Wine Industry for Dionysians: French-American Grapes

THE WINE WORLD is almost as paradoxical and complex as Dionysus himself—the industry is a constant pull of old and new, tradition against modernity, and the complexity of art and science. In the centre of this is the debate of French-American vitis hybrids, as products of science for the modern wine industry. These hybrids are a new shoot in the wine industry, as they not only possess the disease tolerance indigenous American grapes do—but also the ability to stand the brunt of frozen winters and climates inhospitable to Vitis Vinifera. Since I am almost halfway done with my degree of Viticulture and Enology, I thought I should begin to share my knowledge of the art and science with other devotees.

As Dionysians, his realm of vines and enology is ours to explore. The wine industry is always adapting and growing—developing new trends and new styles of wine. From this comes new trendy grapes and wines that may or may not last on consumer’s palettes. That is why the wine industry often is afraid to branch out—new may outcompete the old and wine-making is a risky business. 

HISTORICAL SUMMARY 

French-American hybrids are called French-American as they are usually produced in France or from French cultivars with American grape species. Many hybrids were simply named with numbers, however many now have common names that are usually French. Every year new hybrids are developed with the hopes of a grape worth gold.

In the mid 1800s, due to colonial trade with Europe, settlers brought along pests endemic to North America such as phylloxera (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae) and powdery mildew (Uncinula necator) to Europe. This devastated Europe’s wine industry as Vitis Vinifera had no resistance to the imported pests. In an attempt to save the wine industry, viticulturists began to cross North American grapes with European vines. The first hybrids of these programs created by breeders like Seibel, Couderc, Kuhlmann and Bertille Seyve were widely planted across Europe, however wine quality was considered disappointing when compared with the traditional European cultivars. Modern French-American hybrids that possess some sense of recognition these days have a flavour profile similar to V. Vinifera.

Ever since, hybrids continue to be developed and breed to produce higher quality wine grapes with the desirable traits of American and European grapes.

ABOUT FRENCH-AMERICAN HYBRIDS

In my venture to become a viticulturist, in my heart has grown a passion for these hybrid vines. My current place of residence is within the high, cold mountains that have a special peculiarity to allow grapes to grow. The harsher weathers are shielded by the even grander peaks of the greater mountains and warm-winds trail through the craigs. Yet, vitis vinifera—the European grape—still struggles to grow due to foreign climates. As one example, since my town’s last freeze, the appeal of cold-hardy French-American grapes has grown. 

For those who are unfamiliar, grapevines are under the species Vitis; possessing two subgenera, Euvitis and Muscadinia. Euvitis subgenus are the bunch grapes and Muscadinia are the muscadine loose cluster grapes. The majority of Vitis species are from North America, with others being naturalised to Europe (V. Vinifera, the most commonly used species for wine, originating within West Asia) and Eastern-Central Asia (V. Amurensis). 

Some red wine French-American hybrid grapes include:

Baco Noir, a hybrid of Folle blanche and V. Riparia., is known for low tannin content contrasted with deep pigments and good acid balance. Wine flavour is described as “Rhone-style” or “Beaujolais-style”.

Chambourcin, a hybrid with no known parentage and considered the ‘king’ of the hybrid grapes. Produces a dark fuschia red wine with strong aromatics that may be made dry or with residual sugars from fermentation. Chambourcin is a very versatile grape, as it can produce rosé, Beaujolais, or other styles, and medium-to-full-bodied, fairly complex wines, or ports.

Chancellor, a hybrid made from Seibel 5163 and Seibel 880. Chancellor is mostly used to produce a varietal wine with notes of plum and cedar, or used in red blends.

Chelois, a cross between Seibel 5163 and Seibel 5593 with mixed American grape ancestry. While it is likely best for blends, the wine possesses medium-bodied, fruity wines with notes of berry, leather, and earthy aromas.

Concord, thought to be an accidental hybrid between V. Labrusca and V. Vinifera. A common and well-beloved base to grape juice, jellies, or other ‘grape’ flavour products. Many kosher wines are made with Concord grapes, though little-used elsewhere due to most of the market considering the “foxy” flavour of American grapes to be undesirable. 

De Chaunac, a hybrid of V. labrusca, V. lincecumii, V. riparia, V. rupestris, and V. vinifera. The berries are loose and blue-black. Produces an intensely coloured wine, though the croppage continues to decrease over the years.

Frontenac, a loose-berried cross between Landot 4511 and V. riparia 89. Known for its cold hardiness, this hybrid can be made into ports, blends, and reds. As a wine, it is known for its deep-colour adorned with cherry, blackberry, black currant, and plum notes.

Marechal Foch, known for its intense deep purple hue, a light- to medium mouthfeel, and dark berry fruit flavours, Marechal Foch exhibits some Burgundian characteristics. Some tasters find that the similarities to Burgundy’s Pinot Noir develop with age.

Norton, also called Cynthiana, is an American hybrid from Virginia of V. aestivalis with small clusters of blue-black berries. The wine made from Norton grapes is very versatile, including spicy, fruity (ranging from “foxy” V. labrusca to raspberry character), black pepper, tobacco, and chocolate flavours/aromas. Wines have intense colour density and can be used in varietal wines, including port style, but is also blended with other red wines.

Some common white wine French-American hybrid grapes include:

Caguya White, a hybrid of Seyval and Schuyler with greenish-yellow berries. Cayuga White wine is versatile, as it can be made into semi-sweet wines emphasising the fruity aromas as well as dry, less fruity wine with some ageing in oak. When fruit is harvested early, it can ferment into a lovely sparkling wine with good acidity, good structure, and pleasant aromas. The wine is reminiscent of many German Vitis Vinifera grapes. 

Chardonel, a large-clustered grape hybrid of Seyval and Chardonnay. Chardonel is typically produced as a varietal wine and is finished dry to semidry. Chardonel displays characteristics of its parents, king of the whites Chardonnay and Seyval, yet may also possess a high alcohol content. Chardonel also has the potential for fine-quality, dry still wines produced with barrel fermentation and/or barrel ageing. Chardonel is also used as a base for sparkling wines. The wines made from Chardonel have the fruit aroma characteristics of both parents, making it appealing to more European wine tastes. 

Delaware, a hybrid grape that was found in the United States within a New Jersey garden and then propagated in Delaware, Ohio. The grapes of this hybrid are used as a prized sparkling or dessert wine. 

Diamond, thought to be a cross between Concord and Iona, a V. labrusca and V. vinifera hybrid. Diamond suffers a small yet prized market similar to Concord or Niagara, but it can be made into dry table wines and sparkling blends.

Niagara, essentially the white wine version of Concord. The wines produced from Niagara possess a strong American “foxy” flavour and are usually finished semi-sweet, but can also be made into dessert wines such as cream and dry sherry. Similar to Concord, it may also be used for a white non-alcoholic grape juice. 

Seyval Blanc, or known as simply Seyval, is an adaptable variety that can be finished fresh and dry, barrel-fermented with malolactic fermentation, sur lie aged (aged the spent yeast cells), or made into sparkling wines. Wine from Seyval Blanc has appealing aromas of grass, hay, and melon, though the body tends to be thin. Others describe the wine as clean and fresh, similar to Sauvignon Blanc. 

Traminette, a lovely cross of Joannes Seyve 23-416 and the German white grape Gewürztraminer. Generally, hold strong spice and floral aromas, a full structure, and long aftertaste. The wine can be made dry or sweet but is usually finished with some residual sweetness. Varietal descriptions include floral, spicy, perfume, and lavender, with some similarity to Gewürztraminer.

Vidal Blanc, a loose-clustered vine with greenish-white fruit along with pronounced, noticeable dark lenticels at fruit maturity. Vidal Blanc is a cross between Ugni blanc and Seibel 4986 and is typically grown as a varietal wine. Akin to Chardonnay, Vidal blanc is versatile and may be used to make a variety of wine styles, from off-dry Germanic-style wines similar to Rieslings, sparkling wine base wines, dry barrel-fermented table wines, and complex Burgundy-style wines. Varietal taste descriptors for vidal blanc include melon, pineapple, lead pencil (I have no clue what this means), pears, and figs. Vidal Blanc has also been used to create late-harvest-style wines and ice wines.

Vignoles, born from a cross between Siebel 6905 and Pinot de Corton. Vignoles is frequently harvested for dessert wines, especially when picked late and overripe in the growing season. The wines from ripe fruit have tropical fruit, citrus-like, and pineapple flavours. Vignoles may produce many different styles of wine, including dry, barrel-fermented, sur lie aged wine, and sparkling base wines. 

ENDING THOUGHTS

The modern wine world is dominated by almost the same 12 cultivars, which I find to not only be limiting but also horrid: thousands of cultivars and wine-making styles are under the threat of being out competed by the likes of the classic Chardonnay and Merlot. As a devotee of loud-roaring Dionysus, I find myself wishing to explore more of his realm—which means discovering new wines and strange grapes, all paradoxical just as he is. If you can drink, I would recommend adventuring off into the likes of rare cultivars and hybrids—after all, we tend to discover more when life is a bit unfamiliar. 

Bibliography

Goldammer, T. (2015). The Grape Grower’s Handbook: A Guide to Viticulture for Wine Production.

Wine Grape Production Guide for Eastern North America. (2008). Natural Resource Agriculture and Engineering Service (Nraes).

Further Reading:

Wilson, J. (2018). Godforsaken Grapes: A Slightly Tipsy Journey through the World of Strange, Obscure, and Underappreciated Wine. Abrams.

[xylophonetangerine]

Just learned about this yesterday. TLDR a pest called phylloxera came from America to Europe in the late 19th century and proceeded to destroy nearly all European wine grapes (Vinis vitifera) apart from a few tiny areas in Europe, all of Chile and most of Australia. It is to this day impossible to cultivate V. vitifera in Europe as there is no way to get rid of the bugs. The way they fixed this disaster was by grafting scions of European grapes onto rootstocks of American grape species, mostly V. aestivalis, that are naturally resistant to phylloxera. So let us enjoy our wines while we can because who knows what the future might hold.

[my-52-weeks-with-christie]

Absinthe: Home Repairs, A Questionable Mystery Trope, & Bugs

It wouldn’t be late, late November unless service techs found something catastrophically wrong with our house….This time, our favorite plumber, Daniel, informed us: “Dude, your heating ducts are all messed up.” Which was great for him, as he could crawl around the bowls of our house and stay toasty, but for us? Not so much. When the HVAC tech shimmied into our crawlspace later the next week, he…

[notrebellefrance]

Châteauneuf-du-Pape -Vaucluse

A partir de cette époque et jusqu’à la sécurité apportée par la pax romana, le Rhône a constitué la voie commerciale idéale, la seule constamment opérationnelle pendant des siècles.

La période romaine a vu l’essor de la culture locale afin de subvenir aux besoins des légions de l’Empire, des nombreux colons venus s’installer en Gaule… et des Gaulois eux-mêmes grands consommateurs de leur production nationale.

Nos ancêtres ont ainsi acquis rapidement une grande réputation dans la maîtrise de la vigne (plantation, greffage, taille…) mais ont aussi su apporter leur lot d’innovations techniques, le remplacement de l’amphore par le tonneau en bois n’étant pas la moindre.

Après la chute de l’Empire, c’est l’Eglise qui va contribuer à assurer le maintien sinon l’essor d’une production de qualité. Bénédictins, Chartreux, Templiers, Hospitaliers… bien implantés dans la vallée, reprennent à leur compte la culture de la vigne.

L’arrivée des Papes en Avignon en 1309 va assurer la reconnaissance dans le monde chrétien des vins issus de Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Résidents pendant plus d’un siècle, ils vont œuvrer à l’agrandissement du vignoble et à sa renommée dans le monde entier.

Anecdote

Les papes souffrant de la chaleur estivale au sein des remparts d’Avignon décidèrent de s’installer en un endroit où le climat était plus frais.

C’est ainsi que Châteauneuf, balayé par le mistral de nombreux jours dans l’année, est devenu résidence d’été des papes, prenant ainsi le nom de Châteauneuf du Pape.

La ville est d’ailleurs de nos jours jumelée avec Castel Gondolfo en Italie, résidence d’été des papes actuels.

En 1860, l’épidémie de phylloxera est un coup d’arrêt brutal à l’expansion du vignoble, celui-ci ne retrouvant son niveau antérieur qu’après 50 ans de dur labeur.

De nouvelles techniques d’implantation et de greffe, la recherche patiente d’améliorations qualitatives par la mise en place des premières règles de production, le regroupement autour d’une identité commune… conduisent à la création en 1935 de l’INAO (Institut National des Appellations d’Origine).

[useless-catalanfacts]

Hi! This is kind of a weird question but I figured I might as well ask 😅

When the Spaniards colonized Cuba, were there Catalans(Catalonians?) with them?

Hi! Sorry for the delay in answering, I was trying to find an older post where I talked about this to link it and we all know how the Tumblr search function works lol.

The answer is not at first, yes in the 19th century. The reason why there weren't Catalans during the conquest and the first centuries of colonization is because Catalans (as well as Jewish and Romani people and also criminals) were forbidden from travelling and trading with the "new continent".

I will translate to English part of an answer I gave to a similar question some time ago that asked about the whole American continent.

Until the 18th century (with the War of Spanish Succession), the Kingdom of Castile and the kingdoms of the Catalan-Aragonese Confederation shared a monarchy but not institutions, that is to say, they had the same king and queen (a very important thing in Castile, where the monarchy had a very large, highly centralized power; but not that important in the Catalan-Aragonese Confederation where institutions such as the Courts and the Generalitat ruled). They were independent states that shared a monarchy, but with different laws and customs.

Queen Isabela of Castile (the one in the Catholic Kings, during her reign Columbus "discovered" America) specified in her will that the conquered lands would be possessions of Castile alone. The conquest of America was a Castilian enterprise, so until the 18th century only Castilians participated in it with very few exceptions. Citizens from kingdoms of the Catalan-Aragonese Confederation (generally) could not embark to settle in America.

After the War of Spanish Succession (as you know Castile wins and eliminates the laws and institutions of the Catalan-Aragonese territories, and unifies administratively what is currently Spain), there is no longer distinction between Castile and Catalonia-Aragon, therefore there can be a beginning of Catalans, Aragonese, Valencians and Balearic people who participate in the colonization. And from that moment until the end of colonialism there have always been some.

The Spanish king Charles III signed the decree that allowed Catalan people (and others) to trade with the Americas in 1778, that is after 274 years where Andalusian (Southern Spanish, part of the Kingdom of Castile) harbours had had the monopoly. This was very unpopular among the Castilian oligarchs, but it was done as part of a series of reforms that were needed to bring the Spanish monarchy out of debt and failure. From then on, some Catalans migrated to the Americas (mostly Cuba, Argentina and Uruguay).

In the last decades of the 1700s and in the early 1800s, historians estimate that about 8,000 Catalans migrated to Cuba, that is about 1% of the population of Catalonia at the time (source). These were mostly poor people (Catalonia was very impoverished since the defeat of the war in 1714, the occupation and the blockade from trading with its old allies) who wanted to become merchants.

In the 19th century, migration to Cuba intensified, and between 1820 and 1840 most of the "Spanish" immigrants who arrived to Cuba were from Catalonia. And it continued in the last half of the century intensified by the devastating effects of the grape phylloxera plague. Many people in Catalonia were farmers who worked in grape fields, and when the phylloxera plague completely destroyed all the fields they were left with nothing. People moved to Cuba to try to make a living and hopefully come back when they had saved up some money. Some came back, those are called "indianos" or "americanos" and they built beautiful houses in a style reminiscent of Cuba, there was a lot of social prestige from being an "indiano". But most didn't come back.

Cuban documents at the time talk about Catalans in a very similar way that nowadays in Western Europe we can hear about Pakistani immigrants. To say "corner store" or what New Yorkers call "bodega", they would call it "el catalán de la esquina" ("the corner Catalan") or just "el catalán" ("the Catalan") because most of these shops were run by poor Catalan immigrants who worked and lived in the same room (they would sleep behind the counter).

Besides this, there was also trade (and, to a lesser extent, migration) of the upper class. They traded with coffee and sugar cane and there were even some in the slave trade(!), which sadly was still legal at the time. People from Catalonia also founded some of the Cuban brands that are still famous nowadays, like the rum Bacardí. And many famous Cuban people are children of the Catalan diaspora.

So, to sum up the answer to your question, there were no Catalan people during the Spanish conquest of Cuba nor the first centuries of colonization. The first Catalan people to migrate to Cuba went after 1778 and mostly in the 19th century. Lots of Catalans moved to Cuba, and there's a big Catalan influence in Cuba and a big Cuban influence in Catalonia (architecture, music, food...).

[ramensauce2pointoh-blog]

Story Time!

Before I get ready for work, let me tell you my favorite story from the wine world! I've adapted it into a fairy tale-esque structure because that's more fun for everyone!

Once upon a time, centuries ago, there were 6 noble lords. These noble lords were named: Cabernet Franc, his son Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petite Verdot, Merlot, and Carmenere. The lords worked in harmony creating wine that was beloved throughout their Kingdom of Bordeaux and the world!

Whispers of a newly discovered world reached the ears of the Noble Lords of Bordeaux. With excitement they requested that they be brought grapes from the new world to experiment, and perhaps bring another peer into their fold. As ambitious as the lords were a dark shadow loomed across the Atlantic Ocean...

After all six lords had been planting vines from the new world in their respective vineyards they sat back and admired and waited for the fruits of their labor to produce and try these new grapes. However the lords noticed something happening to all their vines as the growing season wore on. The vines were slowly perishing all throughout their vineyards. Not just the vines from the new world but their long-cherished vines which had been passed down through their vineyards since the Romans had ruled the lands.

As the lords became frenzied to find the root cause of their beloved vines slow death, a figure cloaked in darkness paid a visit to each lord. He introduced himself as King Phylloxera from the new world known as North America. He told each lord that war was imminent as he planned to bring his army to devour all the grape vines in Europe.

King Phylloxera had an army that had feasted for centuries on the American vines. The American vines had developed ways to resist the encroaching pest. Yet, the European vines had no such resistances. Thus, when King Phylloxera landed on the European continent, he licked his lips (or whatever bugs have) as he gazed upon the defenseless vines of the old world.

European vines suffered many casualties as the war raged. Eventually, a diplomat from the noble grapes of North America made contact and recommended planting his own grapes instead and relinquish the grapes of the old world. However, the grapes of the new world did not suit the astute palettes of the old world nobles.

A compromise was made. The New world Lords would allow the old world Nobles to borrow their vines roots to hold out against the King Phylloxera, while the grapes would still hold their noble status and flavor.

Soon the tides of war changed, and Phylloxera was beaten back into the far corners of Europe. As the smoke from the battles cleared, the noble lords stood bloodied, tired, and close to death. As they took count of their losses, they noticed that Lord Carmenere was absent. The lords mourned their loss of their fallen companion. Lord Carmenere was extinct. The six noble lords were now five. That was until about a century and a half later...

The new world had been established and grapes flourished without fret of King Phylloxera resuming his rampage in Europe or most other places for that matter. A scientist very familiar with the noble lords was staying in Argentina. He was only there for a routine visit. This was when he noticed a familiar figure that he'd only read about in studies from long past.

He shared a lot of similar qualities to the Noble Merlot but he had somethings about him that were much different. When asking the locals they said that he was the noble Merlot and had been there for centuries. The scientist approached the figure and after pulling back his mask realized immediately this was not the Noble Merlot, but the Noble Carmenere!

Unbeknownst to most, Noble Carmenere had established a small planting of his grapes in Argentina where King Phylloxera dare not venture. His grapes looked similar enough the locals knew it as Merlot. The noble lords rejoiced in the old world and welcomed Carmenere back into their fold. However, Carmenere had sacrificed his noble title for the most part in the old world. While he lost his title in his home of Bordeaux he flourished in this new world. Thus, Carmenere was rediscovered (in 1994 actually, super recently), and the noble lords have lived happily ever after creating their renowned wines.

[une-touille-en-vadrouille]

Cher public, ouvrez grand vos mirettes, car ce soir c'est cours de géographie. Effectivement, à part vous décrire le paysage, pas grand chose d'autre à dire sur cette journée de bus. Donc c'est parti :

Comme vous le savez, le Chili est une longue bande de terre de 3400km, et large en moyenne de 180km. Et folles que nous sommes, nous avons l'attention de parcourir lesdits 3400km.

Lors de notre observation approfondie par la vitre du bus, nous avons pu constater que les 800 premiers kilomètres se composaient d'un désert, répondant au doux nom de désert d'Atacama. Ce désert, coincé entre la mer et la cordillère des Andes, est sensé être le plus aride du monde, et nous confirmons cette observation. En effet, le réflexe nous vient tout naturellement de marcher de manière arythmique pour éviter de conjurer certains ver de terre aggressifs. Ici, la ressource locale n'est pas l'épice, mais plutôt le salpêtre, puis de nos jours principalement le cuivre et le lithium.

Les flamands roses que nous avons vu hier profitent des salares, d'anciens lac plus ou moins asséché et riches en sel, pour y vivre leur vie. On aurait presque envie d'en prendre un dans notre sac pour lui montrer que la vie peut être plus verte ailleurs.

Vous pourrez noter sur cette photo que les déserts, c'est pratique pour dessiner à grande échelle.

Place aux 800 prochains kilomètres maintenant : c'est une zone semi-desertique, parsemée ça et là de vallées fertiles.

Enfin, arrive Santiago (merci de noter que ceci est une figure de style, notre bus arrive réellement Santiago dans une dizaine d'heures). Région paraît il, au climat méditerranéen, où vit 75% de la population, chiffre qui ne peut que m'inquiéter quant au climat qui règne en Patagonie et en Terre de feu. C'est dans cette région que l'on trouve également de nombreux vignobles Chilien.

Et puisque l'on parle de vin, connaissez vous le carmenère ?

Un gentil Chilien qui tenait absolument à partager sa bouteille nous a expliqué que c'était un cépage originaire du Bordelais. Après enquête, au XIXe siècle, un certain Silvestre Ochagavia a décidé d'importer des cépages du Bordelais et de la vallée de la Loire au Chili. Grand bien lui en as pris, puisqu'à la fin du XIXe, le phylloxera ravage les vignes françaises. Celles-ci sont remplacée par les vignes chiliennes importées précédemment, mais pas le Carmenère, qui disparut de la carte française.

(on a trouvé de bons pains au chocolat juste avant le départ !)

[rabbitcruiser]

Haro, Spain (No. 10)

On October 27, 1891, Queen Regent María Cristina granted the town the recognition of city. The decree was achieved by the good offices of Senator for Life León López Francos, better known as Marquis of Francos and it indicated the reasons that led to this recognition "for the increase of its population, development of its agriculture, industry and commerce, and its constant adherence to the Constitutional Monarchy". Between 1901 and 1902 phylloxera affected all the vineyards of the city, causing the replacement or implantation of grafts with vine varieties resistant to the plague.

Although for a long time it was taken for granted that Haro together with Jerez de la Frontera were the first Spanish towns to have public lighting by electricity (so much so that when the first centenary of the installation was fulfilled, 1990, an attempt was made to carry out a twinning between these cities to commemorate this fact, although it was not effective), although it was not effective), new documents show that the installation carried out in Haro was based on previous experience of installations in other locations, since during the elaboration of the project the existing ones in Bilbao were mentioned or Pamplona. Although being something new drew attention to nearby towns and those who passed through Haro on the railway, giving rise to phrases such as "We are already in Haro that the lights are seen" (included in the anthem of the city) or "Haro, Paris and London" and at the time, for lack of precise research, That assertion came to be true.

Source: Wikipedia    

[proof80]

Martell Cordon Bleu Cognac (70cl/40%)

Brand: Martell

Origin: Borderies, Cognac, France

Age: Extra Old

SKU: MTL5102

Stock: Low

Description: Martell Cordon Bleu, the world’s number one prestige cognac, is celebrating 110 years of success by unveiling a striking new design. Created in 1912 by Edouard Martell and first launched at the renowned Hôtel de Paris in Monaco, Cordon Bleu was the first post-phylloxera cognac to be released by Martell and is something of a flagship for the brand. The blend contains a high proportion of Borderies (some 50%) setting it apart from other X.O. quality cognacs which tend to be more Grand Champagne led. Cordon Bleu is blended from over 100 different eau-de-vie of 10-25 years old.

Price: RM858

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