Medieval France
. The production of wine in France has its origins in the 6th century B.C., with the founding of the Greek colony at Marseille. For the next several centuries, viticulture flourished in the warm, dry Mediterranean regions of France. The northern expansion of this industry occurred largely as a result of two distinct dynamic forces—one political, the other religious. For the Romans, the vine was a sacred plant (sacra vitis), and as they extended their empire beyond the Mediterranean, great vineyards were introduced as far north as the Seine, the Moselle, and the Rhine. What seems to have allowed for the successful introduction of vines in the colder and moist regions of the north was the earlier experience of Mediterranean vintners along the slopes of the Alps. Likewise, the spread of Christianity had an equally important effect on the northern expansion of the vine, since wine was central for the celebration of the Mass. As a result, the founding of each new church and monastery saw vineyards appearing soon afterward.
The most important period for medieval French viticulture occurred during the economic revival of the 11th-13th centuries. The resulting growth in population, commerce, and urban life encouraged landowners to increase productivity, and no area of agriculture was more affected than was viticulture. It was during these centuries that the regions of Anjou, Arbois, Beaune, Bordeaux, Épernay, and Hautvilliers established their reputations for producing fine wines.
The documents of this period are filled with references to the métayage and medium vestum agreements. By the terms of métayage, a cultivator would give the land-owner a fixed percentage of his harvest in return for the use of the land. Under medium vestum, the cultivator agreed to clear lands and make them productive. Once this was accomplished, usually after five to seven years, the land would then be evenly divided, with the cultivator now becoming a small landowner.
If those involved in viticulture made significant investments in labor and materials, they could feel confident that the demand for their product would more than justify their expenses. Throughout the Middle Ages, wine was not simply the preferred beverage of rich and poor alike. In a period when water was often hazardous, wine offered the consumer the dual benefits of pleasure and security.
Stephen Weinberger
[See also: AGRICULTURE; BEVERAGES; MÉTAYER/ MÉTAYAGE; WINE TRADE]
Berlow, Rosalind Kent. “The ‘Disloyal’ Grape: The Agrarian Crisis of Late-Fourteenth-Century Burgundy.” Agricultural History 56(1982):426–38.
Dion, Roger. Histoire de la vigne et du vin en France des origines au XIXe siècle. Paris: The Author, 1959.
Grand, Roger. “Le contrat de complant depuis les origines jusqu’à nos jours.” Nouvelle revue historique de droit français et étranger 40(1916):169–228, 337–82, 555–89.
This is the complete article, containing 446 words
(approx. 1 page at 300 words per page).
View More Summaries on Viticulture
