André Jullien
Encyclopedia
André Jullien, born 1766 at Chalon-sur-Saône
, Saône-et-Loire
, died 1832 of cholera
in Paris
, was a French vintner
and pioneering wine
writer. Wine historian Hugh Johnson describes Jullien's work as "the foundation-stone of modern writing about wine".
wine trade. As a négociant
he made several improvements to the practices of the wine trade; he invented an air tube to better being able to tap wine and a powder for clarification of wine. For this, he was awarded gold medals at various exhibitions and was supported by the minister Jean-Antoine Chaptal
.
of all wines into five classes. An abridged edition translated into English was published in 1824 as "a manual and guide to all importers and purchasers in the choice of wines". The third and fourth French editions in 1832 incorporated many changes and were further expanded. This edition was awarded the French Academy of Sciences
' statistics prize in 1832. The final two editions were signed "corrected and augmented by C.E. Jullien" who was likely Jullien's son.
He also published a manual for sommelier
s under the title Manuel du sommelier in 1822 and the technical publication Appareils perfectionnés propres à transvaser les vins et autres liqueurs avec ou sans communication avec l'air extérieur in 1832.
winemaking
techniques used in Ekaterinoslav, wine styles of Hindu Kush
and Astrakhan
, and surveyed the vineyards of several islands in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean
s. On the islands of Madeira, he compared the dry wines made from Sercial
to the great wines of the Rhine-a description that would support the apocryphal belief that the Madeira grape descended from the German wine
grape variety Riesling
. In Madeira, he also described unusual aging methods employed on the island, such as the tradition of burying oak barrels of wine in a pit for 6 months underneath layers of horse manure
.
His writings on Bordeaux include one of the earliest classifications of the region's estate with Haut-Brion
, Margaux
, Latour
and Lafite listed among the finest wine of the area. Nearly 40 years later, the official 1855 classification would closely mirror Jullien's rankings including all of the first growths. Traveling with the English wine writer Cyrus Redding
in Germany, Jullien described the quality of German wines produced during the comet vintage of 1811.
Chalon-sur-Saône
Chalon-sur-Saône is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the largest city in the department; however, the department capital is the smaller city of Mâcon....
, Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire is a French department, named after the Saône and the Loire rivers between which it lies.-History:When it was formed during the French Revolution, as of March 4, 1790 in fulfillment of the law of December 22, 1789, the new department combined parts of the provinces of southern...
, died 1832 of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, was a French vintner
Vintner
A vintner is a wine merchant. You pronounce it like this In some modern use, in particular in American English, the term is alsoused as a synonym for winemaker....
and pioneering wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
writer. Wine historian Hugh Johnson describes Jullien's work as "the foundation-stone of modern writing about wine".
Vintner activities
At the age of around 30, Jullien moved to Paris and entered the wholesaleWholesale
Wholesaling, jobbing, or distributing is defined as the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers, to industrial, commercial, institutional, or other professional business users, or to other wholesalers and related subordinated services...
wine trade. As a négociant
Négociant
A négociant is the French term for a wine merchant who assembles the produce of smaller growers and winemakers and sells the result under its own name....
he made several improvements to the practices of the wine trade; he invented an air tube to better being able to tap wine and a powder for clarification of wine. For this, he was awarded gold medals at various exhibitions and was supported by the minister Jean-Antoine Chaptal
Jean-Antoine Chaptal
Jean-Antoine Claude, comte Chaptal de Chanteloup was a French chemist and statesman. He established chemical works for the manufacture of the mineral acids, soda and other substances...
.
Publications
Jullien initiated the ambitious project of describing all known wine regions and their wines, and in this he made a pioneering effort, as the professional wine literature was almost solely concerned with how to grow vines and make wine, and not with describing and comparing different wine regions. This took him on many a distant journey and the result was his Topographie de tous les vignobles connus, which was published in a first edition in 1816, and a second in 1822. An important feature of this work was his classificationClassification of wine
The classification of wine can be done according to various methods including, but not limited to, place of origin or appellation, vinification methods and style, sweetness and vintage, or varietal used. Practices vary in different countries and regions of origin, and many practices have varied...
of all wines into five classes. An abridged edition translated into English was published in 1824 as "a manual and guide to all importers and purchasers in the choice of wines". The third and fourth French editions in 1832 incorporated many changes and were further expanded. This edition was awarded the French Academy of Sciences
French Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research...
' statistics prize in 1832. The final two editions were signed "corrected and augmented by C.E. Jullien" who was likely Jullien's son.
He also published a manual for sommelier
Sommelier
A sommelier , or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, commonly working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food matching...
s under the title Manuel du sommelier in 1822 and the technical publication Appareils perfectionnés propres à transvaser les vins et autres liqueurs avec ou sans communication avec l'air extérieur in 1832.
Wine writings
In his 1816 work, Topographie de tous les vignobles connus, Jullien created the most comprehensive cataloging of the world's wine region ever done up to that point. In addition to describing the well known European wine region, Jullien also described CossackCossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
winemaking
Winemaking
Winemaking, or vinification, is the production of wine, starting with selection of the grapes or other produce and ending with bottling the finished wine. Although most wine is made from grapes, it may also be made from other fruit or non-toxic plant material...
techniques used in Ekaterinoslav, wine styles of Hindu Kush
Hindu Kush
The Hindu Kush is an mountain range that stretches between central Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. The highest point in the Hindu Kush is Tirich Mir in the Chitral region of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.It is the westernmost extension of the Pamir Mountains, the Karakoram Range, and is a...
and Astrakhan
Astrakhan
Astrakhan is a major city in southern European Russia and the administrative center of Astrakhan Oblast. The city lies on the left bank of the Volga River, close to where it discharges into the Caspian Sea at an altitude of below the sea level. Population:...
, and surveyed the vineyards of several islands in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
s. On the islands of Madeira, he compared the dry wines made from Sercial
Sercial
Sercial is the name of a white grape grown in Portugal, especially on the island of Madeira. It has given name to the dryest of the four classic varieties of Madeira fortified wine....
to the great wines of the Rhine-a description that would support the apocryphal belief that the Madeira grape descended from the German wine
German wine
German wine is primarily produced in the west of Germany, along the river Rhine and its tributaries, with the oldest plantations going back to the Roman era. Approximately 60 percent of the German wine production is situated in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, where 6 of the 13 regions ...
grape variety Riesling
Riesling
Riesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...
. In Madeira, he also described unusual aging methods employed on the island, such as the tradition of burying oak barrels of wine in a pit for 6 months underneath layers of horse manure
Manure
Manure is organic matter used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Manures contribute to the fertility of the soil by adding organic matter and nutrients, such as nitrogen, that are trapped by bacteria in the soil...
.
His writings on Bordeaux include one of the earliest classifications of the region's estate with Haut-Brion
Haut-Brion
Haut-Brion is a name found in several Bordeaux wine producers in the Graves district, including:* Château Haut-Brion, a premier cru selection of the 1855 classification then named simply Haut-Brion...
, Margaux
Château Margaux
Château Margaux, archaically La Mothe de Margaux, is a wine estate of Bordeaux wine, and was one of four wines to achieve Premier cru status in the Bordeaux Classification of 1855. The estate's best wines are very expensive...
, Latour
Latour
Latour is a surname, and may refer to:People:*Bertrand Latour, French writer*Bruno Latour, French sociologist*Henri Fantin-Latour, French painter and lithographer*Jose Latour, Cuban crime fiction writer...
and Lafite listed among the finest wine of the area. Nearly 40 years later, the official 1855 classification would closely mirror Jullien's rankings including all of the first growths. Traveling with the English wine writer Cyrus Redding
Cyrus Redding
-Biography:The son of a Baptist minister, Redding was privately educated. He moved to London about 1806, and worked for the Pilot before editing the Plymouth Chronicle and then the West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser which he founded in 1810....
in Germany, Jullien described the quality of German wines produced during the comet vintage of 1811.