High Life

84 品 纳尔波高卢位于阿尔卑斯山脉以北，又称山北高卢、山外高卢或外高卢；与 之相对的是阿尔卑斯山脉以南的山南高卢，亦称山内高卢或内高卢。纳尔波高卢 乃罗马共和国在阿尔卑斯山脉以北建立的首个行省，更被古罗马人亲昵地称作 「我们的行省」——此拉丁语词语最后演变为法语普罗旺斯。军政强人盖乌斯·马 略于公元前107年就任执政官后进行军事改革，将多个世纪以来的公民征兵制改 为职业募兵制。服役满25年后，罗马军团士兵可选择退役，并获发优厚的退休金 和土地。鉴于普罗旺斯宜人且适合耕种的气候，不少退役士兵选择在当地退休。 意大利本土是罗马帝国人口最多且经济最繁荣的地区，但为了保护自身利益，元 老院甚至多任皇帝均曾打压其他行省的葡萄酒生产。普罗旺斯的退役士兵却坚决 不卖账——迦太基、马其顿和帕提亚都被打败了，政客又有什么可怕的？ 普罗旺斯葡萄酒在古典时代备受推崇，其良好的名声一直延续至十九世纪中 期。根瘤蚜肆虐后，欧洲葡萄酒业满目疮痍，一切从零开始。此时，铁路运输终 于来到了法国南部地区，意味着葡萄酒能以前所未有的便捷方式，大规模地输往 工业化的北部。工人在位于城市的工场里干活，无法从事农业生产，各类农产品 （包括葡萄酒）也得靠别人供应。霎时间，普罗旺斯与西邻的朗格多克-鲁西永均 乘上了大时代的列车，种植高产量但品质一般的葡萄，为工人阶级生产大量廉价 葡萄酒。 The region was perhaps better known as Gallia Transalpina, literally “Gaul thither side of the Alps”, so as to differentiate it from Gallia Cisalpina, literally “Gaul hither side of the Alps”. It was also known as Provincia Nostra, literally “Our Province”, for being Rome’s very first province north of the Alps. Subsequent to the Marian reforms in 107 BC, veterans were able after 25 years of service to retire with a generous pension and a plot of land. Many opted to retire there, in view of the Provençal climate and good yields it promised. To protect the interests of Italia, Rome’s most populous and prosperous province, the Roman Senate and successive emperors have tried to curbwine production elsewhere, but the veterans apparently stood their ground against politicians as steadfastly as they did against Carthaginians, Macedonians and Parthians. Provençal wine was highly regarded during classical antiquity and its sterling reputation remained until the late 19th century, when the phylloxera plague broke out. High-yielding varieties were planted as replacement, as railroads made it possible to transport wine in large quantities to the industrialized north to quench the thirst of the urban working classes, who had left behind their previous life of mixed farming in the countryside. For a time, Provence tended to focus on quantity, not quality, similar to its western neighbor Languedoc-Roussillon.