French Wine Basic

Alsace

Situated on the lower eastern slopes of the Vosges mountains, in the Rhine valley betweenStrasbourg and Mulhouse, the Alsace vineyard is rather different from any other French wine growing area. Like the region of Alsace itself, the wine culture here is steeped in a Germanic tradition, producing mostly dry or fruity white wines, the most popular being Riesling, Sylvaner and the very fruity Gewurztraminer.
The rules of Appellation contr?lée - and more recently of Appellation Protégée (AOP) are not applied in the same way in Alsace as in the rest of France. In Alsace, wines are produced under a simple "Alsace" appellation, after which the next most important element to be indicated, and the most visible word on the label, is the grape variety or "cépage", Sylvaner, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Edelzwicker, Pinot or a few others. Smaller areas do not have their own appellations, though with many Alsace wines, the name of the village or vineyard from which it comes will also be indicated. See also Vendanges tardives.
Lorraine, also in north east France, produces mostly Vin de pays white wines, in the Meuse and the Moselle.

Bordeaux

 Wine, and wine growing region. With Burgundy and Champagne, the Bordeaux region ofAquitaine is one of the three most famous French wine-producing regions. Historically, its fame is at least in part due to the fact that of these three big grape-growing areas, the Bordeaux vineyard is the only one with immediate access to the sea, an advantage that has enabled it to be France's major wine exporting region for many centuries.
In 1152, when queen Eleanor of Aquitaine married the English king Henry II, the Aquitaine region became economically integrated into the Anglo-Norman world, the Bordeaux region becoming the main supplier of wine for England. This historic wine exporting tradition helped Bordeaux to develop far stronger commercial links in the ensuing centuries, firmly establishing Bordeaux wines, often referred to generically in English as "clarets", on the international market.
The Bordeaux vineyard is centered round the port city of Bordeaux , along the estuary of the Gironde, and the rivers Garonne and Dordogne. It is a large vineyard, and the geo-specific appellation "Bordeaux" covers an area stretching some 100 km both north-south and east-west.
 While the appellation contr?lée covers wines of medium quality from all over this region, many if not most of the top quality clarets grown in the overall area benefit from more specific and distinctive area appellations, such as Médoc , Graves or Saint Emilion, and even more local appellations such as Pauillac, Graves and Saint-Estèphe.
Unlike other French wine-growing areas, the Bordeaux area operates classifications of many of its top wines, notably those from the Médoc andSaint Emilion vineyards. The best estates in these areas have the right to sell wines designated asgrand cru. Below the grand crus come other high quality wines designated as cru bourgeois.
Tip: 2009 is said to be an exceptionally good vintage year.

Médoc

The Médoc, the region south of the Gironde estuary to the north west of Bordeaux, is the home of many of the most prestigious French wines. It is part of the larger Bordeaux area. Among the famous appellations produced in this area are Saint Estèphe, Margaux, Saint Julien and Pauillac. It was in 1855 that the wine producers of the Medoc region classified their 61 best wines according to a league table of "grands crus", ranking from "Premier Cru" to "Cinquième Cru". These grands crus are generally reputed to be the greatest of all French wines, and naturally their prices generally reflect this status. Obviously, if you buy an estate bottled wine from a chateau with grand cru status, (and of course they are all estate bottled), you can be pretty sure of getting a top quality wine. But take care! Even a grand cru wine can go off if it is not matured and cared for in the best conditions.

Other areas of south-west France

 Inland and southwards from the Bordeaux / Saint Emilion regions, there are a number of  less well-known wine growing areas, many of them producing quite good wines at very reasonable prices. These include Bergerac, Cahors, Gaillac and Marcillac (all Appellation Contr?lée wines) , or C?tes du Tarn or Vin de Pays du Lot. While Marcillac is a small area, the vineyards of Cahors, Gaillac and Bergerac are quite extensive, and best known for their reds. The Cahors area produces some of the richest and darkest red wines in France, principally using the Malbec grape variety, sometimes referred to as "purple wine". However the Bergerac wine producing area is also known for its white wines, including some strong sweet aperitif wines such as Montbazillac
   Towards the Pyrenees, there are some surprisingly good white wines from the vineyards of Juran?on and Béarn, notably Pacherenc-du-Vic-Bilh, reputed for its distinctive aperitif wines. Close by, the vineyards of Madiran produce a well-known red.

Bourgogne (Burgundy)

 The vineyards of the Burgundy region cover a narrow strip of land on the eastern slopes of the hills running south-east from the Burgundian Capital, Dijon. the heart of the Burgundy wine growing region is the historic city of Beaune, where the autumn wine sale in the historic "Hospices" building is one of the high points of the wine year. Burgundy wines are classified on four levels, the lowest being the generic "Bourgogne" appellation. Selected areas of the Burgundy vineyard have their own classifications, such as C?tes de Beaune. Within these, there are smaller areas, villages and groups of villages, reputed to produce higher quality wine, such as Mersault, Pernand Vergelesse or Aloxe Corton . Finally, at the top of the pyramid, there are the "grands crus", such as Clos Vougeot, with its mere 51 hectares of vineyard. Finding ones way around Burgundy wines is sometimes a daunting task. The best Burgundy wines are the reds, the best of which can keep for a good 20 to 30 years. However, Burgundy also produces some top quality, though not too distinctive, whites. It is often said that generic burgundies "Bourgogne Rouge" or Bourgogne Passetoutgrains" white are overpriced and not particularly good value for money. 
A good tip: 2003 is said to be one of the best vintages for many years.


?Beaujolais: 
In the south of the Burgundy region, bordering the Rhone valley vineyards, a large area round Beaujeu produces a light red wine known as Beaujolais, paradoxically one of the most famous French wines.. This is a wine that does not usually keep for very many years, and over the last fifty years it has been successfully marketed as a "vin primeur", or young wine, to be drunk after just a few weeks of maturing. But the success of Beaujolais Nouveau - launched on the market each year on the third Thursday of November - has more to do with clever marketing than with any real quality of the wine. 

Champagne

The Champagne region, centered on the towns of Reims (Rheims) and Epernay, is the most northern of France's major vineyards. Unlike most of the best French wines, champagnes are blended in order to produce either non vintage champagnes (blended from different years) or vintage champagne, blended from wines of the same harvest. Consequently, since the quality of the champagne ultimately depends on a balance between the quality of the grapes and the skill of the blenders, Champagnes are also ranked and promoted by producer, not by any more finely delimited appellation . Possibly the most highly rated of blends is Krug; other well appreciated brands include Mumm, Bollinger and Heidsieck, not to mention the very well known brands of Mo?t & Chandon and Taittinger.
The distinct taste and purity of real champagne is certainly due to the chalky soil and the continental growing conditions that abound in the Champagne region. Several of the main French Champagne producers have set up branches and vineyards in California, but in spite of bringing over their best master-blenders, have never been able to achieve quite the same result.
Although many people imagine that Champagnes are all white, this is not quite true. Rosé champagnes also exist.
Note:    Champagne is not a generic term for sparkling wine from France. There are plenty more good sparkling wines from France that are not sold as champagne. While it is true to say that the top champagnes are inimitable, it is far from true to imagine that  you have to buy a real champagne if you want a good French sparkling wine. Some other excellent sparkling wines are produced in Burgundy (Crémant de Bourgogne), the Jura (Crémant du Jura)  and the Loire valley (Vouvray and others) and other areas, using the same techniques (formerly called "méthode champenoise" - an expression now banned from use in other regions) and a similar but not identical mix of grape varieties, notably Chardonnay. Only the most experienced connaisseurs can distinguish a middling Champagne from a good crémant or Vouvray... yet non-Champagne sparkling wines sell at a fraction of the price of equivalent quality wines from Champagne.
  Finally, please, the correct way to open a champagne cork is to ease it very gently out of the bottle. It is not to imitate a victorious Formula One racing driver and spray the contents of the bottle all over one's guests.

Loire Valley

Although there are some excellent wines produced in the large Loire Valley area, there are few Loire wines, whites, rosés or pale reds, that rank among the greatest French wines. "Anjou Rosé" is a good everyday rosé, and "Muscadet" and "Gros Plant" from near the mouth of the Loire are dry white wines that go excellently with seafood.. Another good appellation is "Pouilly Fumé" (not to be confused with "Pouilly Fuissé", a white Burgundy). The Loire valley, however, is also France's second largest producer of sparkling wines, after Champagne. The region also produces vin gris, "grey wine", which is actually a very pale rosé, being a white wine made from black grapes. Two of the more prestigious varieties are Vouvray and Saumur. While there are plenty of Loire wines that benefit from appellations controlées, others are sold under the VDQS label.

Cognac: / Charentes:

The Cognac / Charentes region is a major wine area, though normal wine itself is not the main product of the region; the wine produced is mostly used for distilling into Cognac or other spirits, or else for the production of a delicious apéritif wine known as Pineau des Charentes. Some white wine is produced under the Vin de Pays label, and there are some vineyards that produce rosé or even red wines.

Jura.

Possibly the most underrated of French white wines, Jura wines come from the south of theFranche-Comté region, the west-facing slopes of the Jura hills that look out across the wide Sa?ne valley to the slopes of Burgundy on the other side. The best and most distinctive of Jura whites are made from the "Savagnin" grape variety, which is found only in this region, and gives the wine a delicious sherry-like taste. However, most Jura wines are blended from different varieties, and as in Alsace, the grape variety tends to be indicated on the label. the Jura vineyard also produces dark rosé wines, sometimes called reds, as well as the famous "yellow wine", Vin Jaune, an expensive apéritif wine not unlike Amontillado sherry, made exclusively from the Savagnin grape variety. The most prestigious appellation for Vin Jaune is Chateau Chalon. This wine is made from late harvested grapes, and then left to mature in casks for at least six years.

C?tes du Rhone

C?tes du Rh?ne is one of those French wines that has become famous on account more as a result of the extent of the vineyard than of the quality of the wine. The C?tes du Rh?ne vineyard runs for over 200 kilometres down the Rhone valley from the south of Lyons to theCamargue. Within the region, there are a number of prestigious smaller areas such as C?te Rotie (in the northern part of the region), Hermitage or Chateauneuf du Pape and Gigondas (near Avignon). 
   The southern end of the C?tes du Rh?ne appellation area isa ctually in Provence.
   The vast majority of C?tes du Rh?ne wine is sold under the generic appellations, "C?tes du Rh?ne" or "C?tes du Rhone Villages". 
   C?tes du Rhone wines are mediterranean wines, and generally speaking they are blended from the different classic grape varieties of the South of France, including most notably Viognier, Syrah, and Grenache. Price-wise, generic C?tes du Rh?ne wines are often at the cheaper end of the "appellation contr?lée" range.

Provence 

Provence is a large wine-producing area, best-known for its rosé wines, the most famous of which are C?tes de Provence and C?teaux d'Aix. However, the Provence vineyard also produces red wines, including some very rich red wines from the Var, and "grey wine" from the Camargue area. The most famous of the area's white wines is Bandol, celebrated since the middle ages. Note that the Provence vineyard also includes the southern end of the C?tes du Rhone AOC area. 

Languedoc

The Languedoc region, covering the Mediterranean coastal plain west of the Rhone, produces a lot of fairly ordinary red wine, much of it marketed as VDQS or Vin de Pays. Languedoc is the largest French wine producing area in terms of volume.  There are seven Appellations controlées in the area, the best-known of which is Corbières, and possibly the best average quality of which is Fitou. AOC wines account for some 10% of the region's production, but the proportion is increasing as Languedoc producers concentrate more on quality, rather than quantity, and strive to reposition their wines higher up the market. Thanks to the long hours of summer sun, grapes ripen well and quickly in this region, which means that Languedoc wines are rich and full bodied, and often have high alcohol content. The wines of Roussillon are very similar, this area being particularly noted for its fortified wines such as Banyuls.
  Rather different from the rest are the sparkling wines produced in Limoux, near Carcassonne. "Blanquette de Limoux" is reputedly the oldest sparkling wine in France; and according to the story, it was a Benedictine monk, Dom Pérignon, who introduced the Limoux method of producing good sparkling wine, to the monks in Champagne who were looking for ways to improve the quality of their rather nondescript dry white wines. Regarding Dom Pérignon, the myth is almost certainly untrue; but it is well documented that Limoux was already producing sparkling wines in the 1540s,  half a century before the technique took hold in Champagne.

 

Bordeaux Label Decoder

Whether shopping for the cellar or Tuesday night’s dinner, stare down your shop’s selection of Left Bank reds like a pro with this at-a-glance guide to deciphering the famous region’s uuuuh-inducing labels.

Left Bank Basics

There are two major regions: Médoc (known for its reds), and Graves (known for reds and whites). While great pours can be had throughout Bordeaux, in general, the smaller the appellation d’origine controlée, or AOC, the higher the quality.

MéDOC AOCs: 
Starting with the largest AOC, there’s Médoc, then the subregion Haut-Médoc and its famed Haut-Médoc communes: Listrac-Médoc, Margaux, Moulis-en-Médoc, Pauillac Saint-Estèphe, and Saint-Julien.

GRAVES AOCs: 
Starting with the largest AOC, there’s Graves, then the subregion Pessac-Léognan. For sweet whites, there’s Graves Supérieures, Sauternes—which encompasses the smaller Barsac subregion—and Cérons.

Standard Bordeaux label.

1. Mis En Bouteille Au Chateau
   Means bottled at the estate, within the listed region. If the label says, “Mis En Bouteille Au Domaine,” it was bottled in the region. If you see “Négociant,” the grapes, the juice or the wine were bought, but released under a different brand.
2. Grand Vin
   This means “great wine.” It may be great, but anyone can throw this unregulated term on a label.
3. This tells you it’s a Cab Blend 
   Left Bank reds are typically blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and may include Petit Verdot and Malbec. Most Left Bank dry whites are Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc blends. The best often hail from Graves and Pessac-Léognan, the only Left Bank appellations that may list their regions on white wine labels.
4. Top Dry-Red Vintages 
   1961, 1970, 1978, 1982, 1985, 1990, 1996, 2000, 2005, 2009 and 2010
5. The Big House
   According to French law, a label can only feature a chateau if it’s the original house and still standing.
6. The Bordeaux 1855 Official Classification
   After Napoleon requested Bordeaux wines be classified for the Paris World Fair, 61 Left Bank chateaus were divided into five “growths.” The system has nothing to do with grape growing, and while it was supposedly based on reputation and pricing—not quality (wink)—it still is seen as a ranking of the top producers. It consists of 60 chateaus in the Haut-Médoc and one in Pessac-Léognan.

The 5 Premier Crus Classés 
Chateau Haut-Brion
Chateau Lafite Rothschild
Chateau Latour
Chateau Margaux
?Chateau Mouton Rothschild

The Rest
Chateaus within the four other tiers are labeled Grand Cru Classé 1855.

Are 1855 Wines Better?
No. Historically, the 61 chateaus have been the standard bearers among hundreds of producers in Bordeaux. Still, a Napoleon-era declaration doesn’t preclude anyone from making terrific wine.

Top Wine Terms Defined

Attention wine lovers: If you never fully grasped the meaning of “umami” or got tripped up talking about “terroir,” you know that the world of wine has its own (and sometimes incomprehensible) language. To help oenophiles talk the talk, Wine Enthusiast asked three wine professionals to help break the language barrier by defining the trickiest terms.

Umami

“Some find the fifth primary taste elusive, because it’s more of a quality than a flavor,” says Jennifer Johnson, level II certified sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers and certified specialist of wine by the Society of Wine Educators. “Umami is considered pleasant and is described as delicious, which may sound equally obscure, though it’s also savory and meaty.”

Big, ripe Cabernets or fruity, oak-aged Chardonnays exhibit ample umami deliciousness, but these can clash with umami-driven foods, like Parmesan, tuna and shiitake mushrooms. “Their tannins become bitter,” says Johnson. “Mature wines with softened tannins and nuanced umami make for a better match.”

Barnyard

“Think sweaty-horse saddle,” says Johnson. That’s right—you actually smell barnyard in wine. In fact, these aromas—most often found in Old World red wines from regions like Burgundy—can contribute to a wine’s quality and complexity.

“These fresh animal scents come from a byproduct of brettanomyces, a yeast sometimes found on grape skins that causes spoilage and can be a bear for a winemaker to manage,” says Johnson. But the result can be remarkably delicious.

Feminine

Don’t automatically bristle at this gendered wine term. According to Ross Wheatley, director of food and beverage at Lucy Restaurant and Bar in Yountville, California, this terms is not only “easy to relate to,” it also perfectly describes wines that tend to be lower in alcohol and tannins.

“Imagine a wine that has similar characteristics to a woman and her best qualities,” says Wheatley. “A wine that is light, refined and delicate might be called feminine; the polar opposite of those so-called masculine qualities in wine—strong, muscular, larger and bigger.”

Closed

“A closed wine can be a young wine, but most importantly, it needs more time to age in bottle to fully express its aromatic and flavor profile,” says Johnson. “A closed wine may surprise you by tasting like not much of anything or out of balance, perhaps only with hints of fruit and squelching acidity levels.”

So how do drinkers tell the difference between a closed wine and a one-note wine?

“The price tag may guide you—as well as knowledge about producer, region, variety and vintage,” says Johnson. So, do your research when buying wines that may require age.

Rancio

Rancio wines have been all the rage recently for wine geeks because of their complex flavor profiles in oxidized still wines, yet according to Johnson, “this attribute has seen glory for hundreds of years in fortified wines like oloroso Sherries, Ports and also brandies.

“Sure, rancio shares the same root as rancid, but the difference is that winemakers apply controlled, albeit traditional, French and Spanish methods of exposing wine to air or dry heat during aging, reducing primary fruit aromas and yielding characteristics of nuts, melted butter, candied fruits and even fruit cakes.”

Chewy

“Ever tried an Australian Shiraz that reminded you of homemade berry jam in your mouth, almost begging for a spoon? That’s chewy,” says Johnson.

A chewy wine has a good amount of weight and/or body on the palate, signifying higher alcohol, ripeness (high sugar at harvest that converts to alcohol) and concentration of fruit—usually the result of grape variety and warm climate.

“Texturally, these components impart a viscosity to a red wine made from thick-skinned grapes that have imparted lots of color pigments, tannins and flavor compounds to the fermenting juice,” says Johnson.

Austere

“The best way to describe austere is to imagine that teacher you had at school that no one liked—the one who was mean, closed off, strict and stern, and no matter how hard you tried they never opened up,” says Wheatley.

Wines described as austere tend to feel tight and closed in the mouth, and likely need to be decanted. But it’s not all negative, according to Wheatley.

“Austere wines can sometimes maintain a crisp mouthfeel and good acidity that is finely woven, like a sweater that’s almost too tight to wear but feels good.”

Muscular

Wines described as muscular have traditionally been linked to bigger-style red wines, including Cabernet Sauvignons, Barolos and Super Tuscans, along with some Rh?ne blends.

“Imagine a wine that is the exact opposite of what we have described as feminine,” says Wheatley. “These are big, strong wines with lots of power and strength. Muscular means something that feels like it might put hair on your chest.”

Pyrazine

“I had to ask what ‘pyrazine’ meant the first time I heard it, and I was told that it was the aromatic compound in green bell peppers,” says Steve Wildy, beverage director of Vetri Family Restaurants in Philadelphia, who oversees all five restaurants’ wine, beer and spirits programs.

So, next time you hear that someone senses pyrazine in a wine, remember that they’re referring to a chemical compound that gives the wine a vegetal characteristic—and that they’ve also been studying their wine terms.

Brambly

“I’ll admit it is an adorable word, but I don’t know how much it occurs in everyday American English outside of wine speak,” says Wildy.

Brambly refers to a blackberry-fruit characteristic in red wine that seems to be supported by a vegetal or green undertone. Brambly qualities show up in many wines, “especially those fermented with whole clusters,” he says, such as Oregon Pinot Noirs, Beaujolais and Southern Rhone blends.”