When you lift the lid on French wine, it is not all as complex as it seems. As the French celebrate Bastille Day with full French flair in July, it seemed timely to focus on France.
With a few key pieces of information, we’ll have you an expert (or seemingly so) in no time at all.
Bordeaux
Bordeaux, located in France’s south-west, has for many years been the centre of the world’s fine wine trade - an historic region producing exceptionally long-lived wines. The five key red varieties of Bordeaux red wines are: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec.
White wines focus on Sauvignon and Semillon. The top producers make outstanding wines, year in, year out. In great vintages they require a good part of your lifetime in the cellar, whilst the tougher vintages are usually earlier drinking.
2018, 2019 and now 2020 the latest vintages from Bordeaux - the greatest trilogy of vintages ever! Now that is a big call, however the wines fortunately have no difficulty achieving these great heights; they deliver.
Burgundy
The romantic region of Burgundy starts with Chablis in the north and finishes with Beaujolais in the south. Wines from Chablis are made from 100% Chardonnay, and from the heart of Burgundy white wines are also made from Chardonnay, whilst red wines are made from Pinot Noir. In the south, the grape variety of Beaujolais is Gamay. A tip – the 2019 vintage in Chablis is exceptionally good, unfortunately tiny quantities made though. Worth seeking out.
Alsace
The region of Alsace makes it a little easier to understand by putting the variety on the label. The five noble varieties grown here are: Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc and Muscat. The classification system is also a little simpler (perhaps the addition of a little German efficiency has helped this small northern region), there’s AOC – Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée and Grand Cru.
Rhone
Distinctly broken into two sections, the Northern Rhône and Southern Rhône, and stretching itself over 800km from just south of Lyon in central France to Avignon in the south of France. The Northern Rhône is home to the great Syrah of France, rich and superbly textured. The white superstar of the north is Viognier which is grown in and around the village of Condrieu. The Southern Rhône is home to Grenache and the great blended wines of the Rhône.
Loire Valley
There are numerous wines produced in the Loire - we choose to focus on the areas of Sancerre, Pouilly Fumé and Vouvray. Sancerre is produced around the town of the same name and wines are made from Sauvignon Blanc. Pouilly-Fumé (not to be confused with Pouilly-Fuissé from Burgundy) are also made from Sauvignon Blanc, the term fumé not referring to a smoked flavour in the wine but rather to the mist that rolls into the region. The wines of Vouvray are grown on top of the steep chalk slopes alongside the Loire River. Vouvray wines are made from Chenin Blanc and in a wide array of styles from dry to very sweet.
The South
Lumped together it is a big generalisation and a large area to cover. The south coast of France produces the most diverse collection of styles in France. Starting in the west, close to the Spanish border, there are rich and robust reds like the wines of Madiran and Banylus. Moving east and across the sun-drenched beaches of the Mediterranean all the delights of Côtes de Provence Rosé hit you, which, just for the record, is not just a summer drink. Try a Rosé with roast duck in winter; the match is delicious.
To put your newly found knowledge or refresher to the test, pop in store any Thursday, Friday or Saturday during July as we’ve got French wine open for tasting in store.
Or come along to Glengarry Victoria Park on 24 July to taste through the wines of France with us.
Booking details online.
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