Cellar Tastings

While France wasn’t the first country to produce wine, the French were the first to give modern winemaking a kind of quality control assurance. French wine regions have become “brands” in themselves, such as Sancerre, Chablis, Champagne, Muscadet, Beaujolais, Bordeaux (or Claret), Nuits St. George, etc, because of the AC. France invented the Appellation Controlee system- a set of rules and regulations to be adhered by winemakers and grape growers, with the aim of guaranteeing quality and creating a recognizable brand name that consumers can trust. While France has lost considerable market share, particularly to Australian and Chilean wines, France hasn’t lost its sparkle and many lesser - known wine regions such as the Languedoc are producing smashing wines.

Champagne

Champagne is the ultimate prestige wine. It represents celebration, and success. When there’s an important event like a wedding, christening, birthday, retirement party, etc, “real” champagne is nearly always chosen. The region of Champagne has done the most successful job of branding in the world of wine. While other “Champenoise method” wines are made elsewhere, such as Cava in Spain, Franciacorta in Italy and “Traditional method” sparklers, everywhere from New Zealand to California, on a special occasion, we still seem to opt for Champagne. Champagne is made in the northeast of France around the towns of Reims and Épernay. The three classic grapes used to make Champagne are a Cuvée (blend) of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Blanc de Blanc means the Champagne is made with only Chardonnay and Blanc de Noirs indicates the wine has been made from all black grapes (Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier). Top crème de la crème Champagne brands include Krug, Veuve Clicquot (the “widow”), Bollinger (James Bond always had a bottle of “Bolly” on hand), Pol Roger (Winston Churchill’s favorite), and Louis Roederer (whose “Cristal” champagne is one of the most expensive in the world, adored both by Rap stars and heads of state).

Burgundy

Burgundy is one of the loveliest wine regions to visit in France. Picturesque, medieval villages and neat patchwork vineyards abound. Sub-regions and towns have themselves essentially become brands such as Chablis, Mâcon, Pouilly-Fuissé, Gevrey-Chambertin, etc. Burgundy (Bourgogne) is divided into sub-regions, from north to south being: Chablis, the Côte de Nuits & Côte de Beaune (together, the two form the heart of Burgundy’s Côte d’Or), Côte Chalonnaise, the Mâconnais and finally, Beaujolais. The most famous red wines are the “Crus” such as La Tâche & Romanée –Conti (Vosne –Romanée), Grands Échezeaux (Flagey- Échezeaux) and Clos de la Roche (Morey-St-Denis). Prestigious white wines from Burgundy include: Corton-Charlemagne (Ladoix-Serrigny) and le Montrachet (Chassagne-Montrachet). Other famed wines include Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet (white) and Volnay, Santenay, Pommard and Auxey-Duresses (red). The main grapes used in Burgundy are Chardonnay for whites (such as Chablis) and Pinot Noir for reds. In Beaujolais, the region famous for its “Nouveau Beaujolais” (new young wine), the grape used is Gamay and produces light, fruity wines in communes such as Moulin-à-Vent, Brouilly and Julienas. Big brands in the Côte d’Or (who are the wine merchants, negociants, of Beaune) include: Louis Latour, Joseph Drouhin, Bouchard Père & Fils and Louis Jadot.

Bordeaux

The name Bordeaux evokes images of beautiful Chateaux and expensive wines, both of which are true. Bordeaux makes some of the most sought after wines in the world such as Mouton-Rothschild, Château Latour and Château Margaux. The region has a long winemaking history, with scribblings of the first wine critic, Pliny, dating back to AD 77. The real history making began in 1855 when Bordeaux was the first wine region to lay boundaries and classifications of their wines, creating the groundwork for the AC system, used all over France today and emulated in all other wine producing countries. The Gironde river flows inland from the Atlantic, splitting in two (called the Garonne and the Dordogne) around the town of Lamarque. Between the two rivers is a white wine region called “Entre deux Mers” (“between two seas”), and delicious grassy whites are made from Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. West of the Gironde lie the important red wine ACs of (from north to south): St- Éstephe, Pauillac, St-Julien, and Margaux. The wines here are dominated by Cabernet Sauvigon and blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Southeast, on the “right bank”, are the important wines of St Emilion and Pomerol. In Pomero, you find the exquisite winery of Château Petrus (the most expensive wine in the world). On the Right bank, wines are dominated by merlot as opposed to Cab Sauv. Further south, west of the Garonne, the important sweet wines of Sauternes are produced, Château d’Yquem being the most highly regarded.

Rhone

The gorgeous town of Avignon lies at the southern end of the famed Rhône wine region. The Rhône is divided into “northern” and “southern” sub-categories. The northern Rhône produces nearly all red wine (apart from Condrieu, which makes famous white wines from the Viognier grape), from the spicy Syrah varietal. The great Rhône communes include Côte Rôtie (Marcel Guigal being the most famed producer), St-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, and Cornas. The southern Rhône’s most famous wine has got to be Châteauneuf-du-Pape, located just north of Avignon and named after the “Pope’s new castle” (referring to the relocation of the Papal court to Avignon in the 14th century). Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines are mainly red and extremely rich, made with Syrah and up to 13 permitted grape varietals, which tend to be limited to Grenache and Mourvèdre but can include Terret Noir, Picpoul Noir, Cinsault and Counoise. Other top quality ACs in southern Rhône are Gigondas, Cairanne and Vaqueyras (for reds), Tavel and Lirac (for Rosés) and Rasteau and Beaumes-de-Venise (for sweet “Vin Doux Naturels” and dessert Muscats). Famed producers of the south include Château de Beaucastel and Château de Saint Cosme.

Languedoc, Provence and Southern France

While some wine producers who enjoy being located in leading ACs like Chablis, Margaux and Champagne and have become complacent, depending on the brand to sell inferior wines, producers in the south of France have been innovating. Languedoc, particularly, has received attention for its “flying winemakers” (consultants who come in from abroad, bringing new techniques and viticultural advice). Many wineries have realized the importance of “Varietal Branding” (putting the name of a grape in the bottle, such as Chardonnay” or “Cabernet Sauvignon”) as France has lost market share to producers in Chile and Australia who have capitalized on this already. Languedoc is seen as a good value for money region, and excellent wines are being produced using the traditional grapes- Viognier, Rousanne and Marsanne (for whites); Grenache, Mourvedre, Carignan, Syrah and Cinsault (for reds) and Muscats (for sweeties). St Chinian, Corbieres, Minervois and Faugères are great sources of inexpensive, top quality reds. Lovely sparkling wines and still whites come from Limoux. Rivesaltes is a village well known for its dessert wines. The best wines from Provence are their Rosés (made of Grenache), which perfectly accompany the delicious Mediterranean cuisine and weather.