THE WINES OF FRANCE

 

THE WINES OF FRANCE

THE WINE LAWS OF FRANCE

• First established in early 1900s – modified a number of times.
• Appellation Controllé (controlled naming) laws – the name of a wine reveals quality – helps prevent fraud & gives authenticity.
• In 1935 INAO was established.
• INAO – Institut Nationale des Appellation d’Origine des vins et Eau-de-vis
• INAO created order out of confusion.
• The ground rule for naming a wine is basically geographical

 - area, grape-variety, yield, viticulture, vinification, ageing, alcohol-content and a taste-test.

GRADATION OF FRENCH WINES

AOC – Appellation d’Origine Controllée

• Highest quality and most prestigious grading for French Wines but produces only 25% of all wines.

VDQS – Vins Délimités de Qualité Supérieure

• Created in 1949 – one notch down from AOC.
• More scopes in choice – grape, yield, etc.
• Taste-test is a must.
• 5% of all wines.

Vin de Pay

• Literally means ‘Country Wines’. Even wider scopes but specific area.
• Not much export.

 

 

Vin de Table

• Bottom-ranked but with certain standards.
• No geographical indication.
• Fully blended.

Vin Ordinaire

• Labeled by alcohol-content.
• Sometimes cheaper than even mineral water!

Wine Producing Regions of France

I)                    BORDEAUX

• Probably the most prestigious wine-region.
• Produces only 5% of all French wines but 25% of all AOC wines.
• Quantity – x       Quality - P
• Climate: mild winters & warm summers – ideal.
• Soil: pebbly & stony, not fertile but rich in minerals – ideal.
• Grapes mostly used:

Green Grapes – Sauvignon blanc / Muscatel / Semillon

Black Grapes – Cabernet Sauvignon / Cabernet Franc / Malbec / Petit Verdot / Merlot

• Red wines – delicate, light-bodied & dry – very good accompaniment with food.
• Bordeaux red wines are referred to as claret (French ‘clairet’ – clear coloured).
• White wines – more sweet than dry, often golden coloured.
• A few rosé wines also are produced.
• More than 35 districts but the following five are most notable:

Médoc, Pomerol, St. Emilion (mainly reds), Graves (both reds & whites), Sauternes (mainly golden-sweet whites)

• Further Crus Classés (classified growth) grading

i)                    Médoc

Prémier Cru

• Château Lafite-Rothschild – Pauillac
• Château La Tour – Pauillac
• Château Margaux – Margaux
• Château Mouton-Rothschild – Pauillac

Deuxiéme Cru

• Château Montrose – St. Estéphe
• Château Léoville-Barton – St. Julien
• Château Rauzan-Ségla - Margaux

Troisiéme Cru

• Château Calon-Ségur – St. Estéphe
• Château Lagrange – St. Julien

   Médoc produces some of the best red wines of France.

ii)                  Pomerol

• Small district.
• Heavy - bodied red wines – known as the Burgundies of Bordeaux.
• No official cru classé.
• Best-known wine: Château Pétrus
• Others: Château Lafleur, Château La Tour-Pomerol, Château Petit-Village

 

 

 

iii)                St. Émilion

Prémier Grand Cru

• Château Ausone
• Château Belair
• Château Canon

Grand Cru

• Château Dassault
• Château La Clotte
• Château Corbin

iv)                Graves

Prémier Cru

• Château Haut-Brion (red)

Other cru classé wines

• Château Haut-Bailly (red)
• Château Pape-Clément (red)
• Château Olivier (white)
• Château Couhins (white)

v)                  Sauternes

• Most famous for sweet white wines.
• Frequently attacked by noble rot.

Prémier Grand Cru

• Château d’Yquem (extremely rich & sweet – deep golden)

Prémier Cru

• Château Coutet
• Château Climens

Deuxiéme Cru

• Château d’Arche
• Château Romer

II)                  BURGUNDY

• Hard climate: severe winters and hot, unpredictable summers.
• Wines susceptible to weather → rare vintage years.
• Early onslaught of winter → early picking → chaptalisation.
• Too much / too little rain.
• Hails destroy vineyards in 15 minutes flat.
• Red wines: robust, full-bodied but smooth.
• White wines: refined, distinguished, mostly dry.
• Grapes: Almost all reds from Pinot Noir (ripens early), Gamay in some areas (e.g. Beaujolais). Almost all whites from Chardonnay.
• The 5 most notable districts are: Côte d’Or, Chalonnais, Mâconnais, Beaujolais, Chablis

i)                    Côte d’Or

• Supreme Burgundies but only about 15% of all.
• Two parts: Côte de Nuit & Côte de Beaunne
• Côte de Nuit is famous for reds:

   Chambertin, Clos de Tart, Musigny (all Grand Cru)

   Les Avelets, Clos St. Jacques, Les Porrets (all Prémiere Cru)

 

 

 

• Côte de Beaunne is famous for whites but also produces reds:
• Charlemagne (w), Montrachet (w), Le Corton (r) - all Grand Cru.

 Morgeot (w), Les Clos des Mouche (w), Les Gréves (r), Corton Clos du Roi (r) –

 all Prémiere Cru

ii)                  Chalonnais

• Not much known outside France. Nevertheless, produces good, balanced wines.
• Givry, Mercurey, Rully (both red & white)
• Bouzeron, Montagny (white)

iii)                Mâconnais

• White, red and some rosé.
• Principal grapes: Gamay & Chardonnay
• Best-known wine: Pouilly-Fuissé (pale golden, excellent accompaniment with fish & poultry)
• Others: Pouilly-Loché (w), St. Véran (w), Mâcon (r), Mâcon-Village (r)

iv)                Beaujolais

• Vast area, wide varieties.
• Most from Gamay (sandy, granite soil).
• Short vatting→ less tanin→ less robust
• Popularity from Beaujolais Nouveau in November – “Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé” – light, fresh, delicate & fruity – served slightly chilled.
• 9 grand cru reds are superb and very famous (the nine sisters of Beaujolais):

Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Côte de Brouilly, Fleurie, Juliénas, Morgon, St. Amour, Moulin-à-Vent

v)                  Chablis

• North-west of Burgundy.
• Very dry white wines – famous throughout the world. Excellent accompaniments with oysters, fish and white meat.
• Examples:

Blanchots, Les Clos, Bougros, Les Crenouilles, Les Preuses, Valmur, Vandésir (all Grand Cru)

Chapelot, Vaucoupin, Vaulorent (all Prémier Cru)

III)                CÔTES-DU-RHÔNE

• Rhône river valley – southeast of France.
• Climate: hot & steady→ consistent quality.
• Rich & hearty wines with higher alcohol.
• 90% red. Rest white and rosé.
• Red grapes: Syrah, Grenache Noir, Cinsault
• White grapes: Viognier, Clairette, Piquepoul

IV)               VAL DE LOIRE

• West of Burgundy – name from the majestic Loire river – flows westward to Atlantic.
• Probably the most scenic wine region – with historic castles – wine trade is a tourist attraction.
• Crisp white & golden sweet white wines, fine sparklings, superb rosés (light, fruity & slightly sweet) and a few reds.
• White grapes: Muscadet, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc
• Black grapes: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon
• Best-known wine: Anjou (w & r – sparkling).
• The best Anjou is rosé (never dry).
• Others:

 Muscadet (w – dry), Pouilly Fumé (w – dry), Sancerre (w & rosé), Vouvray ( w – still & sparkling)

V)                 ALSACE

• Very northerly wine region – along the edge of the Alsatian plains where Rhine separates France and Germany.
• Great sunshine, a little rain – good for ripening of grapes.
• German occupation for 50 years (freed in 1918). After the phylloxera disaster Germans planted inferior vines. After 1918, the French replanted better vines.
• Alsace wines are similar to Moselle wines of Germany.
• 95% are white and dry.
• Grapes for better wines: Sylvaner, Riesling, Gewürtztraminer
• Others: Muscat, Pinot, Traminer
• Generally fermented until dry (Moselle wines are a bit sweeter).

VI)               JURA

• East of Burgundy – between Beaunne and Geneva.
• Not very well-known wines.
• A unique wine: Vin Jaunne (yellow wine)
• Colour results from storing in pre-used vats – flavour unlike other French wines – e.g. Château Chalon, Etoile, Arbois, Côtes-du-Jura.
• Another speciality: Vin de Pailles (straw wine).
• Previously grapes were dried on straw for 2 months – now they are hung. Sugar gets concentrated – very sweet.

VII)              PROVENCE

• South of Rhône river – stretching east along the Mediterranean.
• Most wines are known as: Côtes de Provence
• Best-known: Cassis (full-flavoured white)

 

VIII)           LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON

• From Rhone river to the Spanish border.
• More than 1/3rd of France’s all vineyards.
• Some wines are:

Corbiéres, Fitou, St. Chinion

IX)               SOUTHWEST

• Southwest corner of France.
• Some notable wines are:

Bergerac, Cahors, Gaillac,  Montravel

X)                 SAVOIE

• Foothills of the Alps overlooking Lac Leman.
• Best wine: Crépy (w – dry)
• Another notable: Seyssel (w – sparkling)