Living The French Lifestyle » French Wines

Learning More About French Wines

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 19:40:51 +0000

When you are going about choosing the perfect French wine, you will want to consider both the region the wine was made in and also the year. If you are just becoming interested in wine but don’t know much about it in general, then you will want to learn some of the basic facts before spending your money on a certain bottle. It will take you a while to learn enough about wine to where you don’t even need to think before buying any given kind, but it always helps to learn about what regions in France have the best wine. Of course every person has a different taste and preference, red or white, for example. One of the first things to learn is that most French sparkling wine comes from the region of Champagne. A small portion of wine made here is still wine, and there are also certain red wines there are made as well.

It will take a little while for you to develop a real sense of which kind of wines you like the best. It is simply a matter of trying a little bit of everything until you start to be able to recognize certain kinds by taste and smell alone. Wine tasting competitions are commonly held in many parts of France. In these contests, people use their sense of smell and taste to determine which kind they are savoring. It is truly a skill that takes years to develop, and before you get interested in participating, you should know some of the basics first.

The Rhone Valley part of France is where most of the red wine is made, and the composition of wine that is made in the northern and southern Rhone regions differ greatly. You will find that after you sample enough wine, you will be able to actually differentiate between different regions of the same geographic location. That is how strong a difference some of these wines have. The Burgundy region, which is located in Eastern France, is responsible for turning out red and white wines alike. Wines from this region are known for being both savory and high-priced.

Another famous wine region in France is Bordeaux. It is responsible for shipping out many different kinds of red wines overseas, and are blended mostly with Cabernet. From the famous region of Bordeaux comes some of the most world-famous sweet wines ever made. You will find that certain types of wine are commonly associated with a certain region of the country they are made in. For example, in the United States, many people associate the production of wine with the many vineyards located in California. You will want to select the wine you buy based both on location and overall taste.

There are many different aspects of French wine to learn about if you are interested in buying some. Many people are becoming interested in purchasing Rhone wine because of the unique taste that comes from this region.

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Learning More About French Wines is a post from: Living The French Lifestyle

I Love French Wine and Food – Another Bandol From Provence

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 16:22:36 +0000

Provence. The eyes pop and the mouth waters. Make no mistake about it, Provence is not considered one of France’s fine wine regions. But there are exceptions, Bandol AOC is often considered a fine appellation, especially the red. The annual production is about 5 million bottles on 2700 acres (1100 hectares). The major grape is Mourvedre that the Romans first cultivated some 2500 years ago. This particular wine comes from a hillside vineyard with very deep gravelly soil and only organic fertilizer. You can read about the producer in the marketing materials below. This is our second Bandol review. After two years I just couldn’t wait to try another one.

Bandol comes from an area between La Ciotat and Toulon. La Ciotat is a city of some 30 thousand on the Mediterranean about halfway between Marseille and Toulon. Among its attractions are an artificial beach downtown and its municipal park, the Parc du Mugel, classified as one of the Notable Gardens of France by the French Ministry of Culture. Toulon is a harbor city of about 170 thousand whose old town has been recently restored. There are several beautiful fountains to admire and several museums to visit. You may enjoy sandy beaches nearby and take a cable car up Mont Faron.

Before reviewing the Bandol wine, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Cade de Toulon (Baked Chickpea Flour Pancakes). For your second course savor Lapin a la Provencale (Rabbit Provence Style). And as dessert indulge yourself with Chichi Fregi (Provence Fritters.)

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed
Domaine de la Bastide Blanche Bandol AOC 2006 14.5% alcohol about $22

We start by quoting the marketing materials. 92 points Wine Spectator: “A powerful red, with intense red and dark fruit flavors, including fig, dark plum and raspberry. Formidable tannins and acidity support the finish, which is infused with notes of baker’s chocolate and black olive. Best from 2011 through 2015.” (12/09) In the early ’70s Michel and Louis Bronzo acquired the property of the Bastide Blanche, with the goal of producing top Bandol wines to rival their more famous cousins in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Their painstaking efforts were rewarded in 1993 when vintage conditions created the benchmark year that put both Bandol and Domaine de la Bastide-Blanche on the map. The brothers Bronzo have several cuvees, depending on the vintage, however, they always use a minimum of 75% mourvedre. Yields are kept very low, and never exceed more than 34 or 35 hl/ha. And now for my review.

When I first tried this wine without any food I tasted tobacco. The wine was very round and dark with great balance. The first meal included London Broil meat, potato patties, and green beans that were all slow cooked together. The taste of chocolate came to the fore. The Bandol was very powerful and almost chewy. The wine had great balance between its acidity and tannins. Take my advice, don’t drink this Bandol with a sole poached in fine herbs.

The next meal was broiled merguez, a spicy, fatty North African lamb sausage accompanied by potato patties and a salsa-salad. With the meat I tasted chocolate and plums. It was quite powerful and refreshing. The Bandol seemed to get even longer when I doused lots of Louisiana cayenne pepper sauce on the meat. The potato patties seemed to have little or no effect on the wine. The Matabucha salad took away the fruit.

My final meal centered on slow cooked beef ribs with a side of potatoes roasted in chicken fat. When facing the meat this wine brimmed with dark cherries and tobacco. It was powerful and mouthfilling and had fine length. Yet its alcohol level didn’t seem excessive. This wine simply rolled over the potatoes. With a Turkish salad composed of sweet pimentos, tomato paste, hot peppers (very little) and garlic the Bandol was muted.

I started my last tasting with some Matjes herring. The wine remained long with oak and light tannins. I noted chocolate. Who would believe that chocolate and herring go together? They did. When paired with a Swiss cheese, it tasted of cherries but lost its power. Then I tried a goat’s milk cheese including roasted garlic. With each sip the Bandol picked up some cherries; it just wasn’t as good with the cheese as it was with the meat.

Final verdict. I would definitely buy this wine again. But I am tempted to try other Bandols, red Bandols. I still remember going to buy a more expensive rose Bandol and getting talked out of it by a liquor store employee who had recently tasted what he said was a pedestrian product.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian, French, or other wine, accompanied by the right foods and spend time with his wife and family. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. Among his many web sites he is particularly proud of his Italian travel site with a special focus on regional food and wine at http://www.travelitalytravel.com. Check out his global wine website at http://www.theworldwidewine.com with his weekly column reviewing $10 wines and his new sections writing about (theory) and tasting (practice) organic and kosher wines, and now upscale wines.

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I Love French Wine and Food – Another Bandol From Provence is a post from: Living The French Lifestyle

World Wine Known France – Travel Tips to French Wine Regions

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 16:22:36 +0000

No question: the best reason to visit France is the wine. They produce the most. They drink the most. They export the most. You must see.

Without an endless list we try to suggest to you the best tours and winery. Visit shortly to keep time to book your favourite trip.

For a wine taste and sightseeing the most popular is Provence:

There you can find picturesque medieval villages and vineyards around Chateauneuf du Pape.

Even Van Gogh worked there. And if you finish visiting Lavender Museum then you can enter any winery, tasting Syrah, Grenache or Cabernet Sauvignon.

Leaving Southeast of France you will find possibilities even in the capitol.

Paris offers short wine tastings from Bordeaux to Lyon for those who just want to try and go on. (to the next level?)

Apropos Bordeaux! In the heart of “Red Eye” small cities like Saint Emillion offers different options to taste wine in many cellars. This is the paradise of wine-lovers. After a glamorous lunch in the heart of the city just jump up to the bus and don’t go back until you finish tasting wine epics, like Mourverde.

Where could be better for tasting wine and learning all about its secrets than the vineyards of Burgundy? If you are in France explore this region and its famous products on a tour of different wineries and wine cellars. They are like Gevrey Chambertin, Morey Saint Denis and Chambolle Musigny. You can learn about winemaking and its aging and tasting techniques.

The Burgundy wine (Bourgogne or Vin de Bourgogne) one of the most famous in the world.

Red prefers Pinot Noir and the white: Chardonnay Yes! Do not forget: France is not just about reds. Called Grand Cru wines make up 2% of the production at 35 hectoliters per hectar, while Premier Cru wines make up 12% of production at 45 hectoliters/hectare. These wines often should be aged 3-5 years, but consider the best wines can keep for much longer.

Finally a tip if you would like to take some rest as well: St. Tropez and its neighborhood. (27.000 hectares)

We get back to the Southeast. It means French Riviera offers some valuable moments if you leave the beach for a moment and taste some wine. Chardonnay and Mourverde are popular here too but you can drink Rose if you are a gourmand.

France is a beautiful country. The vineyards are world wide known and give you magical memories after you get home and browse for more at http://www.thefoodforwine.com

Cheers!

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French Red Wines – Burgundy – What You Should Know About It

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:22:43 +0000

Burgundy, like Bordeaux is a classic wine region of France. The name of the region in French is Bourgogne, and it’s the name you can see on wine’s labels of that region.

Burgundy is made out of three grape varieties which are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Gamay. While Gamay is a juicy and fruity grape, Pinot noir is very hard to grow and can be pretty unpredictable as well. If grown and produced right, though, it will give an excellent wine, and Burgundy wine makers seem to be very successful in making excellent reds with Pinot Noir.

Beaujolais wine, sometimes mistakenly thought to be a rhne Valley wine, is in fact a Burgundy. While some Burgundy wines made of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir can be very expensive, Beaujolais, made of Gamay is more affordable. Gamay is a very juicy and fruity grape easier to grow and to transform into wine.

Burgundy is a very different wine region form Bordeaux, and when it comes to vineyards and producers it can be much more confusing since several producers can own the same vineyard, and one the other hand, different vineyards can belong to the same producer. This is the reason why, when it comes to Burgundy wine, the producer makes most of the difference in the taste and quality. A very good example of this is Beaujolais which is a totally different wine from one producer to another. When it comes to Beaujolais, knowing the producers will help you a great deal in making the right choice.

I am fortunate enough to know of a couple of the best Beaujolais producers whose most vineyards belong to Morgon and Fleurie, but if you don’t know any, you can still get by with some good Beaujolais wines areas such as Chiroubles, Fleurie, Morgon and Moulin–vent which all make some distinct yet great Beaujolais wines.

Chardonnay is the only white wine of Burgundy which is one of the easiest to grow in this region; however, the demand is not nearly as high as for the red, which brings the price of white Burgundy wine pretty high.

Want to discover more about wine making? We are making wine since the dawn of times and we are getting better and better at it.

Find the best of the best when it comes to wine here => http://www.squidoo.com/French-Wine-Wines-Of-Taste

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French Red Wines – Burgundy – What You Should Know About It is a post from: Living The French Lifestyle

French Red Wines – Burgundy – What You Should Know About It

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:22:43 +0000

Burgundy, like Bordeaux is a classic wine region of France. The name of the region in French is Bourgogne, and it’s the name you can see on wine’s labels of that region.

Want to discover more about wine making? We are making wine since the dawn of times and we are getting better and better at it.

Find the best of the best when it comes to wine here => http://www.squidoo.com/French-Wine-Wines-Of-Taste

Author: Regine Marne
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French Red Wines – Burgundy – What You Should Know About It is a post from: Living The French Lifestyle

French Bordeaux Wines – What Are They Really?

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:22:55 +0000

The French wine number one in popularity the world over is Bordeaux. While Bordeaux can be and often is one the most fascinating wine and most expensive one as well, not all Bordeaux are superior wines. Some of them are also pretty common. Therefore, when it comes to Bordeaux wines a bit of knowledge is necessary if you don’t want to get ripped off and really buy what you are expecting.

Top Bordeaux wines are great wines and the better and older they are the pricier they are as well. Top red Bordeaux can reach prices that are out of reach for many people and not the kind of wine you would want to buy for your everyday consumption. However, if you are willing to get more common wines that are still good, but not to the level of the top ones, you can enjoy good reds and even whites at an affordable price.

Bordeaux is a wine that can reach depths and quality that no other wines have ever reached, and this is mostly the reason for its extremely high price. Cabernet Sauvignon which is always blended with other grapes, usually Merlot and Cabernet Franc are responsible for this sublime drink. Most people think of Bordeaux as a red wine, however, this French wine region also produces great white wines, dry and sweet which are much more affordable than the reds.

As just about every French wine, Bordeaux vintage can make quite a difference in the quality of the wine, because a sunny dry year or a rainy cooler year will definitely affect the taste of the wine. Whatever the vintage, however, good Bordeaux wines need to age a few years to reach full maturity and give their best flavor.

If you have never tasted Bordeaux, before you put the nectar to your lips, just make sure you are aware of the fact that you are tasting a GREAT Bordeaux or common one, so you will know what to expect and not be disappointed. The price of the bottle should also tell you which wine is which.

Want to discover more about wine making? We are making wine since the dawn of times and we are getting better and better at it.

Find the best of the best when it comes to wine here => http://www.squidoo.com/French-Wine-Wines-Of-Taste

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French Wines – How to Read the Labels

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:23:02 +0000

Wine labels are not some decorative stickers on wine bottles; they are supposed to give you all the information you need to know about the wine that you may want to purchase. This labeling has gone under sticker rules recently, which will assure you that what you read on the label is what is contained in the bottle.

Wine bottle labels should tell you from what grapes the wine was made, where they were grown and the name of the region where they were grown. In addition it should also tell you the name of the wine maker, the liquid volume content and the degree of alcohol. The latter is sometimes found on a back label.

If you are not used to buy wine, and maybe even if you are, you might be a bit confused by some labels that are not as clear to understand as you’d like, especially if you are not an expert wine buyers.

The first thing you might want to look for is the grape variety since this will give you information about the taste of the wine. The following thing you might want to look for is the region where the wine comes from. This will also give you a pretty good idea about what kind of wine you are dealing with, and most time explain its price as well.

Europe wines do not usually state the grape variety but rather the region where the wine originates. The reason for this is due to the fact that each region uses the same variety of grapes to make their wine. Some region such as the Rhne Valley uses a blend of up to thirteen varieties, but they are always the same ones.

Before you are able to taste the wine, the label is what you need to look for in order to make the right choice for you when it comes to buying wine.

Do you want to learn more about wine? Check French Wines of Taste and discover the whole story of wine and more.

http://www.squidoo.com/frenchcuisineandwine

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Who Makes Better Wine – California Or France?

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 02:41:08 +0000

So full disclosure, I’m not a native of California (although by some accounts I should be counted as such), but I’ve lived here for the past twenty two years….so I am partial to big, robust, powerful wines from Napa and Sonoma.

For the record, this is the classic comparison in the wine industry, largely because Bordeaux and Napa are the two preeminent wine regions in the world today and both focus on exactly the same type of grapes.

The differences are vast between the wines themselves though, largely because of the conditions that they are grown and produced in. To start weather is a vital concern in France as their grapes can, in some years, struggle to reach full ripeness because of inopportune cold spells in the summer. In Napa, there is no such cause for concern. The summers are almost always hot during the day and mild at night, perfect ripening conditions for grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon.

All of this is not to say that colder weather makes for bad wine, in fact far from it. Many people, myself included, believe that grapes which need to work harder to ripen often carry more intense flavors because they grow in small quantities as well as in smaller bunches.

The biggest difference between the two regions is tradition. In many parts of France winemaking has not changed much, if at all in the 1,600 years wine has been being made there. Often Americans are shocked by their wine tasting experiences in France because they arrive to find an old musty, dirty wine cellar that is producing some of the greatest wine they have ever had the opportunity to taste. They are also shocked when they find that tasting often comes directly from the barrel, with any unused wine being poured back into the barrel.

Compare this type of picture to what you can find in Napa where wineries have state of the art facilities. I do find it interesting that perhaps the most expensive facility in Napa, Vineyard 29, has spent so much money in order to produce wine in the most historic way possible. Their goal is to have a wine made without pumps, totally gravity driven….which despite all this technology is amazingly similar to what the French winemakers produce on a yearly basis in their antiquated facilities.

Add it all up, which wines do I prefer? Simple, depends on what I am eating. Honestly I do enjoy a great Bordeaux, especially when paired well with food, while I find it hard to believe that anything tastes better with a piece of grilled meat then a great California Cabernet Sauvignon.

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A Wine Lover’s Weekly Guide to $10 Wines – A French Pinot Noir by Rothschild

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:41:11 +0000

Last week’s wine came from a groundbreaking California winemaker, Robert Mondavi. This review is devoted to a wine made by a famous French winemaker, Baron Philippe de Rothschild. Prior to their death, these two giants collaborated; their most famous joint effort is the very pricey and probably overpriced Opus One, a Cabernet Sauvignon. Today’s wine is a Pinot Noir from the up and coming Languedoc region of southwestern France. While Pinot Noir is a common and often prized red grape variety grown in many parts of France it is somewhat of a newcomer to this major, but not prestigious wine growing region. So let’s see what happens when we combine a great grape, an up-and-coming wine region, and a famous wine house in a low-priced bottle.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed

Philippe de Rothschild Pinot Noir 2008 12.5% alcohol about $10

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. Tasting Note: Medium red violet; aromas and flavours of dried red berries, sour cherry, cranberry and spice, with a hint of vanilla; dry, medium bodied, soft yet balanced palate; good length. Serving Suggestion: Vegetarian lasagna, roast pork and grilled salmon or burgers. And now for my review.

At the first sips the wine was earthy with nice, round tannins. Its first pairing was with a commercial honey and garlic chicken breast accompanied by rice and a Moroccan-style tomato and garlic salsa. The wine showed soft acidity and tobacco. With the salsa the wine’s earthiness intensified but it became harsher.

The next meal consisted of a slow-cooked beef stew. The Pinot Noir was nicely acidic but the earth taste was almost completely gone and there wasn’t much fruit. I added some powerful green jalapeno pepper sauce the wine grew marginally stronger.

My final meal involved a boxed eggplant parmagiana slathered with parmesan cheese. While the nice acidity of the wine met the acidity of the tomato sauce, there was not a lot of fruit.

I ended the bottle with two local cheeses. With a yellow cheddar the Pinot Noir was fairly muted. It was a bit sweet with a taste of cherries. With a stronger tasting asiago cheese the wine picked up a bit of intensity but not really enough.

Final verdict. I don’t plan to buy this wine again. Even at this price it wasn’t really up to snuff.

Author: Levi Reiss
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A Wine Lover’s Weekly Guide to $10 Wines – A French Pinot Noir by Rothschild is a post from: Living The French Lifestyle

A Wine Lover’s Weekly Guide to $10 Wines – A French Pinot Noir by Rothschild

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:41:11 +0000

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed

Philippe de Rothschild Pinot Noir 2008 12.5% alcohol about $10

My final meal involved a boxed eggplant parmagiana slathered with parmesan cheese. While the nice acidity of the wine met the acidity of the tomato sauce, there was not a lot of fruit.

Final verdict. I don’t plan to buy this wine again. Even at this price it wasn’t really up to snuff.

Author: Levi Reiss
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A Wine Lover’s Weekly Guide to $10 Wines – A French Pinot Noir by Rothschild is a post from: Living The French Lifestyle