Archive for the ‘French Wines’ Category

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.

Author: Levi Reiss
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger

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!

Author: Janos Vulman
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty tariff