Posts Tagged ‘bordeaux wines’

If you are looking for fine French wine and food, consider the world-famous Bordeaux region of southwestern France. You may find a bargain, and I hope that youll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a red Merlot from a internationally renowned producer.

Among Frances eleven wine-growing regions Bordeaux ranks first in acreage with about 50% more land devoted to vineyards than the second-place Rhne Valley. But its more than just a question of acreage and volume. Bordeaux is widely considered as one of the top wine producing regions of the entire earth and has been for centuries. The wine reviewed below comes from the Pomerol area on the right bank of the Garonne River, which divides Bordeaux in two.

Bordeaux produces over seventy million cases of wine per year, about 85% red, 12 white, and the rest ros. That works out to more than two million cases of ros wine per year. I dont remember ever tasting a Bordeaux ros. I promise to deal with this problem later in the series. There are more than twenty two thousand vineyards in Bordeaux covering about 280 thousand acres, which works out to somewhat less than 13 acres per vineyard. Approximately half of the vineyards produce wine, and altogether about 6000 properties produce and sell their own wine, the rest selling wine through cooperatives. Bordeaux boasts about 60 different wine appellations ranging from fair-to-middling to world class with plenty in between. Some Bordeaux wine classifications date back to 1855 and have barely changed since, except that Baron Rothschild was able to get his best wine promoted from Second Cru (second growth) to Premier Cru (First Growth). Those in the know say that his Chteau Lafitte definitely deserves this honor. Well review some fairly top-notch Bordeaux wines sooner or later, but the wine reviewed below is very affordable. Interestingly enough, its noble cousin, Chateau Petrus, crafted by the same producer with the same grape in the same area holds no prestigious classification. However, Chateau Petrus is definitely world class and comes with a price to match, if the wine merchant will even look at your money.

Believe it or not, Merlot is the major red grape in Bordeaux. Cabernet Sauvignon comes in a distant second. Well talk about the remaining important Bordeaux red grape varieties elsewhere in this series. The major white grapes are Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. The Pomerol region of Bordeaux is a small, rural area of Bordeaux producing only red wine. Its major grape varieties are Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.

Pomerols main tourist attractions are the wine chateaux. Perhaps surprisingly the world famous Chateau Petrus is not all that special to look at. The most attractive Chateaux are Chateau Nenin and Vieux Chateau Certan but even they are far from spectacular. As the famous phrase goes, you cant judge a book by its cover. Of course the Bordeaux region is brimming with sights to see which will be described in the appropriate articles.

Before reviewing the Bordeaux wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region.
Start with Gravette Huitres (Oysters from the Arcachon Bay).
For your second course savor Lamproie au Pomerol (Eels cooked in Red Wine and Chocolate).
And as dessert indulge yourself with Cannelles de Bordeaux (Portable Crme Brule).

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

Wine Reviewed

Moueix Merlot 2003 12.3% about $13.00

Lets start by quoting the marketing materials. No one knows Merlot better than Christian Moueix, owner of the world famous Chteau Ptrus. Year after year, his wines define Merlot. Soft and round with aromas of raspberry, cedar and blueberry, this wine delivers ripe fruit, great balance and a medium long finish. Its magic with veal medallions and sauted mushrooms, or baked pasta.

My first pairing was with turkey meatballs, potatoes, and sauted vegetables in a moderately spicy tomato sauce. This wine was round and full-bodied. It was quite long with pleasant acidity but overpowered the meat. The Merlot tasted better after eating the potatoes. When I finished the glass after the meal, the wine was quite rich and I started tasting blackberries.

My next meal consisted of slow-cooked beef stew and potatoes with a somewhat spicy sauce and two rather spicy side salads. The wine was full-bodied and agreeably acidic, tasting of plums and black cherries. Once again I enjoyed finishing the glass after the meal. The spices were intensified. I can only imagine what its famous cousin, Chateau Petrus, would taste like but at forty times the cost (or more), I can only imagine.

The final meal included hamburgers, rice, cauliflower and red peppers in a tomato sauce, once again with Harissa, a Moroccan hot pepper spice that was fairly weak. The Merlot tasted of dark fruits and tobacco with a bit of black pepper. The only downside was that the wine was not long.

As always, the cheese tastings came last. I started with a Palet de Chevre, which is a goats milk cheese from the Poitou Charentes region of central-western France. Honestly, if I didnt know that it was a goats milk cheese I never would have guessed. It simply looked and tasted like a slightly runny Camembert. The combination was almost OK, but deadened the wines flavor somewhat. The other cheese was a Swiss Gruyere. The wine bounced back in the Gruyeres presence, but frankly was too good for the cheese.

Final verdict. No doubt about it; I want this wine again. And should the day come that Ill buy its noble cousin, Chateau Petrus, Ill still be buying this wine.

Author: Levi Reiss
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Wine is undoubtedly one of the great national treasures of France, which over the years has become an integral part of French culture and is rooted in history with around half a million vineyards.

Although you can find many great value wines and numerous different varieties to choose from whatever your palette, there are also some of the most expensive wines in the world that are produced in France, and the vast majority of people will never be able to experience in their lifetime.

In fact, a vintage Romanee Conti red wine produced from the pinot noir grape in Burgundy can cost anything upwards of 1,000 for just one bottle. And a rare vintage case of 12 sold at auction in London for a staggering 58,500 making this the most expensive case of wine sold at auction up until the year 2007.

Both Bordeaux and Burgundy have always contested that they produce the best wines and in their own ways the are probably both correct, and yet apart from the Champagne region, famous for the sparkling wine of the same name, Bordeaux wines are far more widely known than those from Burgundy.

No matter what region in France you go on holiday to, you will be able to sample a wide variety of different wines and it is a good idea to get to know your preferences before trying different ones. Whether you prefer a red wine or a white wine, sweet or dry, still or sparkling the choice is immense.

Going to a wine tasting session can be great fun trying out different varieties, yet for some it can also be a little daunting, especially if it is not on an arranged tour of which there are plenty to choose from. However, there are some general pointers that will get you through.

When wine tasting, you should always start off with the lightest wines such as sparkling wines and work through to full bodied whites, then through the reds from the light to the full bodied and end on dessert wines. This will help to keep your taste buds more sensitive so you can better appreciate each wine and in some places they even supply water in between so as to get the full flavour and texture of each wine you are tasting.

You should swill the wine round in the glass a couple of times, which will help aerate it and provide you with the full aroma. Plus it is customary to spit out most wine, rather than swallow it, although you can swallow a small amount on occasions to experience what it is like after it has gone down.

The Loire Valley is a massive wine producing region that produces a variety of wine such as Muscadet, Cabernet Franc, Gamay reds and even reasonably priced Sauvignon Blancs. And with the beautiful chateaux plus the tranquil winding river it makes the Loire region one of the most visited areas in France for experiencing wines and fine French food to accompany them with the stunning backdrops so synonymous with this region.

Yet for hundreds of years Bordeaux has had a long and internationally famous history of high quality wines and is also a very popular place to go, although you can still pick up a good value Bordeaux wine if you travel to the outskirts of the region.

And yes, who could not think about champagne, which is so tightly controlled for what can be classed as a true champagne, you will get to appreciate why some varieties are so expensive and are only produced in this region for consumption throughout the world. However, there are some vineyards that will charge far less for a bottle of their champagne with the same finesse, compared to that of the famous brands we have all come to know.

The Languedoc region in France is one of the biggest wine producing regions and to put this into perspective, it has over two times more land planted to vines than the whole of Australia! Even though in the past, they concentrated more on quantity rather than quality, this is changing where you can pick up a reasonably priced wine that can match up to some at double or even triple the cost.

But France is a country that has such a different range of wines from the many wine regions and each one will provide a taste, aroma and body like no other and some regions themselves offer such a diverse range it can be quite mind boggling, yet a fascinating experience.

Obviously, white wine has long been associated with fish and chicken, whereas red wine is normally paired with red meats and game. Yet when you are in France experiencing the fantastic culinary delights of the regions speciality French food, take the time to choose a wine that will enhance the experience or ask for advice and enjoy.

Author: Martyn Davis
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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