Posts Tagged ‘burgundy wine’

Some of the best wines come from France. In the continent of Europe, it is one of the oldest region where wine are made. France wine making history dated back to the Roman era. Actually, it was in this period that wine making expertise was exported to other region in France.

France is definitely known for their wines. In fact it was from the ‘French Paradox’, a medical finding that observed that despite the French population’s diet rich in fats, their risk of getting coronary disease remains significantly low. The trend has been attributed to their fascination for wine drinking. The finding has resulted in many studies focused on possible health benefits of wine to the body.

Wine making process in France

The process of wine making can be considered an art form. For the fact that respective wine maker can add his or her own personal touch to the making process. The final result of wine after going through the making process is determined by so many factors, for example, the climate, time of harvesting, terroir, fermentation period etc. The tasks of controlling these factors is the sole responsibility of wine makers.

Who drinks French wines

Among the very best wines produced in various regions of France includes:Bordeaux wine, Champagne, and Burgundy wine. In the past in France, the usual practice has been that people only drink wine made in their locality. Easy access to rails, roads and other form of transportation has made wine more easily available throughout the country. France has been known to be one of the biggest consumers of their own wines. Over the years however, the trend has greatly reduced. As a result decrease in local patronage, attention is now pace towards exporting of French wines. Due to quality wines made from other parts of the globe emerging, French wines popularity has been reduced.

Terroir

This is a phrase that originates from France. In wine making it refers to the natural traits that are conferred to the wine by any particular vineyard. Every vineyard is widely believed to have its own unique composition that can affect the final result of the wine. Some of the characteristic includes, altitude, soil type, the level of sun the plants in the vineyards are exposed to, how the vineyard is been managed etc.

It is no doubt that French wines are included as a favorite among many wine connoisseur. Not only do they have an excellent tradition of wine making in France, but the wines that they produce speak for themselves across the globe.

Author: Victor Emmanuel
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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If you are looking for fine French wine and food, consider the Mconnais area of the Burgundy region in eastern 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 local white Chardonnay.

Among Frances eleven wine-growing regions Burgundy ranks fourth in acreage if you include the Beaujolais region, which most people do in spite of their considerable differences. Partisans, and they are many, claim that Burgundy is really the number one or number two wine-producing region in France, if not in the world. The wine reviewed below comes from the Mconnais area of southern Burgundy, whose wine production is almost 90% white, almost exclusively Chardonnay. This area produces three times as much white wine as the rest of Burgundy, but is not particularly well known.

If you are visiting the Mconnais area, and you really should, make sure to stop by the village of Cluny and its medieval abbey, once the largest church in all Europe. Today the site lies in ruins, as it has been since the French Revolution, but what ruins. The site contains a horse-breeding center founded by Napoleon using stone from the abbey. Youll also want to see the Muse Ochier, a Romanesque lapidary museum. Dont forget to tour the town of Autun once called Augustodonum, city of Augustus. The original name refers to Augustus Caesar who modestly described it as the sister and rival of Rome itself. Avoid disappointment, dont expect Rome II. But do visit Autuns Portes (Archways) and the Thtre Romain, once the largest arena in Gaul (Roman France) with room for 15,000 spectators. Every August (do you think thats a coincidence?) traditionally costumed locals put on a period piece. Talking about Napoleon, he and his brother studied at the local military academy, where at age nine the future Emperor first learnt French.

Before reviewing the Burgundy 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 Pt en Crote de Grenouilles au Bleu de Bresse (Frog and Bresse Blue-Cheese Pie).
For your second course savor Poulet de Bresse la Crme-Trompettes de la Mort (Free-Range Bresse Chicken in Creamy Sauce with Horns of Plenty Mushrooms). Read more about Bresse chickens in our article I Love French Wine and Food A Red Beaujolais.
And as dessert indulge yourself with Ile Flottante (Floating Island, a Meringue Island in a Custard Sea.)

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

Wine Reviewed
Pouilly-Vinzelles AOC En Paradis 2003 Louis Latour 12.6% about $18.50

Lets start by quoting the marketing materials. This pretty wine from the Mconnais is pale yellow in color and has a beautiful nose of lemon, honey, apple, and tropical fruit. It is elegant and pleasing revealing hazelnut and fruit flavors on tasting. This wine is perfect for drinking now.

This Chardonnay was fermented in stainless steel tanks and never saw the inside of an oak barrel. The Pouilly-Vinzelles is a not very well-known neighbor of the more expensive Pouilly-Fuiss. And now for the review.

My first meal was a Poulet Chasseur (Chicken Cacciatore) that I made with considerable care. The wine was very delicate and yet not weak. Its apple flavor expressed itself well. I enjoyed how the wines acid dealt with the meats grease, which was relatively low because I cooked the chicken without its skin.

The next meal was more pedestrian. It consisted of chicken legs in a soy, onion, and garlic sauce. The wine was refreshing and pleasant but fairly short.

Continuing to work my way down the food scale, the next pairing involved a baked noodle dish, a cheese-less lasagna with tomatoes, onions, peas, and chicken hamburger. The wine was appley and floral and went very well with the meal, but seemed a bit wasted.

The final meal was disappointing. It consisted of an omelet with brown mushrooms, local provolone cheese, and the fixings. The wine was pleasant but not at all special, in fact it was not particularly present.

The wine and cheese tastings were more successful than usual. The first pairing was with a soft, buttery northern Italian Bel Paese cows milk cheese. This cheese seemed to intensify the wines flavor. Then I tried the wine with a French Saint-Aubin, also a soft cows milk cheese. In its presence the wine became softer.

Final verdict. Im not sure. This wine was sometimes quite good, but I think it was too expensive. What do you expect from a Bordeaux? By the way, the labels term En Paradis was not the least bit justified.

Author: Levi Reiss
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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