Posts Tagged ‘quality wine’

Burgundy is one of the most difficult regions in the wine world to predict, but knowing a little something about the larger AVA’s in France can do one a lot of good when beginning to choose wine.

Cote D’Or: When people speak about Burgundy, they are almost always talking about this region. The region is approximately thirty miles long and is almost exclusively planted in limestone soil, which is split into two halves as far as the wine drinking public is concerned. The northern half grows solely red wine (Pinot Noir) and the southern half grows both red and white wine, although it grows more white wine than red. One village which literally everyone has heard of is Dijon which lies at the northernmost point of Burgundy. Yes, Dijon is the town which the mustard is named after and the village still produces 70% of the mustard consumed in France.

Chablis: It’s placement at the northernmost edge of Burgundy once made Chablis an important supplier of Chardonnay to the Paris bistros. Alas, with so many new producers of Chardonnay from all over the world and easier transit of wine in general, both the pedigree of Chablis and the quality of its wines has dipped over time.

Cote Chalonnaise: Situated next to Cote D’Or, this is the region to look toward if you want to drink a quality Burgundy, but can’t afford one of the premiere wineries of the region. Again, the top producers may vary from year to year and if you get a year with less then ripe grapes the wine may end up watery and uninteresting….but in good years, WOW! Again, this is a region where is makes sense to find a quality wine shop and receive recommendations based on recent vintages from someone whom has had the chance to try and wines themselves.

Maconnais: Despite the fact that the village of Chardonnay can be found in this region, the wines produced here are more characteristic of jug wine then anything of higher quality. Historians are even suspicious of the name of the village, there is plenty of debate regarding the time line of the Chardonnay wine being produced, or the village named. It is possible the village took the name of a famous wine to encourage tourism and bring in more jobs.

In general the average wine drinker should look for wines from either Cote D’Or, if you can find an affordable version, or Cote Chalonnaise for a more affordable version of the great Burgundy that so many people crave.

Author: Mark A Aselstine
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger

If you are looking for fine French wine and food, consider the Languedoc-Roussillon region of south central 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 Viognier.

Among Frances eleven wine-growing regions the Languedoc-Roussillon is the largest in actual area and ranks fourth in acreage planted in wine grapes. This area, which includes the Midi, was once known for producing huge quantities of questionable quality wine called vin ordinaire. Now, however, in part due to the influence of Australian winemakers, the region is producing more and more fine wine. Unlike most other regions of France, many Languedoc-Roussillon wines, such as the one reviewed below, are identified by their grape variety on the label.

Dont think of this region as being uniform. For example, Languedoc tends to be flat, whereas Roussillon is hilly. In addition, several areas with their own unique combination of microclimate and soil (terroir) produce their own AOC (Appellation dOrigine Contrl) wines, which tend to be more expensive. Sooner or later well be looking at some of these wines in our series. There are almost 50 AOC wine appellations in Languedoc-Roussillon; covering the entire range, red, white, ros, sparkling, and sweet. This diversity is not surprising when you consider that the region grows over 30 grape varieties.

The Viognier grape was on the edge of extinction about forty years ago. At that time it was restricted to France with a grand total of about 35 acres. Times have changed and this grape is now grown in California, Italy, Australia, Chile, and Canada, with more countries on the way. The classic Viognier wines come from the Northern Rhone Valley of eastern France, but we probably wont be reviewing them because of their limited availability and high cost.

Of course the Languedoc-Roussillon region has many places to visit. Well just focus on a single city, Carcassonne whose population is about 45 thousand. Talk about location. This city lies on a hilltop on the route leading from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. And its not far from the Spanish border. Small wonder that it dates back well over two thousand years. The Romans fortified it about 100 BC. Carcassonne has the longest standing city walls in all of Europe. Its name comes from Dame Carcas, who fed the last of the citys wheat to a pig in clear view of the French Emperor Charlemagne. He mistakenly believed that the besieged city was in no danger of starvation, and called off the siege.

The Aude River divides the fortified upper town, La Cit, from the newer lower town, La Basse Ville. The upper town is basically closed to private cars. Among the upper town sites to see are the Fortress, the Bascilica of Sainte Nazaire, Museum of Chivalry, Arms and Archery, and the Museum of the Middle Ages, focusing on military history. The lower town has a fine arts museum and, in season (April to mid-November), an Australian Animal Preserve with kangaroos and emus.

Before reviewing the Languedoc-Roussillon 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 Huitres de Bouzigues (Oysters from Bouzigues).
For your second course savor Bourride (Fish with Aoli, a local mayonnaise).
And as dessert indulge yourself with Crme Colane (Dessert Cream with Lemon, Vanilla, and Dill Seed).

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

Wine Reviewed

Domaine des Salices Viognier 2005 13% about $12

Lets start by quoting the marketing materials. Over the past decade, Viognier has shown remarkable success in the vineyards of Languedoc-Roussillon (a.k.a., Midi). Once confined to vineyards in northern Rhne, today Viognier is thriving not just in the Midi, but throughout other warm climate regions around the world. Enjoy this fruity, low acid, aromatic wonder with lightly spiced seafood dishes, turkey breast or grilled salmon.

My first meal consisted of baked chicken leg with the skin on in a medley of spices (garlic, onion, cumin, and uncharacteristically tame Moroccan Harissa), rice, and green beans. I identified apples, pears, and a floral taste in the wine. I liked the acidity and the way that it cut the tasty grease of the chicken skin. The wine was a good accompaniment to fresh pineapple. I tried an off-the-wall combination by finishing my glass with jalapeno roasted almonds. The wine went dead. I dont blame the Viognier for this mismatch.

The next meal was an omelet with brown mushrooms, red onions, and American cheese (a mistake). The Viognier was moderately acidic and very slightly sweet with light fruits. Frankly, I preferred sipping the wine to this combination. There is a well-known rule when pairing a wine to dessert: make sure that the wine is sweeter than the dessert. I broke the rule with a homemade cheesecake that simply denatured the wine. On the other hand, the wine held up better with a homemade chocolate cake that wasnt as sweet.

My final meal was vegetarian. There was a moderately spicy broccoli mushroom sort of quiche that contained no cheese. The wine was very refreshing and almost ethereal. The other dish was a sweet potato, olive, and rustic potato concoction held together by crushed crackers. The wine was somewhat less exciting than before but still fine. As often with vegetarian meals, I was still hungry. Always on the lookout for an unconventional pairing, I tried dried, lightly sweetened cranberries. They killed the wine. Why stop there? Candy-coated peanuts went better. They turned up the wines acidity but the combination was good enough to go back for seconds.

The first cheese was a goats milk cheese, a Palet de Chevre from the Poitou Charentes region of central-western France. This cheese looked and tasted more like a Camembert than like a goats milk cheese. But the wine was quite fruity and pleasant with it. The second cheese was a nutty tasting Gruyere from Switzerland. Once again the wine was fruity and a bit acidic. Just before the wine and cheese tasting I went to the local supermarket. On the cheese shelf was a local Asiago, a sharp cheese originally from northern Italy. Usually I dont taste local cheeses with these wines, but because I actually preferred this local Asiago to the imported version, I thought that Id make an exception. The combination was quite good; the wine came out fruity and lightly acidic. Slices of fresh tomato perked it up even more.

Final verdict. I liked this wine and intend to buy it again, even more so at its relatively low price. Ill let you in on a secret; this is the first Viognier wine that I liked to any extent. I plan to taste other Viognier wines in this series. I dont promise that Ill try the top-of-the-line offerings from the northern Rhone Valley; they are quite pricey.

Author: Levi Reiss
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Mobile device news