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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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

Author: Regine Marne
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Wine and its Origins

Ever since man learned to make certain wine from grapes, the use of wine has long been woven into the fabric of human life for daily use or on special occasions.

The first discovery made with regards to the existence of wine was during the Neolithic Period (8500-4000 BC), when archaeologists found that the yellowish residue of a jar unearthed at the site of Hajji Firuz Tepe in Iran had previously contained wine. Another proof is the said beverage had existed way back during the Biblical times; it is used in Bibles and Scriptures with variations like yayin (Hebrew), which means to boil up or to be in ferment; oinos (Greek); and vinun (Latin).

Wines are mainly distinguished by their color, flavor, aroma and alcoholic content. They can be deep red, white or rose depending on the juice concentration and length of time the concoction was allowed to ferment. Although for most connoisseurs, they can tell which country the drink came from because the wine tastes of the place where the grapes were cultivated.

French red wines have become very popular in quality and use; in particular they go well with red meat such as beef, roasts, lamb and duck, veal and more. But its popularity can be attributed mainly on the controversies surrounding it made by experts who discovered that consuming red wine in moderation is good for the heart. Red wines are known to contain anti-oxidants that help prevent damage to the arteries by eliminating the formation of fatty lesions and blood clots, lower blood pressure, cholesterol and stroke.

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Most of the world’s fine wines are aged in wooden wine casks or wine barrels as opposed to stainless steel tanks. Oak wine barrels enhance flavor, aroma and complexity of the wine through extraction of substances from the wood into the wine. Oak wine barrels allow air (oxygen) to make contact with the wine resulting in a slow oxidation process.

Why Oak?

Historically, wood type was a question of tradition, wine variety, economics, and personal taste. Redwood was commonly used in the construction of puncheons or uprights many times larger than the traditional 60-gallon oak barrel. However, redwood is no longer used, being too rigid to bend the staves and gives a yellow tint to the wine. Chestnut, high in tannin, is too porous and needs paraffin coating to prevent excessive evaporation wine loss. Oak is used almost exclusively in barrel aging of fine wines because of its strength, workability and lack of undesirable flavor or color extractives. Oak’s tight grain permits a gradual extraction of wood flavors. Oak is resilient, enabling staves to be bent without breaking, unlike hardwoods like apple or cherry, and has a neutral wood smell. Oak is high in tannin, an important flavor component in proper amounts that allows red wines to age by gobbling up oxygen, which would otherwise spoil the wine.

French versus American Oak

The majority of winemakers insist on French oak. However, a growing minority uses an American white oak species, grown in Virginia, Missouri, Kentucky, Oregon, and Ohio, for the crafting of wine barrels. It is preferred over red and black oak because of the high tannin content, tighter grain minimizing wine evaporation, and resistance to shrinkage preventing wine leakage after the wine is removed from a newly-filled barrel.

Common forests in France harvesting French white oak for wine barrel production are Limousin, Alliers, Vosges, Troncais and Nevers, planted in the days of Napoleon for shipbuilding. Each forest produces oak that imparts slightly different nuances of flavor to the wine. Each forest produces slightly different densities of wood determining the rate of extraction of these flavors. Winemakers typically use a blend of wine barrels from different forests to take advantage of the unique characteristics of each.

This notion of regional character does not exist with American oak. The character of oak can vary within a forest due to growth conditions and age. Winemakers using American oak are more concerned with the reputation of the cooper than exactly which state the oak was grown in. A cooper’s reputation is established on the basis of his ability to make a uniform product from year to year. While winemakers expect variation in grape quality from vintage to vintage, consistency in new wine barrels purchased from one year to the next is critical.

As wineries seek to lower production costs, demand for American oak has increased dramatically. More winemakers have substituted American oak wine barrels costing about $400 each for French oak wine barrels costing over $1,000 or more per barrel. This trend has prompted renewed scrutiny of the differences between American and French oak. While both American and French oak contribute tannin and aroma, French oak contains more tannins and flavor components with less “oaky” flavor and smell than American oak. American oak has a more aggressive mouth feel and immediately apparent aroma. American oak contains more vanillin (vanilla aroma) and more odorous compounds.

Some have thought American oak’s somewhat harsh, raw character ruled out its use for white wine and made it desirable for aging powerful, robust red wines such as Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. But coopers successfully reduced the undesirable characteristics of American oak by applying traditional French production techniques. Stave wood is stacked outside to air-dry, instead of kiln or oven drying, for a minimum of 18 months. The wood is exposed to rain and drying leaching out excessive harshness while retaining desirable vanillin components, 70% of which is lost during artificial drying. In the past, American oak wine barrels were flash-fired, producing a heavy char suitable for aging bourbon. Toasting of the barrels are done more slowly over lower heat, allowing a deeper flame penetration and caramelization of the wood sugars.

When it comes to wine barrels, all winemakers look for something different. If you had five winemakers that tasted the results, you would get five different responses. There is no right or wrong choice of wine barrel.

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White wines
Many will already be familiar with German wines. The Alsace-Lorraine area is inspired by some of that tradition. There are some very well-known grapes that give excellent white wines:

* Chardonnay

* Pinot Blanc

* Sauvignon Blanc

Just as I mentioned the German impact upon some white wines from France, the Riesling grape is very popular. There are many low-price wines (rather sweet), but certainly also some very fine Rieslings. Served chilled while the sun is baking is a lovely thing. Something you may want to remember for summer next year.

Red wines
There are quite a few grapes that provide interesting red wines:

* Cabernet Sauvignon

* Syrah

* Grenache

One of my personal favourites among pricey wines are either the Chinon wines from the Loire Valley or the especially the wine from 2004 entitled “Chteauneuf-du-Pape Cuve Grande Garde Saint-Benoit”. It’s a wine priced at roughly 12 here in Denmark, but truly fantastic. Amazing, however, that you can get wines in the Loire Valley at one third this price (ranging from 3,60-4,50 that will be just as good), but “Chteauneuf-du-Pape” signifies papal wine, and truly one can say that the papacy has had good taste in wine.

Facetiously one could say that since they can’t concentrate as much on lovely ladies, at least an interest in wine can be a very enjoyable experience.

Ross
There are many grapes that give ros wines you will want to taste:

* Grenache Gris

* Clairette

* Cinsault

Ross truly surprised me when we took our first vacation to France in 2006. In Denmark we might have ten-fifteen types of ros from mainly Spain and California – and later we began to see French ross also. But I was truly amazed when one of my very best friends, Cyril showed me a local supermarket called Gant. They had several rows of ross. You can imagine that for a couple like ours, where I have always preferred mature red wines and my wife previously liked semi-sweet white wines, then ross have taken both of us by storm. Previously I only knew of the Zinfandel ros wines from California, but I have taken both Greek and French ross very much to heart.

Voltaire’s philosophy
Notice this: there is no doubt that many abuse alcohol. In our society it is very easy to fall prey for that, but in moderation it is a true enjoyment. Voltaire once declared that “there was more philosophy in a bottle of wine than in many books”. He is truly right, but one needs to be mindful never to overdo that passion.

Good luck in discovering the same beauty as we have. When you visit France you owe it to yourself to take home many different bottles so you can experience some of the variety the French have truly implemented in many even smaller supermarkets. They don’t drink much of the wines that are exported, and guess what? I think they are wise enough even to export some of it so they can avoid digesting it themselves.

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There are many different varieties of French wines. The most crucial factors that create differences in the kind of wine being prepared are, the choice of territory, the climate, the date of harvest, grape variety, the kind of container in which fermentation takes place, the temperature at which the grape juice is maintained during fermentation, the exact period of fermentation, and the type of container in which maturation takes place. All these factors are important determiners of the kind of wine which is ultimately made, its taste, color and peculiar smell.

In total, there are eleven suggested steps in wine making. These are plantation or grafting of a vine stock, growing of a grape bunch, subsequent harvesting of the grapes, de-stemming (only for red wines) and crushing the grapes, alcoholic fermentation of the liquid, maceration (only for red wines), raking the wine, malolactic fermentation, maturation of the wine, bottling the wine and finally, tasting the wine. The steps may be altered or changed depending on the kind of wine to be produced.

There is no one particular way to make wines. The methods of wine making differ from not only region to region but also from one wine maker to another. That is what makes the different kinds of wine available to the people. However, there are certain guidelines given to the wine makers and the vineyard owners as to how the process of wine making should be carried out. These simply provide frameworks to wine making and do not serve as rigid rules.

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It has other uses including being blended from Cabernet Franc or being used to make sweet and dry white wines. Located in Eastern France is Burgundy where varieties of red wines as well as white are produced in bulk and are equally appreciated. It is quite a large area where other types of vines are also grown making it a top global producer of this product. Beaujolais, an area located just near the Rhone Valley represent another great producer of wines that have pleasant fruity flavor style that is supposed to be consumed when young.

In fact every 3rd of November a particular wine called Nouveau is released and these are the only legitimate French red wines that can be drunk in the same year of production. Pinot Noir is the main grape used to manufacture good French red wine. There is also another area in eastern France called Alsace that is known to be a small scale provider of a number of wines comprising of rose, red, sweet, sparkling while white types are the main ones. The reason why the part is associated with all these types of French red wines is because the climate allows proper farming of many types of grapes that are then used to manufacture liquor.

In the same eastern side of France is a part that borders Luxembourg and Belgium called Champagne known to be the coldest of all wine areas and it is mainly recognized for the production of the sparkling type of wine. It is still linked with production of French red wines but the rose and white kinds are the leading. Everyone who thought the only wines the country manufactures and distributes are expensive is proven wrong by the products based in Languedoc- Roussillon. It actually has the largest vineyards where cheap French red wines and others are produced in bulk and another important thing is that the area is known to produce both contemporary and classically inspired wines.

Another popular area that produce French red wines and rose is called Province located in proximity to the Mediterranean and therefore considered one of the warmest wine region existing in the country. Located at the southern east side of the nation also is Rhone valley that predominantly is a French red wines region and its quality greatly compares with the Bordeaux both of which are recognized as the oldest producers. No matter which type of region’s product that a customer ends up paying for any French wine variety is known to be sensational and ultimate choice for anyone no matter where they come from because they can buy online.

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All kinds of wine are made in France, including the erroneous champagne; a sparkling wine can only be referred to as champagne is produced in the specific French region as the same name. This is just one clue to the dominance of France in the wine market in general, and another good example of how the regions of the country differ in their production.

Red wine and France are two concepts that go together effortlessly. Though the country is a fantastic manufacturer of white wine – with the Alsace region being much celebrated amid wine afficianados, thanks to the sweetness of the wine produced – it is with this wine that France really steps into the spotlight. Many of the red wines in the New World take their inspiration from the French wine makers, many of whom have been in operation for hundreds of years. French wine may not be as avant garde and exciting as that produced in California, but it has a touch of class to it that few can measure. It is the traditional of wine making and history in a glass.

France were the first country to coin the use of the phrase ‘terroir’, which is used to describe the type of land vines are planted in. The French have an absolute understanding of terroir, particularly in terms of which terrains and climates will produce the best wine. The French wine regions are thus mapped out according to the terroir of a particular area, with some regions specialising in a particular type of wine over any others. Though the word terroir may not be used as regularly, this understanding of the ground and soil’s effects on the quality and taste of wine has continued into the New World market.

The French red wines are particularly celebrated, with the most dominant red wine region being Bordeaux on the Atlantic coast. Numerous famous red wines are produced in this region, including instantly recognisable names such as Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, Chateau Latour and Chateau Margaux.

The Bordeaux French wines are typically a blend of some of the most popular red grape varieties; both Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon feature heavily. Cabernet Sauvignon is also produced as a varietal in Bordeaux, which is said to be among the best versions of the grape in the world.

With the exception of white wine dominant Alsace, all of the French regions have some production of red wine – the trick to finding the true gems is to go where red wine is the dominant in production. As a rule of thumb, the most southerly the region the more likely it is to produce excellent wine; Rhone and Provence are two other key examples. However, there is likely to be red wine produced locally in most of the regions, and with the French red wines endlessly enjoyable, there is much to see and try in the spiritual home of the wine making industry.

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The reasonably constant sun combines with granitic soil in the north of the region and the limestone in the south of the region to produce Carignan, Syrah and Grenache grapes used in the production of red wines and Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Ugni Blanc for white wines.

The Grenache is the major grape grown and represents 55 percent of the total red wine grapes grown while the Clairette makes up just over one third of the white wine grapes grown in the region. Overall roughly 8,000 to 10,000 winemakers produce some 450 million bottles of wine on a vast 170,000 acres of land of which three-quarters is devoted to the fruity reds of Chteauneuf du Pape in the south and the full-bodied Cte Rtie in the north.

The village of Chartreuse de Valbonne enjoys a quite different climate from that of the surrounding area. Enfolded by forested horseshoe-shaped hills there are numerous terraces composed of stony chalk and limestone. Some of the barrels from this area date clear back to the 13th century and the village is home to plump Grenache Noir, spicy Syrah and plump Viognier grapes with aromas of acacia honey and violet.

Considered to be among the best of the Ctes du Rhne villages are Cairanne and Rasteau with Rasteau’s tannic Domaine du Trapadis being the preference of those who are looking for a zesty wine and Cairanne’s softer Domaine Catherine Le Goeuil being appreciated by those people who are a bit more easy going.

From the Ctes du Rhne villages stony limestone and clay earth come the Syrah and Grenache grapes that produce some 19 million bottles of medium body fruity red wines.

The history of the wine of Gigondas traces back to the Roman Empire and good advantage is taken today of the Mediterranean weather and the red clay soil to make an fragrant alternative to the expensive Chteauneuf du Pape. On about 3,000 acres vintners grow the Mourvdre, Syrah and Grenache grapes that go into making 5,500,000 bottles of this first class wine.

For wine lovers whose tongue requires a small shock of pleasure there is the Vignobles Darriaud’s Grenache Syrah which is a full-bodied red with earthy and plumy aromas and with chocolate tones that mix with a peppery finish after the wine has been allowed to age for about 3 or 4 years.

To conclude, we must turn our attention to the slopes of Chteauneuf du Pape which lie between Avignon and Orange and which were once used as the summer retreat of numerous Popes. The wine is thick and richly colored by the Syrah, Clairette, Grenache and some ten other grape varieties. On roughly 7,600 acres of quartz and sandy red clay soil grow the vines that produce 13 million bottles that can age for up to 20 years with aromas of red fruits, vanilla and cinnamon.

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