Posts Tagged ‘unesco world heritage site’

If you are looking for fine French wine and food, consider the world famous Burgundy region in eastern France. Although it’s fairly rare, you may even find a bargain. I hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a Chardonnay white wine coming from old vines (vieilles vignes) in the Chablis district of northern Burgundy.

Among France’s 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 Chablis district of northern Burgundy that is physically closer to Champagne than to the rest of Burgundy. Chablis is known for its white wines, but some red is produced, especially from a local grape known as Csar. If I can get my hands on some, I’ll be glad to give it a shot. Until then I’ll have to be satisfied with Burgundy whites.

Chablis is not only a style of wine known around the world. It’s also a village of less than three thousand in a district of the same name. You can enjoy some old houses, the Serein River, and the Length-Depaquit Castle but its main attractions are the vineyards and the wine shops.

The smaller single-street village of Vzelay was a major pilgrimage site in the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries. The medieval Basilique Ste-Madeleine (Saint Madelene’s Basilica) is really worth seeing for its Romanesque architecture. The grounds are also beautiful. In fact the complex is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The same guy who restored the basilica also restored the Cathedral of Amiens and Notre-Dame in Paris.

Before reviewing the Burgundy wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and local imported food stores, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Escargots de Bourgogne (Snails in Parsley Butter).
For your second course savor Fondue Bourguignonne (Beef Fondue). And as dessert indulge yourself with Poires poches au vin de Bourgogne (Pears poached in Burgundy Wine).

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

Wine Reviewed

La Chablisienne Chablis Les Vieilles Vignes 2003 12.6% about $24.00

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. Steely Intensity. Vieilles Vignes, or Old Vines, yield less fruit but the quality is much higher than that of younger vines. This intense Chardonnay is consistently excellent with green apple, lemon, and loads of mineral characteristics. It’s dry and steely with a long, crisp finish. Serve it with lemon chicken or oysters on the half shell. And now for the review.

My first meal was a meatless quiche with sesame seeds, broccoli, mushrooms, red and green peppers, and non-imported cheese. The wine is crisply acidic. I really tasted the lime. This wine was imbued with that Chablis taste of flint. And yet the wine and food weren’t a particularly good match. Things worked out marginally better with a tomato, cucumber, red onion, and parsley salad.

The next meal involved a baked salmon filet that marinated for 24 hours in a sesame seed, honey, garlic, soya, and black pepper sauce. The sides were mashed potatoes in bouillon and zucchini in tomato sauce. This combination worked excellently. The wine was lemony and powerful. It was palate cleansing and tasted steely and flinty. I sort of ruined things with dessert, fruit-juice candy that flattened the wine a bit. Honestly, in all my readings and discussions, I have never come across the pairing of fruit-juice candy and Burgundy wine. As per my policy, I don’t blame the wine for weird food pairings that don’t fly.

The final meal consisted of breaded, fried chicken cutlets, potato patties, and caponata, a thick Italian-style commercial eggplant salad including tomatoes and olives. The wine was very refreshing with plenty of lime and acidity, strong and yet subtle. This combination was classic and the wine emerged slightly different with each of the meal’s components. Believe or not, it became ethereal when paired with the same fruit-juice candy tasted above.

The first cheese pairing was with an Emmenthaler (Swiss) cheese that actually came from Germany. Even though the cheese was quite mild, it flattened the wine which no longer came out so nicely acidic. I then tried this Chardonnay with goat cheese from the Poitou-Charentes region of central western France. Even though the cheese gave off a bit of ammonia, the pairing was interesting; the wine was round and a bit thick.

Final verdict. Burgundy brings its expectations, even more so when it is labeled Old Vines. This is not a wine for daily consumption, not for me anyway. But the salmon filet pairing showed the heights that it can reach when properly paired. I would buy it again but watch carefully the accompanying food. And regret, as so often, that it isn’t considerably less expensive.

Author: Levi Reiss
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: PCB Prototype & Manufacturing

Many wines with household names are produced in France – from the sparkling pleasures of champagne to the deep red wines of Bordeux, and much in between.

Most of the wine regions are also known as important tourist destinations (and would be even if wine was not grown nearby). Some of the regions that are best known for both fine wines and for tourist attractions include:

Alsace

You will be impressed by the photogenic houses and villages of much of Alsace, and a common way to plan a visit is to follow the Alsace Wine Route which runs north to south through the highlights of the region.

Bergerac

Best known for medium red wines, Bergerac is located in the Dordogne department – one of the most popular tourist destinations in France, with a myriad of ancient villages and castles to explore, and the beautiful scenery of the river and region itself.

Bordeaux

Renowned for some of the greatest names in wine, especially full-bodied red wine, you could visit several wine chateaux a day here and still barely scratch the surface. When you tire of wine tasting, the other local attractions include the UNESCO listed village of Saint Emilion, the ‘city of culture’ itself at Bordeaux, the pleasant Atlantic resort at Arcachon, and the biggest sand dune in Europe!

Burgundy

The Burgundy region is one of tradition, and of historical wealth, and includes many highlights from the medieval hospital at Beaune to the unspoiled countryside of Morvan – combined with some of the highly regarded wines produced in the region, this makes for a very inviting French destination.

Loire

Perhaps best known for the magnificent castles that follow the Loire as it heads westwards towards the Atlantic, there are also many fine wines (especially white wines) that are grown along the quiet Loire Valley. Note that the river itself is also a listed UNESCO world heritage site, and is one of the prettiest rivers in France.

Provence

Wine isn’t the main attraction in Provence – that honour is reserved for the Cote d’Azur, the perched villages of Luberon, the lavender fields of Drome Provencal…but be sure to find time to enjoy some of the local fine wines while enjoying the scenery of this lovely part of France.

Author: Marcus Smith
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty rate