Category: French Wines

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Bordeaux Wines

Wines From Bordeaux, France
By Roxanne L Sisneros

Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style

What is Bordeaux wine?

Bordeaux (“Bore-doe”) refers to a wine from Bordeaux, France. Over 90% of Bordeaux wines are red wines made with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec

Bordeaux is one of France’s most important wine-producing regions. The Dutch drained the marshes of the Medoc in the 17th century. The climate is as humid as it was when the land was covered in marshes instead of vineyards, leading to a variety of problems, such as rot and mildew

Red Bordeaux Primary Flavors: Black Currant, Plum, Graphite, Cedar, Violet.

Bordeaux reds are medium to full bodied with bold aromas of black currant and plums. Depending on the region where the Bordeaux wine is from, fruit flavors range from more tart fruit to sweeter ripe fruit.

As with the reds, white Bordeaux wines are usually blends of S�million and a smaller proportion of Sauvignon blanc. Other permitted grape varieties are Sauvignon gris, Ugni blanc, Colombard, Merlot blanc, Ondenc and Mauzac.

Here’s what to know about serving this wine:

Best served just slightly below room temperature (around 65 �F / 18 �C).

It’s always a great idea to decant red Bordeaux wines.

Store Bordeaux and all your red wines below 65 �F / 18 �C.

A decent vintage and solid producer (around $25+) will easily age for 15 years.

Pairing Food with Bordeaux Wine

Meat:

Black Pepper Steak, Roast Pork, Filet Mignon, Beef Brisket, Buffalo Burgers, Chicken Liver, Pot Roast, Venison, Duck, Goose, Dark Meat Turkey

Cheese:

Basque Cheeses, Swiss Cheese, White Cheddar, Provolone, Pepper Jack

Herb/Spice:

Black Pepper, White Pepper, Oregano, Rosemary, Mustard Seed, Cumin, Coriander Seed

Vegetable:

Roast Potatoes, Lentils, Mushrooms, Onion, Green Onion, Green Bean Casserole, Chestnut

Climate and geography

The major reason for the success of wine making in the Bordeaux region is an excellent environment for growing vines.

In Bordeaux the concept of terroir plays a role in wine production with the top estates aiming to make terroir driven wines that reflect the place they are from, often from grapes collected from a single vineyard. Remember that the right bank is dominated by Merlot and the left bank is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon.

Buying Bordeaux

Buying Bordeaux can be an intimidating experience. French wine labels steer clear of grapes and focus on geography.

Bordeaux has ruled the world of wine for three centuries and it will continue to influence consumer trends and the future of wines for years to come.

Please visit my blog “Fine Wines Worthy of Your Wine Cellar” at http://1p13.com

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Pinot Noir

A Comprehensive Guide to Pinot Noir Wine
By Alfred Ardis

In the world of wines, Pinot Noir is a top contender. This variety is striking for its flavor and ability to pair with virtually any type of food. Known as an ancient grape of France, Cistercian monks grew this fruit in their monasteries in Burgundy.

Regions of Origin

Pinot Noir comes from grapes grown in a variety of regions. France boasts the most vineyards with over 75,000 acres. The United States comes in at a close second. Germany, New Zealand, Italy, Australia, Chile, Argentina, and South Africa are also countries that grow these grapes. Dijon, France, is the most famous location that produces this wine.

Taste Details

Many connoisseurs consider Pinot Noir to be a fickle wine with a great flavor range. Both vintage and growing location have a significant impact on flavor.

– Grapes grown in France usually have a light flavor and color. People may describe this taste as having floral and sweet undertones.

– In Germany, the wine produced has an earthy flavor with touches of cherry and raspberry.

– Italian Pinot comes from vineyards located in this country’s cooler climate. Although these varieties still have a fruitiness, they also have other distinctive flavors such as clove, white pepper, and tobacco. Italians like to boast that their product has a higher alcohol content.

– The wine produced in California is bolder and fruitier. Vineyards offer interesting flavors such as black raspberry, black cherry, and caramel. In Oregon, the product tends to have a lighter color and a tart flavor.

– New Zealanders are proud of their spicy and rich grapes that create a strong wine. The Australian variety is similar to the New Zealand one; however, it tends to be a bit sweeter.

– South American wine resembles that of the product produced by the United States. However, it often has more of a floral undertone than a fruity one.

Growing Details

The grapes used to produce Pinot Noir are difficult to grow. They have thin skins, and they tend to ripen early in the season. Farmers must care for this fruit attentively to ensure that it thrives. It’s only with precise climate and patient tending that these grapes will grow well. For optimal growth, plants need cool temperatures, plenty of spacing between vines, and sandy soil. Plants grown in warm areas usually produce grapes that are milder in both flavor and color. A number of diseases can plague this fruit. This plant is also susceptible to point mutations. It’s typical to find vines with unique shoots that do not resemble any other ones existing on the same plant. A farmer might capitalize on this type of mutation by using it to propagate new plants.

Pinot Noir is commonly known by a variety of names. Other names include Franc Pineau, Salvagnin, Morillon, Pineau de Bourgoyne, and Auvernat. Different countries have different names for the wine.

Although the color of this product tends to be pale despite cool growing conditions, the flavor is anything but mild.

For more information on Pinot Noir, visit http://www.duckpondcellars.com/.

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Champagne

Romance Strawberries Champagne Glasses

Who Could Possibly Turn Down a Glass of Bubbles?
By Deborah Carpenter

Geographically limited to a town in France, Champagne is unable to be manufactured or produced in any other location in the world other than Champagne itself. Similar to the Italian equivalent Prosecco, this means it has an element of speciality to it unlike other sparkling wines. But who exactly created Champagne? Dom Perignon himself of course! A monk in the 17th century, he created Champagne wine which was soon popularised by King Louis XIV, who loved it so much.

But the drink created by Dom Perignon was a light red wine without the special fizz that is so widely associated with it today. It wasn’t until the French, in the 18th Century, decided that bubbles were actually good for your health that they were introduced to create the effervescent drink. Today, the Dom Perignon brand is a vintage form of Champagne, with rare bottles being considered as collectors’ items, and sold for over �1000 each! There are other far more affordable brands from the Champagne region, such as Mo�t & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot.

It is estimated that the popular sparkling wine we have today can hold up to approximately 49 million bubbles in a 750ml bottle – that’s a lot of bubbles! This amount of bubbles means Champagne has three times the gas than beer, and the cork can reach speeds up to 40mph if it isn’t popped correctly and safely! So be careful when you’re cracking open your new bottle of Champagne!

So how do we drink our beloved beverage? There are traditionally two types of Champagne glasses, the flute and the coupe glass! Legend has it that the coupe was modelled on Marie Antoinette’s breast shape, as an ode to her love of the drink. Although there’s no evidence of this, it’s still a romantic idea of the decadence associated with the bubbly drink.

In reality, the bowl type glass was created in England in the 17th Century and then taken to France. It is with this style of glass that makes it possible to create incredible towering glass fountains which look stunning at glamorous events and weddings.

In recent years, the flute glass has become the glass associated with Champagne for its ability to keep the drink cold and bubbling for as long as possible. Loved globally for its light, refreshing taste and exciting fizz, the flute has been designed with scientific reasoning to ensure the drink is enjoyed to its maximum capability. For example, the bubble trains, called ‘collerettes’, keep darting up the side of your glass whilst you drink your Champagne because the flute glass is shaped in a specific way. As it thins out towards the top of the glass, the reduced surface area retains the carbonation process of the bubbles for longer! The lengthy stem of the glass is also designed specifically to be held in order for the temperature of the drink to remain unaffected by those holding it. In extreme cases of etiquette, only the base of the glass will be touched.

You can choose from a selection of Champagne gift hampers and glassware over at Smart Gift Solutions, many of which can be personalised to suit any occasion and to create the perfect keepsake gift.

For an amazing range of unique champagne gifts to celebrate any special occasion visit Smart Gift Solutions… with next day delivery, including Saturday, and International delivery options together with lots of free add-ons such as printed ribbon and photo cards… let us help solve your gift dilemmas!

For all enquiries you can send an email or give us a call…

http://www.smartgiftsolutions.co.uk
e: sales@smartgiftsolutions.co.uk
t: 0870 609 3448

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Pinot Noir

The Guide to Pinot Noir Wine
By Maria Williams

Pinot Noir is a red wine grape that originated in Burgundy and it is one of the oldest wine spices planted in France. The name is derived from the French words pine and black, pine to describe tightly clustered grapes. Today, Pinot Noir grapes are all around the world. The first historic evidence is associated 2,000 years ago in the French region known as Pasco Robels – this was an ideal soil to produce tightly packed clusters. Some wine experts call it “heartbreak grape” because of the thin skinned grapes capable for early ripening with overwhelming flavour.

The thin skin of these delicate grapes requires diligent management as the balance of the wine can be easily destroyed by intervention. As one of the fines wines in the world, it is recognizable by cherry aroma mixed with strawberries. Soon after the wine ages it can bring the potential to develop “barnyard” aroma and savoury fleshiness with more fruit prominent and cleaner appearance.

The international success of the Pinot Noir as the most highly prized wine is typically evident during the late 1980`s and through the next couple of decades. The 1990`s showed an increase in the world production and sale in several wine growing regions of Australia, Austria, Canada and France. This wine is very fickle and can have quite a range of aromas, depending on the vintage and the earth where it`s grown. The major Pinot Noir produced in Burgundy is usually herbaceous with earthy aromas close to wet leaves. The wine in Germany tends to offer more sweet and fruit aromas which are quite different from Italian Pinot Noir where the climate is much cooler. Pinot Nero, as the Italians call it, tends to have more colour extraction and higher alcohol content.

Australians have identified Victoria and Tasmania as being cool enough for this wine. New Zealand is capable to produce the best Pinot outside Burgundy and certainly there are many fine examples of cooler regions in which the grape can develop interesting flavours. Often described as a difficult grape to deal with, wineries around the world are really passionate about its sensuality for the purpose of making wine. The popular image persist that this type od wine creates a long lasting impression in every person`s memory. The aroma is widely accepted as one of the most complex of all varieties starting with fruits enhanced with cinnamon and mushroom as common spiciness for identifying Pinot Noir. Most of the best Pinot Noirs are bottled under screw caps, which further highlights the fresh, clean fruit of these wines.

There is one component in which Pinot Noir seems naturally quite rich, 3-4 times higher compared to other varieties, especially when it is grown in chiller and more humid environments: resveratrol. While this may not affect the aspects of sensory enjoyment, it may draw the attention of health-conscious consumers.

Pinot Noir is not a simple wine. It is likely that it fascinates everyone by its greater complexity rich with dark fruit aromas and flavours.

If you are curious about how it tastes why don`t you take advantage and order a bottle of Pinot Noir wine from an online liquor store at extremely reasonable prices.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Maria_Williams/2245620

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