Picking a Fine Red Wine
There are great red wines from many regions and the proof is all in the tasting. Every wine region has the ability to create great wines and when looking at Wine Spectator ratings you can find fine wines from every region. The wine you pick is a matter of personal taste and the occasion you are selecting the wine for. Finding your favorite wines should be a fun journey that involves a lot of tasting. There are some varieties that are grown in unique places throughout the world that have old vines that will catapult a vintage to the top tier. The problem is that there are no restrictions that keep winemakers from labeling a wine as “old vine”. This can be problematic it that you do not know what you’re getting without doing your homework.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
How to Read a French Wine Label
French Wine
France is the number two producer of wine. The French use a rating system for wine that is similar to the Italians. French wines focus on the wines origin or appellation instead of the variety. This is because in France the government regulates what types of grapes can be grown where. At first glance when looking at a French label you will see in large letters close to the top the Appellation. If you are looking for the variety don’t. You are expected to know that every red wine that comes out of Burgundy is a Pinot Noir and every red wine that comes out of Bordeaux is a Cabernet Sauvignon.
The French also have four categories of wine and two of them are EU category wines. “Appellation d' Origine Contrôlée" (AOC), These wines are grown in very small appellations and produced with strict guidelines controlled by the government. This is to guarantee the quality of these wines is the best France has to offer. This category makes up 35% of French wines.
Vin délimité de qualité supérieure (VDQS) is also an EU category wine. This represents only a small percentage of the wines available in France. They are not good enough to be AOC wines but have higher standards than the vin de pays. It is anticipated that this category will be eliminated by 2012. There are some very good wines in this category and they are moderately priced.
The lower categories of French wines are table wines. Vin de Pays. (Table Wine) wines are from specific areas that will be noted on the bottle. The regions are much larger, the controls are less astringent, and the specifications for growing, composition, and bottling are less precise. The last category is vin de table and these wines use grapes from multiple regions so can not be categorized in any of the other categories. This group of wines makes up the majority of the wine produced in France and they are usually inferior to wines grown in specific appellations and are less expensive. There are exceptions though. There are some very fine Montage wines that share this category that are award winning wines. Some additional things to pay attention to when selecting a French wine. Doux is a sweet wine, Garde is a wine that you will need to let age to bring it to its full potential, Gris is a rosé, made with Pinot Noir grapes, and Issue de la viticulture biologique refers to an organically grown wine.
France is the number two producer of wine. The French use a rating system for wine that is similar to the Italians. French wines focus on the wines origin or appellation instead of the variety. This is because in France the government regulates what types of grapes can be grown where. At first glance when looking at a French label you will see in large letters close to the top the Appellation. If you are looking for the variety don’t. You are expected to know that every red wine that comes out of Burgundy is a Pinot Noir and every red wine that comes out of Bordeaux is a Cabernet Sauvignon.
The French also have four categories of wine and two of them are EU category wines. “Appellation d' Origine Contrôlée" (AOC), These wines are grown in very small appellations and produced with strict guidelines controlled by the government. This is to guarantee the quality of these wines is the best France has to offer. This category makes up 35% of French wines.
Vin délimité de qualité supérieure (VDQS) is also an EU category wine. This represents only a small percentage of the wines available in France. They are not good enough to be AOC wines but have higher standards than the vin de pays. It is anticipated that this category will be eliminated by 2012. There are some very good wines in this category and they are moderately priced.
The lower categories of French wines are table wines. Vin de Pays. (Table Wine) wines are from specific areas that will be noted on the bottle. The regions are much larger, the controls are less astringent, and the specifications for growing, composition, and bottling are less precise. The last category is vin de table and these wines use grapes from multiple regions so can not be categorized in any of the other categories. This group of wines makes up the majority of the wine produced in France and they are usually inferior to wines grown in specific appellations and are less expensive. There are exceptions though. There are some very fine Montage wines that share this category that are award winning wines. Some additional things to pay attention to when selecting a French wine. Doux is a sweet wine, Garde is a wine that you will need to let age to bring it to its full potential, Gris is a rosé, made with Pinot Noir grapes, and Issue de la viticulture biologique refers to an organically grown wine.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
