Food and Beverage Service R. Singaravelavan

PART IV 24. Wines of France

Chapter 24 Wines of France After reading this chapter, you will be able to understand the method of classifying French wines know important wine-producing regions of France

Wines of France France is number one wine-producing country in the world. It produces wines of remarkable quality . Terroir makes the French wines very different from others..Terroir refers to geology of the soil, micro and macroclimate Most French wines are named after the place except the wines produced in Alsace region, which are named after the grape

French Wine Laws and Classification of French Wines French wine laws classify the French wines into four categories. Vin de Table Vin de pays Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS) Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC)

Classification of French Wines Vin de Table This is the basic wine which amounts to approximately 40% of the total wine production of France There are no restrictions on the grape varieties used, and on the yields. ‘Produce of France’ is printed on the label without the name of grapes, region, vintage etc. The wines are sold in carafe or in glass. This category of wine is also termed as carafe wine

Classification of French Wines Vin de Pays The wines of this category are made from approved grapes of a specific region. It guarantees minimum alcohol content, and the area of production The official name of the appellation would appear after the phrase ‘vins de pays de….’

Classification of French Wines Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS) This category of wines is produced in delimited areas It guarantees the area of production, grape variety used, minimum alcohol content, viticulture, and vinification methods This group is slowly being phased out as the wines of this class are promoted to Appellation Contrôlée (AC)status

Classification of French Wines Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) or Appellation Contrôlée (AC) This category of wines is the highest standard of quality and it guarantees the following the area of production The grape varieties used Viticulture and vinification methods Maximum yield minimum alcohol content

Wine-Producing Regions Following are the important wine-producing regions of France Bordeaux Burgundy Alsace Champagne The Rhône Valley The Loire Valley

Bordeaux This is the largest quality wine –producing area in France. It produces about 70% AC quality wines. This region produces red, white, and rosé wines. The greatest wines of this region are reds, which are known as claret. It produces excellent sweet white wine, Sauternes. The wines of this region are named with the word château (estates) The main black grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. The first three are the major varieties and the blend is called the ‘Bordeaux blend’. The main white grapes are Sauvignon, Sémilllon, and Muscadelle.

Bordeaux Following are the well-known wine-producing districts of Bordeaux Médoc Graves Saint-Emilion Pomerol Fronsac, Bourg, and Blaye Sauternes Loupiac Entre-deux-Mers

Burgundy This region is noted for its red wines in general and produces both red and white wines of a variety of styles Most of the wines produced in Burgundy are red, which are full-bodied and heavier compared to claret. The well-known whites include Chablis, Meursault, and Pouilly-Fuissé. Most growers ferment the wines and sell in bulk to the négociants (merchants),who age, blend, bottle, and sell the wine according to the norms laid down by the appellation. Four main grapes used in Burgundy. Pinot Noir and Gamay are for red wines and Chardonnay and Aligoté for white wines.

Burgundy The main wine producing districts of Burgundy are: Côte d’ Or (Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune) Côte Chalonnaise Mâconnaise Beaujolais Chablis

Alsace Alsace is a white wine area. The white wines of this area are fresh, dry, light, fine, and aromatic. Wines are named after the grapes in this area. Around 30 per cent of all appellation contrôlée white wines come from this region. The noble grape varieties of this region are • Riesling • Gewürztraminer • Muscat • Sylvaner • Pinot Gris (Tokay d’Alsace) • Pinot Blanc The wines of Alsace are bottled in the area of production into Alsatian tall green flute-shaped bottles.

Champagne This region is world famous for its sparkling wine which is named after the region, Champagne. This wine is made by méthode champenoise

Rhône Valley Rhône region produces red, white, and rosé wines. The reds from Rhône are heavy, full-bodied, dark in colour, and rich in flavour with high alcohol content. They are made from Syrah grapes or from the combination of Grenache and other grapes. Rosé wines are dry with an orange tinge. A very small quantity of sweet wine is made by halting the fermentation process by adding alcohol to the fermenting grape juice. These wines are known as vin doux naturel. This region also produces sparkling wines The major portion of the wines is sold under the name of Côtes-du-Rhône.

Rhône Valley Following are the communes of Northern Rhône Côte Rôtie Condrieu Château Grillet Saint Joseph Crozes-Hermitage Hermitage Cornas St.Péray Clairette de Die

Rhône Valley Following are the communes of Southern Rhône Triscatin Rasteau Gigondas Beaumes-de-Venis Vacqueyras Châteauneuf-du-Pape Lirac Tavel Côtes du Ventoux Côtes du Lubéron

Loire Valley The region has four districts Nantes Anjou and Samour Touraine Central Vineyards

Points to remember The reds of Bordeaux are known as clarets. Burgundy produces heavy, robust red wines with good bouquet and all their wines are marketed through négociants . Beaujolais of Burgundy produces lighter reds, drunk young Alsace produces white wines , named after the grape varieties. The wines of Alsace are marketed in flute-shaped green bottles. Rhone valley and Loire valley produce red and white wines respectively. The French wines are classified into four categories—vin de table, vin de pays, VDQS, and AC