Wine Tasting - Understanding The Wines Of France

Wine Tasting - Understanding The Wines OfSyrah grapes and the white Muscat grape.
FranceSyrah grapes produce intense rich wines which
Are you baffled by the huge variety of Frenchare almost black in color and which have an
wines and completely lost when it comes toaroma that is spicy in nature. The Rhone Syrah
deciding which wine will best suit your needs?grape forms the base for many blended wines
Each of the eight wine producing regions ofincluding the well known Chateauneuf du Pape
France specializes in producing wine of a particularThe Muscat grape gives rise to intense, sweet
type and flavor and this simple overview willwines with a strong and easily recognized aroma.
hopefully make choosing French wines a littleIn addition, and unusual for a wine, wines from the
easier.Muscat really do taste of grapes.
BurgundyLoire
Burgundy wines are produced from the blackThe grapes of the Loire include the black Pinot
Pinot Noir and Gamay grapes and from the whiteNoir and the white Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris
Chardonnay grape.grapes.
The Pinot Noir is probably one of the world'sThe Sauvignon Blanc grape is grown all over the
oldest grape varieties and is notoriously difficult toworld today and it is very widely used for
grow. It does however produce some of our bestblending. In the case of the Loire however it is
wines which are full-bodied and rich and at theused to make a distinctive unblended dry white
same time can be light, soft and velvety. Pinotwine with a characteristic sharp and aggressive
noir wines often have an aroma of cherriessmell.
accompanied by a spiciness that is reminiscent ofPinot Gris wines often display a slightly floral and
cinnamon or mint.lightly lemon flavor and, depending upon the
The Chardonnay grape is a very popular graperipeness of the grape at harvesting, wines that
which produces light, delicate dry wines with aare either light and tangy or rich, round and full
distinctive but often difficult to describe aromabodied. Pinot Gris makes one of the few white
conjuring up a vision of apples, peaches or lemons.wines that can be said to age well.
BordeauxAlsace
The wines of Bordeaux are based upon theAlthough the grapes of the Alsace are similar to
related black Cabernet Franc and Cabernetthose used in the Loire, growing conditions in this
Sauvignon grapes, found particularly in the Medocregion tend to produce wines which bear the
district of Bordeaux, and the black Merlot grape.characteristics of many German rather that
Cabernet Sauvignon wines improve greatly withFrench wines.
age and are often amongst the world's trulyThe wines in this region are similar to Riesling and
great wines. With age the distinctive blackcurrantthe sweeter German wines. Some rosé
aroma of wines from this grape developswines are also produced in Alsace.
overtones of cedar, violets and leather and theChampagne
wines, which are characteristically deep in flavor,The main grapes of the Champagne region are
often become smooth and soft.the black Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier and the
Wines made from the Merlot grape are verywhite Chardonnay.
similar to those produced from the CabernetThe wines of the Champagne region can best be
Sauvignon grape but have a less distinctive aromadescribed as thin and tart and provide the perfect
and flavor.base for what many believe to be the world's
If it seems strange that white wines should befinest sparkling wine.
produced from black grapes then bear in mindBeaujolais
that grape juice, whether from black or whiteBeaujolais wines are made from the black Gamay
grapes, is essentially colorless and it is the skin ofand white Chardonnay grapes.
the black grape that gives the wine its color.The wines of this region are often light in nature,
Rhonefresh tasting and with a somewhat fruity flavor.
The grape varieties most often seen in the RhoneMany Beaujolais wines are also slightly fizzy in
valley are the black Cabernet Sauvignon andnature.