Fine French Wine

Fine French wine is not a necessity, rather it is an indulgence for people who appreciate the best things in life. There is nothing more fulfilling than coming home after a long day’s work and having a good dinner and quality wine to reward yourself for it.

France has, after all, mastered the art of wine making. Did you know that wine has been close to a staple in every French household since almost the sixth century? It’s true. If there is any country known for their beautiful tasting wine, this is definitely it.

Sure there are other countries that produce wines, but there is perhaps no standard that is set higher than here. Unlike other places where wines are classified by the grapes that is used (Merlot, Cabernet, etc.), the French classify their wine by the location it was cultivated.

Fine French Wine Champagne

So for example you find French wine Champagne, you can expect that this wine was grown in the region of Champagne (yes, this is an actual place). The French believe that more than the kind of grape of the bottle, the terroir is a more fundamental factor in creating the particular variety and quality of wine.

The terroir refers to the combination of several factors that is unique to all the vineyards. You have the quality of the soil, altitude, slope of the terrain, climate and even the orientation of the field it lies on in relation to the sun. Since no territory has the exact same qualities in their terroir, it is a reliable way to classify wines.

Is Fine French Wine Always Expensive?

Not all fine French wines are expensive. There are some relatively cheap bottles of wine you can find in specialty stores. While it may be an impractical, albeit a happy chore to taste test bottles of wine to find out which one suits your dish and mood perfectly—you can comfort yourself in the knowledge that regular, measured consumption of red wines are good for your health.

Fine French Wine for Health

A glass of red wine a day has been attributed to the be reason why French people do not suffer from a lot of heart problems. Not only are they said to prevent blood vessels to constrict and cause cardiac issues, the mighty vino also has antioxidants and cancer inhibiting properties that make them a pleasant addition to meals. Of course most people don’t need any more excuse to drink a glass of their favourite wine but just in case you do—know that you are actually improving your health because of it.

Fine French Wine With Your Meal

Certain wines complement certain meals perfectly and if you are not an expert, you can research online on this to make you look like a worldly and sophisticated expert on luxurious dining. If you’re not out to impress anybody, it’s still a good idea to know about wines so you can enhance the flavour of the dish you are eating and elevate your meals from mundane consumption, to a gustatory experience worthy of retelling.

Find an amazing bottle of fine French wine and other high quality products right here.

White Wines of the World
By James Copper

If you are an amateur when it comes to wine, you need to be well versed with the different kinds of white wine available in the market. The world of wines is diverse and enticing. Thus, for a beginner, we have made a list of the best white wine that you can lay your hands upon:

Chardonnay

This is America’s favourite wine. From the amateur to the connoisseur, everyone loves this dry wine. The grapes that are behind the creation of Chardonnay do not require much maintenance and can be grown in almost all kinds of climates. Since it is a very popular wine that can be easily made and has great sales as well, it comes for around 10$ which is great value for money. You can get your Chardonnay in any tone you like, be it buttery oak, apple, pear, melon or even citrus. This wine tastes excellent with seafood, cream based dishes, pork and poultry.

Pinot Blanc

Another white wine that every wine lover worth his glass swears by is Pinot Blanc. It is native to Alsace in France but it is also grown in Italy, Germany and Hungary. It falls in the category of medium to dry white wines and is available in various tones. The flavour of Pinot Blanc is light and you can get it in tones of citrus, melon, pear or apricot. The undertone can be smoky or mineral, according to the soil on which the grapes are grown. Ideally, this exquisite white wine should be consumed with flavoured meats, lightly flavoured cheeses, seafood and sauces with delicate flavours.

Pinot Grigio

This white wine is an all time Italian favourite. It is carefully crafted from special Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris grape. This white wine is light flavoured and has a crisp in itself. Native to the northeast part of Veneto and Friuli, the Pinot Grigio should be drunk early. It is available in melon, pear and tropical fruits flavor and has a smooth overtone. This wine falls on the acidic side and thus tastes best when complemented with light flavoured pastas, seafood or cheese with crackers.

Riesling

The Riesling wine is something that is native to the Rhein and the Mosel rivers in Germany. This wine is very popular in the white wine market and is much favoured by connoisseurs. The original Rieslings are Johannisberg Riesling and White Riesling because they are the only ones prepared by original Riesling grapes. You can get your Riesling any way you prefer – dry or sweet. The dry Rieslings are labelled “tocken” and the sweet variety is known as “Auslese”. You can get this white wine in flavours of apple, peach and pear. The undertones are also myriad – from floral to mineral. Riesling wine can be consumed with spicy Asian food, pork, fish, appetizers and desserts.

Sauvignon Blanc

The Sauvignon Blanc hails from the Loire Valley of France. However, the grape that is the constituent of this white wine is also grown in Marlborough, New Zealand. It is a dry white wine whose French variety has grand herbal tones while the New Zealand variety has tropical fruit and gooseberry flavours. The best thing about this wine is that it has a refreshing crispness that goes well with many kinds of food. Ideally, you can have your Riesling wine with vegetable dishes, artichoke dip, Thai food, Greek or Caesar salads and sushi.

James Copper is a writer for http://www.cecwine.co.uk where you can find information on white wine

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The Best White Wines – Leaders of the Pack
By Stuart Jay

“White wine with white meat” is still the mantra of the wine world but your personal preference should dictate. White wines, yellow, golden or straw-like in color, are derived from an assortment of grape varietals of green, gold or yellowish-colored grapes, or from just the juice (not the skin) of select red grapes. White wines tend to be more refreshing and lighter in character and taste than red wine vintages, making them ideal selections for spring and summer occasions. White wines are often preferred with lighter meals such as lunch, smaller lighter dinners, and appetizers, or as aperitifs, with optimum serving temperatures at 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit.

White wines are best served in narrower glasses that allow for better aroma concentration of more delicate varietals. A variety of taste descriptors apply to white wine, such as citrus, apple, pear, grapefruit, lemon, lime, pineapple, melon, butter, honey, flora, herb, earthy, along with light oak vanilla, sweet wood coconut, as well as heavier oak, smoke, toast.

Chardonnay is the most prominent of the white wine varietals, unmistakable in the mouth because of its excellent sugar/acid balance, its full body, and its easy smoothness. Chardonnay’s intrinsic blank canvas quality allows its flavors to be dramatically affected by soil, climate, vineyard practices, and winemaking techniques that produce wide variances in the Chardonnay flavor profile. The Chardonnay aroma is distinct, yet delicate, often smells like apricots, apples, lemons, peaches, or tropical fruits such as pineapple, banana, mango, guava, kiwi. Chardonnay is the major varietal used in quality sparkling wines and French Champagne. Chardonnay is the only grape permitted in the Chablis region of France. Chablis is described as flinty, mineral or “steely”, versus the Meursault appellation (one of the relatively few Burgundy villages that produces almost entirely white wine) where Chardonnay is described as having a lush, ripe, “fleshy”, “buttery” quality. California Chardonnay is every bit as variable with exciting taste quality it develops there. Chardonnay has also been a successful grape in Australia, sometimes misnamed there “pinot chardonnay”. Chardonnay is most commonly paired with roast chicken and other white meats such as turkey. Heavily oak influenced Chardonnays do not pair well with more delicate fish; they pair better with smoked fish, spicy Southeast Asian cuisine, garlic and guacamole. More mellow Chardonnays pair with earthy dishes like mushroom soup and aged cheese.

Sauvignon Blanc, one of the first fine wines to be bottled with a screwcap in commercial quantities, is usually consumed young, not particularly benefiting from aging. It’s quite distinctive, often sharp, aggressive smell is described as grass, bell-pepper, grapefruit, lime, or melon in nature. Blending Sauvignon Blanc with Semillon is a common practice to add richness and an extra element of figs to the aroma, softening the Sauvignon Blanc’s naturally high acidity character. Sauvignon Blanc is always crisp, tangy, tart, and zesty in character. This character pervades in even sweet and dessert versions, preventing them from being cloying and sticky-tasting. Sauvignon Blanc is thus able to accompany the greatest variety of foods. It pairs well with sushi, fish, and fresh goat cheese.

Riesling, cultivated since the 1400s or earlier, is usually included in the top three white wine varieties together with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Riesling is distinctively floral and exhibits apple, pear, peach, apricot-like aromas that frequently mix in mineral elements reflecting the individuality of its terroir (a group of vineyards or even vines from the same region). Riesling is often consumed when young. Riesling may have aromas of green or other apples, grapefruit, peach, honey, rose blossom or cut green grass. Riesling possesses a high natural level of tartaric acid enabling it to balance high levels of residual sugar. Riesling makes dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines which pair well with white fish or pork. It is one of the few wines with taste that can stand up to Thai and Chinese cuisine.

Gewürztraminer is more pungent and full-bodied than most any other white wine with a heady, aromatic scent of roses, passion fruit, floral notes and exotic lychee-nut flavor with at times a heavy, oily texture and a slight tendency to bitterness that can be overwhelming and tiring to some. Gewürztraminer grapes produce wines colored from light to dark golden yellow with a copper tone, depending on the fruit’s ripeness. Gewürztraminer can be made into an excellent dessert wine. Gewürztraminer pairs well with Asian cuisine, and enjoys good company with Munster cheese, smoked salmon and fleshy, fatty (oily) wild game.

Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio can be clear in color to a light gold and can be dry or attain a high level of sweetness and even age well. It is a medium bodied wine with fresh aromas and flavors suggestive of melon and apples, refreshed by cleansing acidity. It is a wine that is usually delicately fragrant and mildly floral along with hints of almond and smoke. Pair with pasta, chicken and fish.

Semillon is the majority white variety in Bordeaux regions of Graves, Entre de Mers and Sauternes, and makes up the majority of the blend in the most expensive and famous dessert wines in the world. Semillon wine can be produced both as a dry and a sweet. It is full of crisp citrus flavors with a touch of fresh herbs. It is full flavored, rich, aromatic, soft, subtle, and a rich counter balance to the Sauvignon Blanc, which can be aromatically aggressive and acidic. Semillon works well when blended with Chardonnay, providing weight and richness.

Viognier is full-bodied like an oaky Chardonnay, with a much more distinctive fruit character. Viognier possesses a rich and complex floral aroma that often conjures up reflections of overripe apricots mixed with orange blossoms, along with a distinctive and sweet aroma-flavor profile as Gewürztraminer. Viognier is usually made in a dry style and seems to appeal more to the typical Chardonnay drinker since both share tropical fruit flavors and a creamy mouth feel. Aromatic and fruit forward by nature of the grape, Viognier pairs well with spicy foods such as Thai and Vietnamese cuisine, and with shellfish, such as Dungeness crab.

Chenin Blanc provides a fairly neutral palate for the expression of terroir, with typically a floral, honeyed character, along with zesty acidity, as sensory trademarks of well-made Chenin Blanc. Considered the most versatile of all wine grape varieties, fragrant and lightly sweet and crisp, it can be used to make everything — light sparkling wines, dry table wines, nectar-like dessert wines (where the grapes can be left on the vines to develop noble rot, producing an intense, viscous dessert wine that will improve considerably with age), and even brandy are all produced in various areas of the wine world.

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Great White Wines for Summer Defined
By Doug Hoffman

Summer is a great time for white wine. There are many different types of white wine for every occasion. Here are some of our favorites!

Chardonnay – This white wine is not only first alphabetically, but is also first in popularity worldwide. It’s pleasant and somewhat fruity flavor make it easy to pair with many types of food. These grapes are also used to make champagne or sparkling wines.

Chenin Blanc – A dry white wine, which was once extremely popular, but now has fallen in popularity as Chardonnay has become more common. This wine can have a very strong aroma.

Gewurztraminer – This white may be the toughest to spell or pronounce, but fortunately, it’s much easier to drink. The long name stems from it’s German roots and the word “gewurz” meaning spicy.

Pinot Blanc – This full-bodied white wine is also called Weissburgunder or Klevner in parts of Europe. It is made from grapes that were cloned after the Pinot Gris.

Pinot Grigio – This white wine is actually made from a red grape and it takes its name from the French word for gray which is “gris.” Pinot Grigio is a crisp, fruity, dry whit wine.

Riesling – This has become one the most popular white wines in recent years due to its availability and somewhat neutral flavor, which makes it easy to pair with many dishes, similar to Chardonnay.

Sauvignon Blanc – A dry white wine that can be produced as a varietal or as a blend (with Semillon). The wine originated in France, but is a popular production in New Zealand now as well.

Doug Hoffman is a writer for http://www.VineTrekker.com and http://www.FoodandWineBook.com

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Elegant White Wines of California
By Sarah Freeland

California produces more wine than any other state in the US. California vineyards are collectively trending towards growing more red grapes, and thus producing more red wine varieties. This means that white wines from California will be slightly harder to find as time goes on. However, the demand for elegant white wines of California will probably never diminish, so they are likely to stay on your store shelves for many years to come.

Wines of California come from varietals of white grapes. The most widely planted varietal that produces elegant white wines of California is chardonnay. This varietal grows well in coastal regions and is appealing because of its fruity flavors. The trend of chardonnay growers has been to produce a more delicate chardonnay to improve sales of the wine. French Colombard varietal is most common in inexpensive wines. Sauvignon blanc is another type of varietal that is known for its tartness. Some connoisseurs say that this varietal has a “grassy” or “herbaceous” taste.

California white wines can also be table wines. A cheap table wine known as chenin blanc is grown mostly in the flat, expansive Central Valley. Chenin blanc is also produced on the coast to vintners who want to expand their selection of varietals. This wine has a delicate taste that some would describe as refreshing. One of the most elegant white wines of California is pinot gris, also known as pinot grigio.

This wine has a fruitier taste and is considered very flavorful. Sparkling wines produced in California use similar techniques to those used in the Champagne region of France. Perfect growing conditions for these wines exist in the cooler areas of California. These wines use pinot noir and chardonnay grape varietals in their manufacture.

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A Quick Guide to White Wines
By Xavier Modini

The color and characteristic of a wine is derived from the grapes used. In this article, we take a quick look at white wines commonly enjoyed by wine enthusiasts.

When discussing white or red wines, it is always important to remember that much of the discussion falls into a bit of a fuzzy area. Why? Well, white wines are rarely white for the first thing. Second, many a winery actually mixes wines of all varieties together to produce a desired flavor and aroma. Thus, the “white” wine you are drinking may not be entirely white. Having said that, there is little reason to avoid discussing what are traditionally known as white wines.

The dominant grape in the white wines is undisputedly the Chardonnay. It is a rare day you can find any wine drinker who has not sipped more than a few Chardonnay whites. The wine is incredibly popular for a number of reasons. First, there is a lot of it because the vine can be grown practically anywhere and is! Second, the wine is known for an “oak” flavor, which is extremely popular with wine drinkers. Third, the wine is very flexible and can be produced with a wide variety of fruit aromas and flavors. Chardonnay white wines traditionally have been very dry and full bodied. With the wide range of wineries producing vintages, however, a wide variety of flavors and bodies are on the market.

Sauvignon Blanc should either be next or dead last on our list of whites. This is a take it or leave it grape. The taste is sharp and dry. This is a not a wine where you will find fruity mixes and such. It is a classic, traditional white that people either love or hate. Personally, I love it and it goes number two since I am writing this article!

Riesling white wines are next on our list. This is a German wine that is excellent if you buy from a German winery. You can find French and American wineries producing it, but it simply isn’t the same. This is a light wine often described as “refreshing” although I must admit I have never understood that term. The Riesling whites take a beating by wine gurus, but you can find this dry, light white to be just the trick. It is markedly different than the Chardonnay, so give it a try.

There are a variety of other white grapes that are used to produce interesting vintages, but we are going to skip them to discuss a less-known grape that is up and coming. The Viognier grape is found in the Rhone Valley in France and is used to produce a flavorful, dry white that is excellent. It is typically a medium body wine with low acidity and often has a fruity aroma to it. It is a personal favorite that I suggest you try.

When it comes to white wines, there is no disputing Chardonnay is the king of the vine. Still, you should make an effort to move beyond the king to discover the interesting other vintages available.

Xavier Moldini is with WineriesforYou.com – a directory of wineries.

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Italian White Wines
By Eddie Tobey

Though Italian red wines are often talked about more than white wines, there are some sparkling white wines produced by certain regions in Italy. The taste of an Italian white wine depends on the variety of grapes used and the time required for aging it perfectly.

Like Italian red wines, Italian white wines also carry the distinct flavor of the region in which they are produced. Some of them are made with a single variety of grapes. But blending more than one variety makes the most of them. Their prices vary according to the quality of the win. The high-quality wines can be really expensive, as it takes a longer time to age them perfectly.

As there are a wide variety of grapes produced in every wine region of Italy, there is no dearth of white wines which taste differently from each other. You can choose one according to your taste and the occasion. Italian white wines are relatively softer than the red wines produced in the country. They can be sipped independently, and do not have to accompany a meal.

Tocai is one of the popular Italian white wines. It is a dry wine that has an aroma of flowers, peaches and pears. A bottle of Tocai is quite affordable, as it may not cost you more than $20. Verdicchio grapes are used by Italians to produce a sparkling white wine under the same name. It was once quite popular in the US market.

Frascati is the name of another Italian white wine. It has been mentioned in Italian history quite often. It has a unique flavor. It is blended with four or five different varieties of grapes. Orvieto Classico is a dry white wine blended with five different varieties of white grapes. It is also a light wine preferred by royal families.

Italian Wine provides detailed information on Italian Wine, Italian Wine Regions, Italian Red Wines, Italian White Wines and more. Italian Wine is affiliated with French White Wines.

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French White Wines
By Jimmy Sturo

Wine is made of mixed chemical substances that come from fruits. The aroma and tastes of wines depend on the fruits, or specifically, grapes that are used to make them.

The color of white wines is more of a golden hew, rather than what its name implies. But as it ages, its color also changes. From a beautiful golden color, which has the distinct fruit taste, to a magnificent amber color that acquires the taste of amber and honey.

Have you ever heard of Chardonnay or Burgundies? They are by far the most popular choices of white wine in constant demand at the market. White wine is available for every occasion and taste. So far, French Chardonnay takes top place when white wines are being compared.

But the label as “most famous of all white wines” goes to Champagne. Many would not believe so, but Champagne too is truly a wine, a white wine to be exact. Champagne is made from a mixture of grapes such as Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier or Pinot Nior. Champagne was first introduced by the French as a lighter alternative to red wine. Champagne is more commonly known as a “sparkling” wine.

The best way to truly appreciate French white wine is by lightly chilling it for at least 30 minutes. Different people have different ways of appreciating white wine. Most prefer drinking it over dinner with poultry or fish. Some prefer using a chilled glass, while some just pop a bottle and drink it straight up. There is no right way in enjoying white wine, its there to satisfy and excite anyone’s taste buds.

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White Wines – The Most Popular
By Michael Russell

Wine. Not what you do when you don’t get your way. What you drink with a fine meal. Well, maybe not what you drink, depending on your tastes, but what a lot of people drink. Some would say that there is nothing like a fine wine. So the question we’re going to try to answer in this article is just what IS a fine wine?

Well, there is basically red wine and white wine. And since it’s bad etiquette to mixed them together we’re going to concentrate on what are considered the finest white wines in this article.

Naturally there will be experts who will disagree when it comes to what the finest white wines are but the following list is a pretty safe bet with most people.

One of the most popular white wines today is Pinot Grigio. The wine comes from the Northeast region of Veneto and Friuli. The tastes of this wine range from melon to pear and some even offer a subtle tropical or citrus fruit, often there is a honey or smoky flavor component as well. As for color, Pinot Grigio is typically a pale, straw-like yellow with some golden hues thrown in to boot. This wine goes very well with seafood, light pastas and cheese cracker combinations. Since this wine is fairly acidic itself, avoid drinking it with foods that are high in acid concentration, like citrus fruits or tomato-based recipes.

Another very popular white wine is what they call a Chardonnay. There are many types of these wines. These are what they call “low maintenance” wines that adapt well to a variety of climates which means that quite a bit of this wine can be produced, usually in the millions of bottles per year. Because of this you can get a good Chardonnay for around $10. Some of the more popular Chardonnay wines are Jacob’s Creek, which goes great with chicken, veggies or shrimp, Eola Hills which is fine with grilled salmon or smoked tuna, Carmenet, which is wonderful with cheese, Round Hill, which is a great wine to have with pork and poultry and the list goes on and on.

Another very popular white wine is champagne. Yes, champagne is a white wine, just a very fancy one. There is a light taste and fizz to champagne that is unlike any other white wine. There is no denying that nothing tastes quite like champagne. That is why you will find this wine at the fanciest parties and gatherings and of course it is the drink of choice for New Year’s Eve. The best champagnes are very expensive. They are derived from a blend of grapes such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier. Champagne is considered a sparkling wine, due to the bubbles, which are formed during a second fermentation process. This second fermentation takes still wine and seals in the carbon dioxide that is formed when yeast converts sugar into alcohol, making for millions of bubbles with no place to go. The most expensive popular champagne of today is Deutz 1990 Cuvee William Brut at $215 a bottle. So if you’re going to drink a lot of champagne prepare a nice budget beforehand.

The above is only the tip of the iceberg of white wines but they are the most popular. In our next article we’ll see what red wines have to offer for our tastes.

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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Wine
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Why Merlot Wines Are So Popular
By Rob Hemphill

Merlot, or more properly Merlot Noir (as there is a Merlot Blanc) is fast becoming one of the most sought after red wine varieties, thanks to Bordeaux’s Pomerol and Saint-Emilion wines. It has an almost cult status in California, where more concentrated Bordeaux-style wines are produced. It is also on the increase in Australia, New Zealand Chile and even South Africa.

Merlot is the most commonly grown grape variety in France, and is one of the most widely planted in Bordeaux. It is a grape variety that has been on a massive expansion drive throughout the world in the past ten years. Merlot wines can be described as being smooth and rich with forest fruit aromas and flavours of plums, blackcurrants and damsons.

What makes Merlot so special?

• It is adaptable to most soils and can withstand damp, clayey soils much better than Cabernet Sauvignon.
• In the vineyard it buds and flowers early resulting in an earlier harvest.
• It is a moderately vigorous high yielding grape variety that requires quite a lot of summer pruning. This is good from the winegrowers point of view, but not necessarily in the eyes of the wine drinkers. Higher yields usually mean lower quality. So it is important to pick the grapes at optimum ripeness otherwise varietal characteristics will be lost. Sensible winegrowers will control yields to gain extra quality.
• It responds to barrel oak ageing very well. When the wine has been in oak for some time notes of caramel, chocolate, coffee bean and vanilla will show.
• It is a very fruity wine with a good body and lower tannins, ideal for a single varietal wine. It also has great alluring characteristics for blending with more tannic wines. So the softness from the Merlot helps to make a complex blend with the harshness of the Cabernet Sauvignon.
• Merlot matures in the bottle earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon, so it does not need to be laid down in a cellar to soften unlike the harsher wines. This is what makes it attractive to many wine drinkers who like to buy a wine and drink it immediately, rather than lay it down for several years. We are not as patient as our forebears – or maybe we can’t afford to wait!

In order to avoid the main drawback of excessive yields, Merlot needs a relatively cool microclimate. It is now grown in nearly all wine growing countries and is particularly successful in California, Chile and Northern Italy.

What food pairs well with Merlot?

The slightly harsher Merlots with more intense flavours pair well with grilled and charred meats – something like ‘Grilled Leg of Lamb with Rosemary and Garlic’ would be good. The softer, fruitier Merlots from cooler climate regions go well with salmon or mushroom based dishes or even one like ‘Spiced Duck Breasts’. At the other end of the scale, the softer, lighter bodied Merlots pair well with shellfish like prawns or scallops wrapped in bacon or even straight forward macaroni cheese.

More about Merlot

A wine buyer describing what the success of Merlot was down to said,
“It exactly matches the popular modern drinking style, because it makes wines that have sweet, ripe fruit and are nice and smooth.”

Jancis Robinson from ‘The Oxford Companion to Wine, 3rd Edition’ says,
“Merlot is now so popular worldwide that it competes only with Cabernet Sauvignon as the most planted dark-skinned grape variety overall.”

One of Bordeaux’s most famous wines, Château Petrus, whose prices nearly always exceed £500 a bottle, is almost exclusively made from Merlot.

The ideal serving temperature for Merlot is 63°F / 17°C.

Merlot is very much an all round wine and with world vineyard plantings on the increase, we are going to see a lot more from this versatile grape variety.

Wine is a fascinating subject, the more you know, the more you want to find out. Learn how to taste and appreciate wine from a professional, and much more from Understanding Wine: A Beginners Guide. Also, discover how to pair wines and food successfully.

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