I Heart Wine

As the snow began to fall last night, we stopped at the liquor store and the food co-op to stock up on wine, cheese, and bread, suspecting our cars would have to be dug out if we wanted to go anywhere this weekend. And yes, there's no going anywhere today; good thing we've got plenty of wine! Luckily the PBS-Create channel had the same idea we did, I guess, because they've been showing wine-related shows all day. We watched a couple episodes of the Ted Allen (you know, from Queer Eye) hosted show, Uncorked, in which he gave a introduction to French wine. Here's what I learned from Ted and a little additional internet research.

There are seven major wine producing regions in France: Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Languedoc-Roussillon, the Loire valley, and the Rhone. The Alsace region is over near Germany in the shadow of the Vosges mountains. This region mostly produces the aromatic, light white wines Riesling and Gewurztraminer. There is also some production of dry Pinot Noir rose. These wines are typically not made in oak barrels, so the taste is usually very pure in character. It is a legal requirement that Alsatian wines are bottled only in tall, slender bottles. Riesling was my first 'favorite' wine-- I just loved the spicy-floral quality. And I'll never forget the first time I tried Gewurztraminer... a friend in Las Vegas served it at his house, and I was just blown away. It reminded me of Riesling mixed with champagne, and seemed very exotic. Here in the midwest, Traminette is a very popular grape. According to the wine steward at Oliver winery in Bloomington, IN, Traminette is in the same family as Riesling and Gewurztraminer. I believe her.

Bordeaux wines (known as Claret to the British) are made in the northwest part of France, very near the Atlantic ocean. About 90% of wines from Bordeaux are red wine blends- primarily Merlot, Cabernet Savignon, and Cabernet Franc. When in France last fall, Bordeaux was my favorite nightcap. On the PBS show I watched today, some guy said Bordeaux wines were for the physical senses, they are usually powerful, bold wines. The small amount of white wine that is produced in this area is mostly the sweet Sauternes, which is a blend of Semillion, Savignon Blanc, and Muscadelle. At the end of June, Bordeaux has a four day wine festival. This is my latest "I'm definitely going here someday" travel desire.

According to the guy on PBS, if Bordeaux is for the physical senses, Burgundy is for the emotional senses; these wines are delicate and subtle. Burgundy (Bourgogne in French) is in the east-central region of France, where unpredictable weather produces variations between yearly vintages. Red wines of this region are primarily Pinot Noir, and whites are usually Chardonnay. Both Chablis and Cote d'Or white wines are made in this region from Chardonnay grapes. There are 4 tiers of classification of Burgundy wines: Grand Cru, Premier Cru, Village, and Regional. Some of the most expensive wines in the world are Grand Cru Burgundies. Often, Burgundy wines will benefit from 3-4 years aging.

The Champagne region is a small area in northeast France. I think we all know by now that technically only wines produced in the Champagne region of France can carry the label 'Champagne,' and all others must be called 'sparkling wine.' Classifications for Champagne are a little confusing... Brut is the most dry variety (Brut Natural or Brut Zero are the driest of the dry), Extra Dry is a little sweeter, and a label that has the word Asti, Sec, or Demi-Sec denotes a sweet Champagne. Also, Champagne is served in those narrow glasses so the wine does not become over-oxygenated and lose it's effervescence. That's all I care to say about Champagne. I really like Champagne (or, more accurately, sparkling wines), but that's not what I'm here to talk about today.

The Loire Valley is a little strip of land around the Loire River, from the Atlantic ocean into central France. This region is very diverse in it's wine making, and mostly features Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Melon de Bourgogne and Cabernet Franc, and a lesser amount of Pinot Noir, Gamay and Malbec. I've seen Pouilly-Fumé, Sancerre, and Reuilly on menus or in liquor stores, and now know that these are all made from Savignon Blanc grapes and are great with goat cheese. Sav Blanc is another wine I love, so I look forward to trying one of these. Vouvray is also a wine I have heard of but know nothing about... it's dry or off-dry and pairs nicely with shellfish; also the dry white Muscadet is prevalent in this region.

On the show Uncorked they discussed the wines grown in the southern, Mediterranean area all together, and I will too. The three wine-growing regions here are Rhone Valley, Languedoc-Roussillon, and Provence. The Rhone Valley is thought to be the birthplace of the Syrah grape. Also grown in this area are Grenache, Viognier, and a variety of lesser known grapes known simply as Rhone varietals. Languedoc-Roussillon produces a variety of grapes including Merlot, Cabernet Savignon, Savignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, and Chardonnay. 40% of French wine is from this region. Lastly, Provence produces all of the above, as well as dry Rose. I think I have the least real-life familiarity with wines from this area. Much of the stuff I read about this large region discussed grapes I've never heard of.

I think it would be neat to concentrate on one area for awhile, say, Bordeaux, and try and compare many different wines. After a foray into Bordeaux, do the same thing with Loire valley wines, etc. Anyway, it's well after noon now, and all this writing and reading about wine has made me thirsty! As they say in France, a votre sante!