BEVERAGES KNOWLEDGE

8/21/2019 BEVERAGES KNOWLEDGE

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BALI HOSPITALITY PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

April ‐ 2009

BEVERAGES

KNOWLEDGE

Do not sell this Book, this Book is complimentary

from Hotel Team Managers

Drs. Agustinus Agus Purwanto, MM

Chief

Executive

Officer

Book Two


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www.balihospitalityservices.webs.com or www.hotelteammanager.webs.com Page 1

Wine • Alsace Wines • Burgundy wine

• Champagne

• Loire Valley Wines

• Sparkling Wine

• Storage of Wine • Wine

• VINE YARD MANAGEMENT


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Introduction

The vine grows most successfully between the latitude 30-50° north and 30-50° south

of the equator. Some of the greatest wine, like champagne come from the extremitiesof these wine belts where because of the extreme cold or extreme heat, the wine has a permanent struggle to service. The vine usually produces good quality grapes when itis five year old and will continue to yield healthy grapes up to the age of 35 years.

History

Wine is probably the earlier of the alcoholic beverages, simple because it could bemade without the maker has to understand the chemical change that turned the sugar ingrapes, other fruits and other product into alcohol. Some of these earlier, wines weremade from Honey and were known as mead. Indeed wine may have been brewed in

Mesopotamia. It has been made as long as ten thousand years ago.

Wine is mentioned in documents three thousand year old as well as in the Bible and inthe literature of the Greeks and Roman Bees has been Kurun as long as wine. Winemaking goes as for back into history as the act of cooking food goes. Ever since thetime man started enjoying his food, he has known the art of making wine to go with it.The metamorphosis wine underwent from the stages where the juice of fruit simply leftfor a long time and allowed to ferment to the refined wine as we know it, today it tooka very long time. The efforts put in by the various vineyard and the wine makers in perfecting the act of making good wine and in keeping the formula and the process asecret have contributed to giving as the wine as we know it today. In countries likeFrance, the formula and the process, individually to every grower is a very jealouslyguarded secret that is passed down the generation only through members of the family.

The top ten wine producing countries are:1. Italy2. France3. Spain4. U.S.A.5. C.I.S.6. Argentina7. Germany8. Portugal9. South Africa10. Romania


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The top ten wine consuming countries are :France 67.5 lit per capital

Portugal 66.5 lit per capitalItaly 62.0 lit per capitalLuxemburg 60.3 lit per capitalArgentina 45.8 lit per capitalSpain 45.8 lit per capitalSwitzerland 45.5 lit per capitalChile 41.0 lit per capitalAustria 39.2 lit per capitalGreece 31.8 lit per capital

As a contrast, the United Kingdom consumes 12.5 lit per capital. Although Britain istraditionally regarded as a nation of beer drinks the consumption of wine has nowdramatically increased. One of the effects of the secret recessions is that more andmore people are having their diner at home rather than going out for a meal. For massythat means having a couple of glasses of wine when they eat. It is now estimated thathome consumption of wine makes up 75% of the market. A greater interest intelevision and the obvious deterrent of the drink driving laws have also influenced thistrend. You can now get the quality wine at a reasonable price in super market and otheroutlet. Wine has become socially acceptable and is perceived to be more clearlyhealthy than other alcohol drinks

Principle Grape varieties used in wine : White grapesAligoleBacchus

WHITE REDChardonnay CabernetChenin Blasic GamyGewurtztraminer MerlotMuller-Thurgace PlebbioloMuscat Pinot-NoirRinot Blanc Syrah

Riesling ZinfaudelSaicnignon BlassicTrebbiasco


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Making of Wine The various processes involved in the process of making wine –1. Harvesting2. Grading

3. Weighing4. Removal of stalks5. Crushing6. Sulphuring7. Fermentation8. Cellaring & second processing9. Racking10. Fining & Filtering11. Refrigeration12. Blending13. Maturing of wine

14. Bottling of wines15. Pasteurization16. Ageing of wine

Factors Affecting wine quality

A number of factors effect wine quality, the most important being the type of grapeused. The best grapevine is the vitis vinifera, which has many different varieties. Thegrape yield per acre is also a factor. The higher the yield is the lower the wine qualitywill generally be conversely, the lower the yield is the more concentrated the grapeflavours and the better the wine quality will be normally, a ton of gushed grapes yieldan average of 170 gallon of Table wine.

Soil is also a factor the best being one that offers good drainage, which is why graveland sand are better than clay. Good drainage forces the wines root to seek deepmoisture which cause their root to become longer. These longer roots are able to reachdeep mineral deposits and these mineral, in turn, add flavour to gapes and this to wine. Another factor is climate Grape vines like Cool nights and Sunny, warm days, as thesehelp them maintain the right balance between acid and sugar in the grapes. However,too hot weather when the grapes are maturing, near harvest times, will decrease theacid and increase the sugar and will produce a wine that may not age well. On the otherhand too little sunshine will reduces the amount of grape sugar and produce a wine lowin alcohol and as a result, sugar may have to be added before fermentation to raise thatalcohol level. Also rain at harvest time can diluted the grapes sugar and encouragesrolling thereby lowering the quality of the wine. Mechanical grapes-picking equipmentcan give grapes growers more control over the grapes quality than hand picking can asall the grape can be picked quickly when they all at their peak of ripeness. But if rain


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has spoiled some of the grape bunches, hand picking will allow those to be by passed. Finally, the skills of the winemaker are extremely important as it can affect the personality and quality of the wine produced. The vintner’s skill can also very, becauseof local tradition and will dictate the type of wine made. The market for whom the

wine is to be manufactured also calls upon different wine making skills. For example,if the wine to be made in a smaller quantity with a high quality or in a larger quantitywith a lesser quality for a broader market.

Vitis Vinifera

The best wines are made from a type of vine as known Vitis Vinifera. Some of whichare known to be three hundred years only. This wine grows best in his broad belts onenorth and the other south of the equator. Grapes can be grown outside these belts and be turned into wine, but its quality is not considered as high as that from vines grownwithin these belts. The northern belt includes as knowledge wine making countriessuch as France, Italy, Germany and the United States. The Southern belt embraces

Chile, Argentina, Australia and South Africa vines will yield more grapes when planted in fertile soil on flat land but the wine made from such grapes will seldom becomparable in quality to wine made from grapes grown on sunny slopes in soil thatmay not be fertile but is rich in the mineral that create a special, characteristic, knownas bouquet, that is present in all quality wines.

As the grapes mature, their sugar content increases and their acid content decreased.Grape growers thus must know when the balance between sugar and acid is just rightto produce the best wine.

Types of wine

There are three basic types of wine: still, sparkling and fortified. All three will be given below in detail –

Still wine or table wine

Most wine is still wine which is known as dinner or table wine. It can be provided invarious shades of red, rose and white and has an alcohol content generally rangingfrom 9 to 14 percent by volume.

1. Red wine is often more full than rose or white and is often heartier, taster anddries. Red wine is best served at room temperature and some red wine can beserved chilled which are young red wine.

2. Rose wine may be slightly sweet & often has a fruity flavour. Rose wines are best served chilled. Rose wine colour is mainly from pals pink to red.


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3. White wine vary from a pale strain colour to a deep gold. Whites are lighter bodied and more delicate than red wine and has less pronounced flavour. Whitewines are served chilled.

Much still wine is referred to by the French Le Vin ordinoire which means as

inexpensive wine of agreeable quality produced in great quality for every anyconsumption by the inhabitants of France and other. European countries very little ofthis wine is exported to North America.

Sparkling Wine

Sparkling wine contains carbon dioxide bubbles which provide their effervescence.The carbon dioxide is produced either through a natural process of fermentation thatdoes not allow the carbondioxide to escape during the conversion of the grape sugarinto alcohol and carbon dioxide or it is added to still wine after the fermentation iscomplete.

Red rose and white wines all can be made into sparkling wines. Whatever the coloursparkling wine is best served chilled like still wines, spackling wines range from 9 to14 percent alcohol by volume.

The best known naturally produced sparkling wine is champagne. Although only thesparkling wine produced in the champagne region of France is true champagne (with acapital C) the champagne method can be applied to any wine to make it sparkling. InGermany, sparkling wine is given the name “Schaumwein” and in Italy it is‘Spumante’.

Fortified wines

Fortified wines are still wines to which has been added a distilled grape spent such as brandy. This fortification considerably increases the wines alcohol content whichranges from 15% to as high as 24 percent by volume. Fortified wines vary from verydry to very sweet and are usually served before or at the conclusion of a meal. The bestknown fortified wines are poet, sherry, vermouth, Madeira and Macola.

Sweetness in sparkling wine

Extra trut : Very dry (upto 6 g)Brut : Very dry (less than 15 g)Extra Sec : Dry (12 to 20 g)Sec : Slightly sweet (17 to 35 g)Demi Sec : Sweetish (35 to 50 g)


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Factor affecting quality of wine

1. Soil of the area

2. Weather condition present in the region during the year

3. The types of grapes used and if different variety are used, the proportion onwhich they are mixed

4. Artificial or natural ingredient added if any.

5. Period of maturity

6. The number of growths during the year

Storage of wines

Temperature: A steady moderate temperature is essential for maintaining the quality

of a wine. It can vary from 0°C to 24°C. However these changes in the temperaturemust be gradual. This is the reason why cellar are preferred for storage of wine. Whitewines are more sensitive to temperature variation than red wines.

Light: Exposure to light encourages oxidation and hence accelerates aging. Thereforewine must never be exposed to sunlight.

Stability: Violent and frequent motion also accelerates the process of aging in a wine.Hence wine must be stored such that it is not subjected to movement Bed wine in the process of manufacture must not be distributed as the sediment to blend in the wineand thus get a perfectly good wine.

Position: A wine must always be stored in a lifted or lying down position. The entryaffair through a day cock increase oxidation and hence a cock must be maintainedmoist. A dry cock crumbs when being opened thus spoiling the taste and appearance ofthe wine. This is the reason why wines are always stored lying down.

Glass required for wine service

1. White wine or hock capacity : 5½ oz

2. A.P. wine or red wine : 7 oz

3. Champagne saucer : 6 oz

4.

Champagne tulip : 9 oz

5. Sherry : 3 oz


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Equipment required jar service of wine

1. Wine basket or wine stand with ice

2. Wine opener

3. Waiters cloth

4. Quarter plate

5.

Proper glassware

Service of Wine

1. Presentation of Bottle –

Draw the wine from the cellar and take it to the table properly wrapped in a waiter

cloth. Present the wine bottle to the host from the right with the bottle resting on theforearm while announcing the name of wine and clearly stating the year ofmanufacture this is to make clear and sure that the host being given the bottle hasordered for this is also the good chance for him to check that the wine is being servedat the right temperature.

2. Opening the bottle –

Cut the foil well below the tip of the bottle and tear it off wipe the mouth to removeany mould that may have formed near the cock. Insert the corkscrew into the cork notmore than 3/4th of the way into the cock to avoid contact with the wine. Draw the cockout gently & present it to the host for approval on a plate the inspection of the cockgives the host as ideal of the aroma to expect from the wine. It also tells the host thatthe bottle has been stored in the proper manner and that the cock has not crumbled on being drawn.

3. Pouring –

Pour wine into the host's glass and wait for him or her to taste it and approve. Once thehost approves the wine pour it to the guest, starting from the host left hand and pureedin a clockwise direction. Make sure you serve the ladies first. The host must or served

last.

4. Placed the rest of Wines –

Put the bottle back in the basket or wine basket with an appropriate wrapped napkin. If


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the bottle is empty it must be placed neck back down in the wine stand after showingto the host.

5. A few general rules to note while pouring wine –

Never from wine from a height

Never touch the rim of the glass

Pour it quality gently avoiding bubbling

Pour only 2/3rd of the glass or up to the logo

While pouring champagne always remembers that champagne is always"poured twice" which means you pour a little. Wait for the froth to dry downand then pour again to fill the glass.

After pouring twist the bottle slightly to avoid the last drops dripping down the

side.

When pouring the wine pour steadily on the slope of the glass on the opposite

side ensure the flow is smooth.

When changing the wine or when serving a fresh bottle always serve in freshglasses.

Before discarding an empty bottle show it to the host to avoid confusion lateron.

Opening a Champagne Bottle

Remove the foil and the wine holding the cork in its place. Hold the bottle resting in

the forearm or place it in the wine bucket (but never on the table). Holding the bottlewith one hand, the cork in the other. Gently but firmly twist the cork and allow the pressure of the carbon dioxide inside to push out the cork. A properly openedchampagne cork should not let out much of a sound only a slightly pop or a hiss. Donot let cork fly out of your hand as this may damage properly or hurt somebody.

Wine Facts

A proper wine glass should be large enough to contain a full serving withoutapproaching being halfway filled. A glass of from ten to fourteen ounce capacity workswell. This provides adequate space for both swirling without spilling and to gain the

"chimney effect" that concentrates and directs the vapors that carry the wine's smells.A glass of this size is also not so large as to be awkward or unwieldy.The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has recognized a particularshape that is the accepted benchmark at all wine judging and competitions. It is alsosuitable for the average wine drinker as an all around, every day glass. It should bemade of transparent, colorless glass with a lead content of up to 9%. Its dimensions are


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just under 6 inches (155 mm) tall, with a two inch (5 cm) tall stem and a four-inch (100mm) tall bowl, about two and a half inches (65 mm) at its widest diameter and twoinches (46 mm) across the rim.

One Acre of Land Averages:

Five tons of grapes

13.51 barrels of wine

797 gallons of wine

3,958 bottles of wine

15,940 glasses of wine

ine 7 gallons of

One Barrel of Wine Contains:

740 pounds of grapes

59 gallons of wine

24.6 cases of wine

295 bottles of wine

1,180 glasses of wine

One Case of Wine Contains:

30 pounds of grapes

307.2 ounces of wine12 bottles of wine

48 glasses of wine

One Bottle of Wine Contains:

2.4 pounds of grapes

25.6ozs of wine4 glasses of wine


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One Glass of Wine Contains:9.7ozs of grapes

6.4ozs of wine

International Toasts

Czech: Na Zdravi (Na zdrah vi) To Your Health

French: A Votre Sante! (Ah Vot-ruh

Sahn-tay)To Your Health!

German: Prosit! (Proh-sit) ! Cheers

Greek: Stin Eyiassou! (Stin Eye-ee-

yass-ooh)To Your Health!

Hebrew: L'Chaim! (Le Hy-em) To Life!

Hungarian: Le! Le! Le! Egeszsegere

(Lay Lay Lay Egg-eshAy-ged-reh)

Down! Down! Down! To your

health!

Italian: Cin! Cin! (Chin Chin) Cheers!

Japanese: Kampai! (Kam-pie) To an empty glass!

Mandarin: Gan bei! (Gan Bay) To an empty glass!

Polish: Na zdrowie! (Naz-droh-vee-

ay)To your health!

Portuguese: Saude (Sow-ooh-jee) Cheers!

Russian: Zdorovie (Zdo-ro-vee) To your health!

Serbo-Croat: Ziveli! (Zhi-vol-ee) To Life!

Spanish: Salud! (Sah-lud) To your health!Swedish: Skal! (Skoll) Cheers!

Yiddish: Zei Gazunt! (Zye Gah-zoont) To your health


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Q: What is an ice wine?

Ice wine is a specialty wine made from grapes, which have remained on the vinesuntil after the first frost. These grapes have a more intense flavor and sweetness.Because of its intensity, ice wine is drunk as a dessert or after dinner wine in a muchsmaller quantity. It normally is sold in smaller bottles and tends to have a higher cost --- as the harvest is generally smaller as well.

Q: What does “late harvest” mean?

Late harvest refers to when the grapes are removed from the vines. Late harvestgrapes have had more time on the vine and have therefore grown sweeter with time,due to a higher concentration of sugar. A wine made from late harvest grapes, such aslate harvest Riesling will be sweeter.

Q: What are French Hybrid grapes?

Pennsylvania has great terrain for French Hybrid grapes, such as Chambourcin,Seyval Blanc, Baco Noir, Vignoles, and Marechal Foch. Vinifera (vin-if-fur-ah)grapes come from the old world, primarily Europe, and produce the drier wines manyconnoisseurs appreciate, such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Noir. All of these different types of grapes grow throughout the state. Q: How long can I store wine?

Wine ages in the bottle. Whether it should age for a month or years is dependant onthe type of wine. Light, crisp, white or sweet wines generally should be consumedwhile young – within a year or so. Big, bold reds and some Chardonnays benefit fromage. You may want to allow them to age for years.

Q: How long will wine retain its flavor after opening?

Once a bottle of wine is opened, the air immediately starts to affect the taste andsmell. If you do not drink an entire bottle, try using a “vacu-pump” device to pull outall the air. Then tightly re-cork the bottle. White wine will usually keep for two tothree days after the initial opening; red will keep about three to five days. Remember,you also can use your remaining wine in many recipes! White wine is great overchicken or to stir fry vegetables, etc. Red wine adds great flavor to red sauces, chiliand beef fondue.


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Q: How should I store my wine?

Wine with a cork closure should be stored on its side to prevent the cork from dryingout. Wine with a synthetic closure does not have to be stored on its side, but wineracks are just so handy. Wine likes dark, consistently cool storage areas. Exposure to

intense light and heat can ruin a wine.

As a rule of thumb most red wines will benefit from breathing. White wines that havehad 12 or more months aging may also benefit from decanting. If you don't have a proper decanter, use any large mouth glass container. The idea is to expose themaximum surface to the air, to help open up the fruit flavors and develop the wine'strue character.

If a wine has spent up to 12 months in oak barrels allow 1 hour;

24 months allow 2 hours; 36 months, allow 3 hours.

If there is sediment use a filter to decant (a coffee filter works just fine).Did you know?

• 20 million acres are planted for grapes worldwide.• Among the world's fruit crops, wine grapes rank#1 in number of acres planted?• 164 countries import California wines.• 30 million gallons of wine were lost in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.• Phylloxera was first discovered in California on 14 august 1873• It takes 5 years to harvest a commercial crop from newly replanted grape vines.• 10,000 varieties of wine grapes exist worldwide.• It cost 80 cents per bottle to age wine in a French oak barrel.• It cost 2.25$ per bottle to age wine in only new French oak barrels.• The first known reference to a specific wine vintage is mentioned in roman

history rated 121 B.C. as a vintage “of the highest excellence.• A bottle of opened wine stored in the refrigerator lasts 6-16 times longer than it

would if stored at room temp?• There are 400 oak species available• Only 20 are used in making oak barrels.• 5% of an oak tree is suitable for making high grade wine barrels.• 54.6% of restaurant wine sales, red wines represent• 2.64$ is the average cost of the grapes used to produce a $20 bottle of wine.

• To prevent a sparkling wine from foaming out of the glass, pour an ounce,which will settle quickly. Pouring the remainder of the serving into this starterwill not foam as much.

• Old wine almost never turns to vinegar. It spoils by oxidation.

• In 1999 Merlot was the "hot" varietal, but 50 years earlier in 1949, the "darlingof the California wine industry" was Muscatel.


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• A 1889 newspaper that described the Napa Valley crop as the finest of its kindgrown in the U.S., was referring to hops.

• Wine has so many organic chemical compounds it is considered more complexthan blood serum.

• 170 years - the average age of a French oak tree harvested for use in wine

barrels.• Portugal has 1/3 of the world's cork forests and supplies about 90% of the cork

used in the U.S.

• Beaujolais Nouveau cannot be legally released until the third Thursday of every November. In 2003 the date is Nov. 20th.

• 20 million acres are planted to grapes worldwide?

• Worldwide wine grapes as a crop rank #1 in number of acres planted.

• 30 million gallons of wine were lost in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

• There are 10,000 varieties of wine grapes worldwide.

• The 19th century American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, mentions

wine more than 300 times in his works.

• The soil of the Clos de Vougeot (A vineyard in the Burgundy) is considered so precious that workers are required to scrape it from their shoes before theyleave each night.

• The largest cork tree in the world is known as ‘The Whistler Tree’. This tree islocated in the Alentejo region of Portugal and averages over 1 ton of raw cork per harvest. Enough to cork 100,000 bottles.

• The dye used to stamp the grade on meat is edible. It's made from grape skinsDuring prohibition, a product called the 'Grape Brick' was sold across

America. Attached to the 'brick' of dried and pressed winegrape concentratewas a packet of yeast, and the warning, "Do not add yeast or fermentation willresult."

• McDonald's restaurants in some European countries serve alcohol, so parentswould be more willing to take their children to them.

• The Puritans loaded more beer than water onto the Mayflower.

• The word "toast," meaning a wish of good health, started in ancient Rome,where a piece of toasted bread was dropped into wine.

• Before thermometers were invented, brewers would dip a thumb or finger intothe liquid to determine the ideal temperature for adding yeast, giving us the

phrase "rule of thumb."• In old England, a whistle was baked into the handle of ceramic mugs. When

they wanted a refill, patrons used the whistle to get service. So when peoplewent drinking, they would "wet their whistle."

• The pressure in a bottle of champagne is about 90 pounds per square inch,about three times the pressure in automobile tires.


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• Junipero Serra is considered to be the "Father" of the California Wine industry,and was responsible for planting grapevines at every one of the 9 missions heestablished throughout the state.

• The first fine wine grapes in California were planted in Downtown Los Angelesat the current site of the Union Train Station. Jean-Louis Vignes, a native of

Bordeaux planted the vines in 1833• The oldest known grapevine in the world is more than 400 years old and

located in Yarra, Slovenia. It is carefully pruned every year and shoots are presented as gifts to communities around the world.

Other Facts

• Jefferson and wine: From Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, ThomasJefferson, and the Opening of the American West, by Stephen E Ambrose,comes the following historical note. Jefferson took up residence in thePresident’s House in 1801, after his inauguration as the 3rd President of the

United States.• “Jefferson ran the place with only eleven servants (Abigail Adams had needed

30!), brought up from Monticello. There were no more powdered wigs, muchless ceremony. Washington and Adams, according to Republican critics, hadkept up almost a royal court. Jefferson substituted Republican simplicity - to a point. He had a French chef, and French wines he personally selected. Hissalary was $25,000 per year - a princely sum, but the expenses were also great.In 1801 Jefferson spent $6500 for provisions and groceries, $2700 for servants(some of whom were liveried), $500 for Lewis’s salary, and $3,000 for wine.”

• Dom Perignon (1638-1715), the Benedictine Abbey (at Hautvillers) cellarmaster who is generally credited with “inventing” the Champagne making

process, was blind.• Thomas Jefferson helped stock the wine cellars of the first five U.S. presidents

and was very partial to fine Bordeaux and Madeira.

• To prevent a sparkling wine from foaming out of the glass, pour an ounce,which will settle quickly. Pouring the remainder of the serving into this starterwill not foam as much.

• Old wine almost never turns to vinegar. It spoils by oxidation.

• U.S. 1998 sales of white and blush wines were 67% of total table wine sales.Red wines were 33% of sales. At Beekman’s, the best we can calculate (sincewe don’t track the color of wine sales from Chile, Australia or Spain or of jug

wines) is that our sales of white and blush comprised only 45% of total winesales. Reds accounted for 55%. That’s in dollars, not unit sales. Americanwines accounted for 47% of our wine sales vs. 53% for imported wines.

• In King Tut’s Egypt (around 1300 BC), the commoners drank beer and theupper class drank wine.

• According to local legend, the great French white Burgundy, Corton-


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Charlemagne, owes its existence, not to the emperor Charlemagne, but to hiswife. The red wines of Corton stained his white beard so messily that she persuaded him to plant vines that would produce white wines. Charlemagneordered white grapes to be planted. Thus: Corton-Charlemagne!

• When Leif Ericsson landed in North America in A.D. 1001, he was so

impressed by the proliferation of grapevines that he named it Vinland.Cork was developed as a bottle closure in the late 17th century. It was onlyafter this that bottles were lain down for aging, and the bottle shapes slowlychanged from short and bulbous to tall and slender.

• The Napa Valley crop described in 1889 newspapers as the finest of its kindgrown in the U.S. was hops.

• When Mount Vesuvius buried Pompeii in volcanic lava in A.D. 79, it also buried more than 200 wine bars.

• The “top five” chateau of Bordeaux, according to the 1855 Classification, wereactually only four: Lafite-Rothschild, Latour, Margaux and Haut-Brion. In the

only change to that historic classification, Mouton-Rothschild was added in1973.

• Grapevines cannot reproduce reliably from seed. To cultivate a particular grapevariety, grafting (a plant version of cloning) is used.

• Wine has so many organic chemical compounds it is considered more complexthan blood serum.

• Wine grapes are subject to mold when there’s too much moisture. Tightclustered Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir are most susceptible tomold. The looser clusters of Cabernet Sauvignon allow for faster drying ofmoist grapes and thus make it less susceptible.

•

In 1945, Chateau Mouton-Rothschild began a series of artists’ labels, hiring adifferent artist each year to design a unique label for that vintage. The artistshave included such notables as Chagall, Picasso, Miro and Warhol. The 1993label was sufficiently controversial in this country (the stylized juvenile nudeon the label offended the Political Correctness Police) that the Chateauwithdrew the label and substituted a blank label instead.

• It is the VERY slow interaction of oxygen and wine that produces the changesnoticed in aging wine. It is believed that wine ages more slowly in larger bottles, since there is less oxygen per volume of wine in larger bottles. Rapidoxidation, as with a leaky cork, spoils wine.

• Before harvest, the canopy of leaves at the top of the vine is often cut away to

increase exposure to the sun and speed ripening.• The average age of a French oak tree harvested for use in wine barrels is 170

years!The lip of a red wine glass is sloped inward to capture the aromas of the wineand deliver them to your nose.

• “Cold maceration” means putting the grapes in a refrigerated environment for


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several days before starting fermentation to encourage color extraction. This is being done more and more frequently with Pinot Noir since the skins of thisvarietal don’t have as much pigmentation as other red varietals.

• Frenchman Georges de Latour came to America in the late 1800’s to prospectfor gold. He didn’t find much gold, but he founded a truly golden winery:

Beaulieu Vineyard.• Mycoderma bacteria convert ethyl alcohol into acetic acid, thus turning wine

into vinegar. However, most incidents of spoiled wine are due to air inducedoxidation of the fruit, not bacterial conversion of alcohol to vinegar.

• The world’s most planted grape varietal is Airén. It occupies over 1 millionacres in central Spain where it is made into mediocre white wine, but somequite good brandy.

• Bettino Ricasoli, founder of Brolio, is credited with having created the originalrecipe for Chianti, combining two red grapes (Sangiovese and Canaiolo) withtwo white grapes (Malvasia and Trebbiano). Today the better Chiantis have

little or no white grapes in them and may contain some Cabernet. They arethus deeper in color and flavor and more age worthy.

• From 1970 until the late 1980s, sales and consumption of wine in the UnitedStates held a ratio of about 75% white to 25% red. At the turn of theMillennium, the ratio is closer to 50-50.

• In the year 2000, Americans spent $20 billion on wine. 72% of that was spenton California wines.

• In ancient Rome bits of toast were floated in goblets of wine. There is a storythat a wealthy man threw a lavish party in which the public bath was filledwith wine. Beautiful young women were invited to swim in it. When asked hisopinion of the wine, one guest responded: “I like it very much, but I prefer thetoast.” (referring, presumably, to the women) “Cuvée” means “vat” or “tank.”It is used to refer to a particular batch or blend.

• Beaujolais Nouveau cannot be legally released until the third Thursday of every November. The due date this year (2001) is November 15th.We’re seeing more and more synthetic corks these days, but the latesttechnology to prevent contaminated corks is the use of microwaves.

• Labels were first put on wine bottles in the early 1700s, but it wasn’t until the1860s that suitable glues were developed to hold them on the bottles.Top Napa Valley vineyard land sells for over $100,000/acre!In the year 2000, there were 847 wineries in California.

• Wine is often called the nectar of the gods, but Sangiovese is the only grape

named after a god. Sangiovese means “blood of Jove.”

• Ninety-two percent of California wineries produce fewer than 100,000 cases per year. Sixty percent produce fewer than 25,000 cases.

• Egg whites, bull’s blood, and gelatin have all been used as fining agents toremove suspended particles from wine before bottling. Egg whites are still


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commonly used.

• “Brix” is the term used to designate the percentage of sugar in the grapes beforefermentation. For example, 23° brix will be converted by yeast to 12.5%alcohol, more or less, depending on the conversion efficiency of the strain ofyeast used. In describing wine, the term “hot” refers to a high level of alcohol,

leaving an hot, sometimes burning sensation.• In the production of port, the crushed grapes are fermented for about two days.

Then the fermentation is halted by the addition of a neutral distilled spirit or brandy. This raises the alcohol level and retains some of the grapes’ naturalsugar.

• American wine drinkers consume more wine on Thanksgiving than any otherday of the year. As of 2000, 554,000 acres in California were planted tograpevines.“Still wine” does not come from a still. The phrase refers to wine without bubbles, which includes what is also referred to as table wine.

•

Fiasco [fee-YAHS-koh]; pl. fiaschi [fee-YAHS-kee] - Italian for “flask.” Theword is most often connected with the squat, round-bottomed, straw-covered bottle containing cheaper wine from the Chianti region. The straw coveringnot only helps the bottle sit upright, but protects the thin, fragile glass. Fiaschiare seldom seen today as the cost of hand-wrapping each flask for cheaperwines has become prohibitive, and the more expensive wines with aging potential need bottles that can be lain on their sides. As early as 4000 BC, theEgyptians were the first people to use corks as stoppers. The wine industrygenerates 145,000 jobs in California. California has 847 wineries. NapaCounty is the home of 232 of them.

• Market research shows that most people buy a particular wine either because

they recognize the brand name or they are attracted by the packaging. NotBeekman’s customers! Portugal has 1/3 of the world's cork forests andsupplies 85-90% of the cork used in the U.S.

• There are only three legal categories of wine in the U.S.: table, dessert, andsparkling. In the early 1950s, 82% of the wine Americans drank was classifiedas dessert wines. These included Sherry, Port, and Madeira. I don’t havecurrent national figures, but Beekman’s sales of wine today are 90% tablewine, 7% sparkling wine, and only 3% dessert wine!

• Until 1970, Bordeaux produced more white wine than red. Today red winerepresents about 84% of the total crop. California produces approximately77% of the U.S. wine grape crop.

• There is at least one commercial winery in every state of the United States,including Hawaii and Alaska! Putting ice and kosher salt in a bucket will chillwhite wine or Champagne faster.

• The most popular corkscrew, the wing-type, is cheap and easy to use, but itfrequently mangles corks and leaves small pieces of cork in your wine. It alsotends to pull out just the middle of an old, dry cork. Far superior are the


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Screwpull, which is also easy to use, and the waiter’s corkscrew, whichrequires just a little know-how to use effectively. No matter what type you use,you should also have a two-pronged (Ah-So) device to remove problem corks.

• Zinfandel first appeared in the United States in the 1820s when Long Islandnursery owner George Gibbs imported several grape vines from the Imperial

collection in Vienna. One of the vines was Zinfandel. (The current thinking isthat Zinfandel originated in Croatia where it is called Plavac Mali.) In the1850s, Zinfandel made its way to California.

• An Italian white wine called Est! Est! Est! got its name from a medieval story.A bishop was planning to travel the Italian countryside and asked his scout tofind inns that had good wines, marking the door “Est” (“It is” or “This is it”)when he found one. The scout was so excited about the local wine found in thearea that he marked one inn’s door “Est! Est! Est!” Another version of thisstory is that a priest was on his way to minister to a congregation in the boondocks. Upon discovering the wonderful local wine, he sent the message“Est! Est! Est!” back to Rome, renounced the priesthood, and spent the rest of

his life enjoying the wine.• The auger or curly metal part of a corkscrew is sometimes called a worm.

Graves is thought to be the oldest wine region in Bordeaux.

• The Puritans loaded more beer than water onto the Mayflower.

• In terms of acreage, wine grapes rank #1 among all crops planted worldwide.Although “château” means castle, it may also be a mansion or a little housenext to a vineyard that meets the requirements for winemaking with storagefacilities on its property.

• Château Petrus is the most expensive of the Bordeaux wines. Its price is asmuch due to its tiny production as to its quality. Petrus is made from at least

95% Merlot grapes. The Egyptians were the first to make glass containersaround 1500 B.C.

ALSACE WINES

Contrary to other French wine regions, the wines of Alsace are not named after thevillages or vineyards from which they come, but after the grape variety. Alsace winesare made from seven varieties : Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Muscat d'Alsace,Tokay Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Noir.

All must by law be bottled in the region of production, in the traditional slender Alsace bottle.

Muscat d'Alsace is dry and very different from the sweet Muscats of the South ofFrance. It is very aromatic and reveals the true flavour of the fresh grape.

Sylvaner is a remarkably fresh and light wine with a delicate flavour, Refreshing and


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easy to enjoy, it is lively and sometimes vivacious.

Pinot Blanc, well-rounded yet delicate, combines freshness and softness, representingthe happy medium in the range of Alsace wines.

Tokay Pinot Gris develops a characteristic roundness and opulence. Rich, full-bodiedand with a long finish, its complex aroma is reminiscent of woodland and is sometimesslightly smoky.

Pinot Noir is the only Alsace variety to produce red or rosé wines, characteristicallyfruity with hints of cherry. Vinified as a red wine. it can be aged in oak casks, whichadds greater structure and complexity to its aromas.

Riesling is dry, refined and delicately fruity, with an elegant bouquet of mineral or

floral notes. Acknowledged as one of the finest white varietals in the world, it is agastronomic wine par excellence.

Gewurztraminer, full-bodied and well-structured, is probably the best-known Alsacewine. Its intense bouquet displays rich aromas of fruit, flowers and spices (gewurz =spicy). Powerful and seductive, sometimes slightly sweet, it can often age well. Klevener de Heiligenstein is a less aromatic variety derived from the old Traminer orSavagnin rose, also greatly appreciated with food. It is produced exclusively in andaround Heiligenstein.

Alsace Wine Information

Alsace produces excellent dry and sweet white wines. They are so typical that thegrape varieties used only grow in Alsace and nowhere else.

The most basic information on the wine in Alsace are:

Location: North East of France, between the Vosges and the Rhineriver

Alsace region information Size: 190km long and 50km wide (120 x 30 miles)

smallest region in France

Size of the vineyards: 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres)


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Grapes in Alsace: Riesling (23% of Alsace wines)Pinot Blanc (20%)Gewurztraminer (18%)Tokay Pinot Gris (13%)Sylvaner (12%)

Production: 165 million bottles+90% of Alsace wines are whiteAlsace wine making

Type of Wine: Refreshing dry and sweet white wine

Alsace Wine and Food: SauerkrautAlsace wine and food


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Wines from Alsace

More than 90% of the wines in Alsace are white. Riesling and Gewurzt are among the best white wines in France. Wine makers raise them in a style you can't find no where

else but in a wine from Alsace.

The most important wines in Alsace are:Riesling (23% of Alsace wines)

Gewurztraminer (18%)

Pinot Blanc (20%)

Tokay Pinot Gris (13%)

Sylvaner (12%)

Crémant d'Alsace (a sparkling wine)

Other wines from Alsace are: Vendanges Tardives (late harvest), Edelzwicker, Muscat,

Pinot Noir, etc.Alsace wine and food:

White wines from Alsace such as Riesling, Sylvaner and Pinot Blanc go very well withfish and seafood meals.

Gewurztraminer is better with foie gras, spiced dishes, strong cheeses or as a dessertwine.

Food in Alsace:

People in Alsace loves good food. Here are just a few examples of what Alsace isfamous for when it comes to food:

- The classic choucroute (means sauerkraut in French): various parts of pork andcabbage

- Tarte flambée (or Flammekueche): pastry with cream, bacon, and onions- Coq-au-Riesling: cooked with Riesling wine

Alsace food and wine:

The table below help you match a typical food from Alsace with a wine of the sameregion:

Food from Alsace best match with Alsace's wine:

Choucroute: Riesling, Sylvaner

Flammekueche: Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc, Riesling


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Coq-au-Riesling: Riesling

Onion tart : Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc

Munster: Gewurztraminer

Cheeses from Alsace:

The following cheese is made in Alsace:

- Munster

Serving of Wines Alsace wines should be served chilled, but not too cold (6 to 10°C) inlongstemmed glasses. Crémant d'Alsace is served between 5 and 7°Cin flute or tulipe glasses.

Alsace wines are normally enjoyed when they are youngs, that meanfrom 1 to 5 years after their harvest. However, "Grands Crus","Vendanges tardives" and "Sélections de grains nobles" will benefitfrom longer bottle-ageing.

Making of Alsace WinesWine making in France

It is difficult to speak of winemaking. The saying goes in France thereare as many wines as vineyards.

Every winemaker brings his one touch before, during, and after thewine making process.

Each choice in the successive steps of the elaboration of wine hasrepercussions on the taste and the quality of the wine :

• The choice of the terroir

• The climate (and the date of harvest)

• The choice of the grape-variety, it is determinant

• The type of container in which the fermentation will takeplace


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• The temperature at which the juice of grape is maintainedduring the fermentation

• The fermentation period

• The type of container in which the maturation will takeplace

Nobody can pretend there is only one unique method of making wine.That is the beauty of wine as winemakers are also responsible for theincredible diversity of wines we can choose from.

Needless to say that winemaking requires "savoir-faire" andexperience. A winemaker is not only an artisan but also an artist.

Red wine making

The steps in the red wine making process are:

Crushing and de-stemming the grapes

The grapes just arriving in the cellar are crushed and de-stemmed torelease their juice and pulp.

The must obtained that way is put in a tank to go trough the process offermentation.

Alcoholic fermentation

Fermentation is a natural process. Yeasts living in the grapes - theaddition of selected yeasts is generalizing - change the sugar contained

in the must in alcohol and carbonic gas (see also the composition ofwine).

The winemaker assists the action of the yeasts by maintaining thetemperature around 25 to 30°C and by ventilating the must regularly.Under 25°C the wine will not have enough body, above 30°C, the winewill be to tannic.

The fermentation process goes on for 4 to 10 days until the maceration

and then the malolactic fermentation.

Maceration

It is the period when the tannic elements and the color of the skindiffuse in the fermented juice. The contact between the liquid (must)


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and the solids elements (skin, pips and sometimes stem) will give bodyand color to the wine.

At this stage, complex operation will prove the talent of thewinemaker: dissolution, extraction, excretion, diffusion, decoction,infusion.

For "Vins primeurs" or "Vins nouveaux" (new wines) the maceration isvery short. The vines are supple and contain little tannin. Winesdestined to be kept long need a lot of tannin, so the maceration needsto be long. The wine will macerate for several days, maybe severalweeks.

Raking

The wine is separated from the solids, the pomace. The wine obtained by raking iscalled "free run wine" (vin de goutte).

Sometimes, the pomace is pressed in order to extract the juice it still contains. Thiswine is called "press wine" (vin de presse). It is richer in tannin.

Depending on the winemaker taste or the local habit, free run wine and press wine are blended or treated separately.

Malolactic fermentationIt is the process during which the malic acid of wine changes into lactic acid andcarbonic gas under the action of bacteria living in the wine. Malic acid is harsh, it is

changed into lactic acid supple and stable.

This fermentation is obtained in a tank during a few weeks at a temperature between18° and 20°C.

Stabilization

The wine making process is finished but the wine is not. To be able to age and toimprove the wine must be clarified again. After that the beverage will be put in oak

casks where it will stabilize.

The diversity of red wine is such that it can match any type of food. But you must


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absolutely not conclude from this that all red wines taste the same.

White wine making

White wine is not really white but, in fact yellow. But the expression being universal

one says of a yellow wine that it is white.

Vinification of white wine is more delicate than vinification of red wine.

Two methods coexist to make white wine:

1. The first one is to use white grape ( which is in fact green, greenish yellow, goldenyellow or pinkish yellow!). That way the white wine is the result of the fermentation of

the juice of white grapes juice only.

2. The second method is more complex. One uses the juice of red grape-variety clearedof it skin and pips, with which it must absolutely not get in contact as they contain thecoloring substances. It is possible to get white wine that way but it is seldom done (see

also 11 steps to make wine).

Time is counted:Immediately after their arrival in the cellar, the grapes are crushed but not de-stemmed.The juice (free run must) is sent to settle in containers. The rest of the grapes is pressedas quickly as possible. Air is the enemy of white wine. At its contact the wine oxidizes

or becomes colored. The must from pressing is added to the free run must.

Preparation of the must:After six to twelve hours the particles and impurity of the grape separate from the mustand float on the surface. They are removed by the raking of must. The must is ready to

be clarified. The clarified juice is poured in a tank, ready to ferment.

Alcoholic fermentation:

White wine results of the fermentation of must only. No solid (stem, skin, pips...) intervenes.

The control of the temperature is essential. It has to be maintained around 18° C. Thewinemaker regularly cools the must to allow the yeast to work correctly.


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The fermentation goes on for two to three weeks. The winemaker daily checks theevolution of the process.

When fermentation is over, the wine is put in cask and raked, just like a red wine thenit is bottled.

Winemakers often choose oak casks which gives the wine the tannin it needs. But itwill not be sufficient, tannin is the essential element for aging. It is why white wine

does not keep as long as red wine.

On the other hand white wines present a larger variety of tastes: very dry, dry, semi-dry, mellow, syrupy, petillant, sparkling, madeirized...

White wine can be drunk on any occasion: before, with or after a meal, and even

between meals.

White wines are often considered as aperitif wines, sometimes as desert wines. Many people like to drink white wine in hot weather. Its refreshing qualities are very well

known. White wine is served fresh but not chilled.

Rosé wine making

First of all Rosé wine is not a blending of red and white wines (abstraction made of theexceptional case of the Rosé de Champagne).

Rosé wine is made from red grape-varieties. And, nowadays, many winemakers mix acertain amount of white grapes with the red.

The elaboration of rosé wine is delicate. It is probably why the amateur is sometimesdisappointed by the quality of a rosé. Particularity, European rosé is "dry". On the

contrary, American rosé is sweet and similar to white wine.

There are at least three methods of making rosé wine:

Gray or pale rosé wine

The grapes are pressed as soon as they arrive in the cellar. It allows a quicker diffusionof the color in the must.

The juice is left a very short time in contact with the skin. No more than a few hours!That way the must is delicately colored.


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Rosé wine is then made in the same way as a white wine, fermentation of the mustcleared of solid elements with out any more maceration. The winemaker obtains a gray

or pale rosé wine (for Gris de Bourgogne or Rosé de Loire).

Colored pink wine

To obtain a colored pink wine the grapes are put in the fermentation tank after having been crushed. The juice quickly enriches itself in alcohol with the temperature going

up (in the tank).

At the contact of the solid element the color quickly diffuses. The winemaker choosesthe intensity of the color by controlling a sample every hour. When he is satisfied he

devattes.

The wine is evacuated in another tank to finish fermenting. The must left in the

original tank is evacuated and not used for rosé any more.

The bleedingTo obtain an even more intense color, once an hour, during the initial fermentation the

winemaker takes out of the tank a certain amount of juice.

When the color is satisfying, the wine making process goes on as for a white wine.Rosé de Provence are obtain by that method.

Why wine does not turn into vinegar ?Sulphur dioxide, in spite of its barbaric name, is an element indispensable for the

quality of the wine (see composition of wine).

It is composed of sulphur and oxygen. Fermentation naturally produces small amountof it.

Winemakers add more to the wine. Sulphur dioxide is to wine what aspirin is to human beings: the miraculous remedy which cures all sort of diseases and avoids others.

Sulphur dioxide is a bactericide which prevents wine from changing into vinegar. Itinhibates the action of yeasts; it is why sweet wines do not go on fermenting after

bottling.

On top of that it is an antioxidizer. It allows wine to keep all its freshness and avoidsits alteration by its enemy: the oxygen.


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Vineyards

Sylvaner, light, fresh and fruity.

Pinot Blanc, well-balanced, supple and racy.

Riesling, triumph of the Alsace vineyars, delicate fruitiness and fine bouquet.

Muscat d'Alsace, dry, an inimitable fresh grape taste.

Tokay Pinot Gris, opulent and robust, at its best with the finestcuisine.

Gewurztraminer, robust, full-bodied, marvalous flavour and bouquet.

Pinot Noir, dry red or rosé wine, its typical fruitiness calls to mindcherry.

The 3 Appellations d'Origine Contrôlées

AOC Alsace : Alsace wines usually bear the name of the grape variety from whichthey are made (Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, aso.)

AOC Alsace Grand Cru : they are obliged to show the name of the grape variety, andalso the name of the vineyard where they were grown.

AOC Crémant d'Alsace : a sparkling wine produced by the Champagne method,using mainly the Pinot varieties.

Alsace wines should be served chilled, but not too cold (6 to 10°C) in longstemmed

glasses. Crémant d'Alsace is served between 5 and 7°C in flute or tulipe glasses.Alsace wines are normally enjoyed when they are youngs, that mean from 1 to 5 yearsafter their harvest. However, "Grands Crus", "Vendanges tardives" and "Sélections de

grains nobles" will benefit from longer bottle-ageing.


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Winegrowing villages along the Route du Vin

At first sight, the Route du Vin seems just like a

postcard : the serried ranks of an army of vines

advancing up towards the forests of the Vosges;

the ruins of proud castles of the Middle Ages;

villages surrounded by venerable ramparts which

today serve only to preserve the joyful harmony

inside : flower-deced streets, hospitable inns,

joyful wine cellars, baroque wrought-iron signs, as

well as historic houses, Roman churches and

fountains generously bequeathed by the

Renaissance.

For all such unforgettable reasons, the Route du

Vin merits your visit. However, only a reallyinquisitive visitor venturing off the beaten tracks

unearth all its secrets.

Between one gateway at Thann and the other at

Marlenheim, take the time to discover the Route

du Vin's true nature : meet the winegrowers, taste

their wines, lose yourself in Medieval cities then,

far from the crowds, walk the vineyard trails to

high up in the vines to admire a panoramic view

which, the time for a pause, belongs only to you.

Finally, allow yourself to be astonished, wherever

you stop, by the culinary genius which, with the

collusion of its wines, has made Alsace one of the

most gastronomic regions of France.

Each kilometre of the 170 which make up the

Route du Vin invites you to cross an imaginary

frontier into a wonderful land where life is

considered to be a form of art.


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• ALSACE WINES and CREMANT

• GEWURZTRAMINER " Vendanges Tardives" Late harvest

• SYLVANER

• PINOT BLANC

•

RIESLING• RIESLING "Cuvée Passion" Passion Vintage

• MUSCAT

• TOKAY PINOT GRIS

• TOKAY PINOT GRIS "Cuvée Passion" Passion Vintage

• GEWURZTRAMINER

• GEWURZTRAMINER "Cuvée Passion" Passion Vintage

• PINOT NOIR

• ROUGE D'ALSACE Alsace Red Wine

• CREMANT D'ALSACE

• TOKAY PINOT GRIS Grand Cru " Sonnenglanz "

History

The Burgundians were one of the Germanic peoples who filled the power vacuum left by the collapse of the western half of the Roman empire. In 411, they crossed the Rhineand established a kingdom at Worms. Amidst repeated clashes between the Romans andHuns, the Burgundian kingdom eventually occupied what is today the borderlands between Switzerland, France, and Italy. In 534, the Franks defeated Godomar, the last

Burgundian king, and absorbed the territory into their growing empire.

Its modern existence is rooted in the dissolution of the Frankish empire. When thedynastic dust had settled in 880s, there were three Burgundies: the kingdom of UpperBurgundy around Lake Geneva, the kingdom of Lower Burgundy in Provence, and theduchy of Burgundy in France. The two kingdoms of Burgundy were reunited in 937 andabsorbed into the Holy Roman Empire under Conrad II in 1032, while the duchy ofBurgundy was annexed by the French throne in 1004.

During the Middle Ages, Burgundy was the seat of some of the most important Western

churches and monasteries, among them Cluny, Citeaux, and Vézelay.

During the Hundred Years' War, King Jean II of France gave the duchy to his youngerson, rather than leaving it to his successor on the throne. The duchy soon became amajor rival to the French throne, because the Dukes of Burgundy succeeded inassembling an empire stretching from Switzerland to the North Sea, mostly by


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marriage. The Burgundian Empire consisted of a number of fiefdoms on both sides ofthe (then largely symbolical) border between the French kingdom and the GermanEmpire. Its economic heartland was in the Low Countries, particularly Flanders andBrabant. The court in Dijon outshone the French court by far both economically andculturally.

In the late 15th and early 16th centuries, Burgundy provided a power base for the rise ofthe Habsburgs, after Maximilian of Austria had married into the ducal family. In 1477the last duke Charles the Bold was killed in battle and Burgundy itself taken back byFrance. His daughter Mary and her husband Maximillian moved the court to Brusselsand ruled the remnants of the empire (the Low Countries and Franche-Comté, then stilla German fief) from there.

Wine Burgundy produces famous wines of the same name. The best-known wines come from

the Côte d'Or, although also viticulturally part of Burgundy are Beaujolais, Chablis, andMâcon.

Geography Highest point: Haut-Folin (901m) in the Morvan.

The Canal of Burgundy joins the Rivers Yonne and Saône, allowing barges to navigatefrom the north to south of France. Construction began in 1765 and was completed in1832. At the summit there is a tunnel 3.333 kilometers long in a straight line. The canalis 242 kilometers long, with a total 209 locks and crosses two counties of Burgundy, theYonne and Cote d'Or. The canal is now mostly used for riverboat tourism; Dijon, themost important city along the canal, has a harbor for leisure boats.

Culture

Famous Burgundian dishes include coq au vin and beef bourguignon.

Burgundy wine

Chardonnay vineyards in the south of the Côte de Beaune surrounding the town ofMeursault.

Burgundy (Bourgogne in French) is the name given to certain wines made in the

Burgundy region of France.

Red Burgundy wines are usually made with the Pinot Noir grape, and white Burgundywines are usually made with Chardonnay grapes, as dictated by the AOC.Geographically, the wine region starts just south of Dijon and runs southward to justshort of the city of Lyon. The area of Chablis stands on its own to the west of Dijon,


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about as close to Paris as it is to the heart of Burgundy. The main wine regions inBurgundy proper (those that are entitled to the AOC Bourgogne designation) are theCôte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune - which collectively are known as the Côte d'Or - andfurther south the Côte Chalonnaise. Also viticulturally part of Burgundy are Beaujolais,Chablis, and Mâcon, and they show some similarity. However, a wine from one of these

regions would rarely be referred to as a "Burgundy."

Burgundy is home to some of the most sought-after wines in the world, and the mostexpensive, including those of Domaine de la Romanée Conti. Burgundy is in someways the most terroir-oriented region on the planet; immense attention is paid to thearea of origin, and in which of the region's 400 types of soil a wine's grapes are grown.It has a carefully demarcated quality hierarchy: the grand crus are at the top, followed by premier crus, then village, and finally generic Bourgogne. Bourgogne is wheregrapes other than Chardonnay and Pinot Noir begin to be introduced, allowing pinot blanc and Pinot Gris, two Pinot Noir mutations that were traditionally grown and noware in decline in the area. Other Burgundy AOCs that are not as often seen are

Bourgogne Passetoutgrains (which can contain up to two thirds Gamay (the grape ofBeaujolais) in addition to Pinot Noir), Bourgogne Aligoté (which is primarily madewith the Aligoté grape), and Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire. The latter is the lowest AOC,and Grand definitely refers to the size of the area eligible to produce it, not its quality.There are certain regions that are allowed to put other grapes in miscellaneous AOCs, but for the most part these rules hold.

From about the year 900 up to the French Revolution, the vineyards of Burgundy wereowned by the Church. After the revolution, the vineyards were broken up and sold tothe workers who had tended them. The Napoleonic inheritance laws resulted in the

continued subdivision of the most precious vineyard holdings, so that some growershold only a row or two of vines. This led to the emergence of négociants who aggregatethe produce of many growers to produce a single wine. It has also led to a profusion ofincreasingly small family-owned wineries, exemplified by the dozen plus "Gros" familydomaines.

Côte-d'Or

Information

Number 21 Region Bourgogne Prefecture Dijon Subprefectures Beaune MontbardPopulation -1999 –Density Ranked 49th 506,755 58/km² Area 8763 km²

Arrondissements 3 Cantons 43 Communes 707 President of the General Council Louisde Broissia

Location Côte-d'Or is a département in the eastern part of France.

*


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History the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was formed from part of Côte-d'Or was oneof the original 83 départements created during the former province of Burgundy.

Geography

The département is part of the current région of Bourgogne. It is surrounded by thedépartements of Yonne, Nièvre, Saône-et-Loire, Jura, Aube, and Haute-Marne.

A chain of hills called the Plateau de Langres runs from north-east to south-westthrough the département to the north of Dijon and continues south-westwards as theCôte d'Or escarpment, after which the département is named. It is the south-east facingslope of the escarpment which is the site of the celebrated Burgundy vineyards. To thewest of the Plateau de Langres, towards Champagne, lies the densely wooded district ofChâtillonais. To the south-east of the plateau and escarpment, the département lies inthe broad, flat-bottomed valley of the middle course of the Saône.

Rivers include:

* The Saône

* The Seine rises in he southern end of the Plateau de Langres.

* The Ouche rises on the dip slope of the escarpment and flows to the Saône via Dijon.

* The Armançon rises on the dip slope of the escarpment and flows north-westward.

* The Arroux rises on the dip slope of the escarpment at the southern end of thedépartement.

ClimateThe climate of the département is temperate, with abundant rain on the west side of thecentral range.

Beaujolais

Beaujolais is a historical province and a wine-producing region in France. It is now partof the Burgundy région for administrative purposes. The region is knowninternationally for its long tradition of winemaking, and more recently for theenormously popular Beaujolais nouveau.

Beaujolais wines

The Beaujolais is a French AOC wine, almost all Beaujolais wines are reds of theGamay grape but like most AOC wines are not labelled varietally. Whites from theregion, which make up only 1% of its production, are made with Chardonnay grapes.Beaujolais tends to be a very light bodied red wine, with relatively high amounts ofacidity which makes it less a casual sipping wine and one more suited to food.


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Most Beaujolais should be drunk within the first three years of its life. Only the bestexamples of the ten "crus" listed below - and produced by the best vintners - improvewith age for up to ten years.

Wines labeled simply "Beaujolais" account for 50% of the production. Beaujolais

Villages makes up 25% of the region's production, and comes from better vineyard sitesin and around the ten "crus" in the north part of Beaujolais. Wine from these individualcrus, which make up the balance, can be more full-bodied, darker in color, andsignificantly longer lived. Unfortunately for the unknowing wine drinker, these winesdo not usually use the word "Beaujolais" on the label, leaving one with little recourse but to memorize the list. The ten crus are: Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent, Brouilly, Côte deBrouilly, Saint-Amour, Chiroubles, Chénas, Fleurie, Juliénas, and most recently,Régnié.

By far, the largest production comes from the négoçiant Georges Duboeuf, who makes

the well-known "flower labels".

Economy

This is a premier wine-growing region of France. Other crops include cereal grains and potatoes. Sheep and cattle are also raised in the département. The region is famous forits Dijon mustard.

There are coal mines and heavy industry, including steel, machinery, and earthenware.The industries most developed in Côte-d'Or are

* agriculture and food (14% of employees)

* metallurgy and metal manufacture (12% of employees)

* chemicals, rubber and plastics (12% of employees)

* pharmacy

* electrical and electronic components and equipment

* wood and paper industries.

The big works are generally in the conurbation of Dijon although biggest (CEA Valduc)is at Salives in the Plateau de Langres. There is also the SEB metal works at Selongey below the plateau on the margin of the Saône plain and the Valourec metalworking

group at Montbard in the west of the départment on the River Brenne near its junctionwith the Armançon. The Pharmaceutical industry has shown the greatest growth inrecent years. However, since the Dijon employment statistics zone includes the urbanand administrative centre of the Burgundy region, the service sector is proportionately bigger there in relation to the industrial, than in the other three zones of Côte-d'Or.


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Demographics

The inhabitants of the département are called Côte-d'Oriens.

Tourism

Some of the major tourist attractions are the Gothic abbey church of Saint-Seine-l'Abbaye and the Romanesque abbey church at Saulieu, as well the Château de BussyRabutin at Bussy-le-Grand. The Abbey of Cîteaux, headquarters of the CistercianOrder, lies to the east of Nuits-Saint-Georges in the south of the département.

Mâcon

Country

Région

Bourgogne

Département

Saône-et-Loire (préfecture)

Arrondissement

Mâcon

Canton

Chief town of 3 cantons

Intercommunality

Communauté

d'Agglomération du

Mâconnais Val de Saône(CAMVAL)

Mayor

Term of office

Jean-Patrick Courtois

2001-2007

Land area¹

27.04 km²

Population²

(1999)34,469

Population density

()

1,275 pers./km²


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Longitude

04° 49' 57" E

Latitude

46° 18' 26" N

Altitudeaverage: 175 m

minimum: 167 m

maximum: 347 m

INSEE Code 71270

Postal code 71000

1 French Land Register data, which exclude lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km²(0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) as well as the estuaries of rivers.

2 Population sans doubles comptes, i.e. not counting those people already counted in

another commune (such as students and military personnel).

Mâcon is a commune of France, préfecture (capital) of the Saône-et-Loire département,in the Bourgogne région. Population: 36,068.

History

Mâcon was acquired by the French Crown in 1238, passed to Burgundy by the Treatyof Arras in 1435 and was recovered by France in 1477. Mâcon was a Huguenotstronghold in the 16th century.

Geography Mâcon is located on the Saône river, north of Lyon. It has an area of 27.04 km².Altitude: 175 m.

Economy

This place is famous for its quality wines, including but not limited to Pouilly-Fuissé.The town also has foundries and plants that manufacture motorcycles, electricalequipment and clothing.

MiscellaneousMâcon was the birthplace of Alphonse de Lamartine (1790-1869), writer, poet and politician.

The Baby of Mâcon is a 1993 film directed by Peter Greenaway.


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Twinned towns

* Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Germany - since June 26, 1956

* Crewe and Nantwich, United Kingdom - since 1957

* Overijse, Belgium - since August 28, 1960

* Macon, Georgia, United States - since 1972* Lecco, Italy - since May 12, 1973

* Alcazar de San Juan, Spain - since March 15, 1980

* Eger, Hungary - since May 11, 1985

* Pori, Finland - since May 11, 1990

* Santo Tirso, Portugal - since June 20, 1992

Coq au vin

The coq au vin ("cock with wine") is a French stew of chicken (theoretically, rooster)cooked with wine.

Many French regions claim coq au vin as their own, but legend has it that the recipeoriginated with Caesar's chef. Different variants exist throughout the country.

Nearly all recipes other than those altered for low-fat diets start with lardons, or theirmore available substitutes, unsmoked bacon or pancetta. The lardons are cooked, andthe rendered fat used for browning the other ingredients, and (with the addition of theflour) to form the roux which thickens the sauce. Generally, a full bottle of red wine is

used, and brandy may be added.

More traditional versions of coq au vin have the sauce thickened with rooster blood atthe end of cooking.

Beef Bourguignon

Beef Bourguignon (Bœuf Bourguignon in French) is very well-known, traditionalFrench recipe. It is essentially a type of beef stew prepared with cubed pieces of beefstewed in red wine and generally flavoured with garlic, onions, salt pork, and a bouquetgarni, and garnished with pearl onions and mushrooms.

Côte de Nuits

The Côte d'Or is divided into two main viticultural regions, the Côte de Nuits being themore northerly of the two. The northernmost tip lies just south of Dijon, and the regionextends down to the Côte de Beaune, onto which it abuts. Named after the town of Nuits-St-Georges, it is most widely reknowned for it's red wines, although there are a


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few worthy white wines made here also. Geologically, the region sits on a combinationof Bajocian, Bathonian, Callovian and Argovian limestones, with some Liassicmarlstone. The climate is continental, with a wide annual temperature difference.Spring rains and frost can be a problem, as can Autumn rain, which may interfere withthe harvest. This is true for the whole Côte d'Or. The vineyards lie on the slope between

the plain to the east, and the hills to the west. Soils on the plain, to the east of the N74(not illustrated), are too fertile for quality wine, and on the hills it is too sparse. Theeasterly aspect also aids exposure to the sun.

The most northerly village of note is Marsannay, an up and coming wine region for the production of value Burgundy. Next is Fixin, a village which can produce some goodvalue wines, although they never achieve greatness.

Further south come the villages of the Côte de Nuits that produce some of the greatwines of Burgundy. Firstly, Gevrey-Chambertin, which impresses with the combination

of its muscular, weighty attitude and paradoxical perfumed edge. Morey-St-Denis is ameaty, intense wine which can be superb, but like many of these famous namesovercropping and poor vinification techniques can result in some very weak wines.Chambolle-Musigny may be marked by a wonderful, floral, fragrant bouquet, whereasat Vougeot we have an unusual situation. Much of the wine is classified as Grand Cruas it lies within the walled vineyard of the Clos de Vougeot, but only a small part of thiswine is truly of Grand Cru quality. At best it can be a tasty, full-bodied, richly fruitedwine, although it is not one of the great Grands Crus.

Flagey-Echézeaux is unusual as it lies to the east of all the other vineyards. The winescan be quite fine. Next is Vosne-Romaneé, a fine set of vineyards which can produce

some superb wines. Vosne-Romaneé can have a rich, creamy, sensuous texture, even inthe village wines from a good producer. Other than Nuits-St-Georges, there are no othervillages of huge significance.

The appellations of the Côte de Nuits are as follows:

Grands Crus: Such wines are not required to bear the village name. Thus wines produced, for example, from the Grand Cru Chambertin Clos de Bèze would notinclude the village name of Gevrey-Chambertin, where it is situated. These are asfollows:

Gevrey-Chambertin: Chambertin, Chambertin Clos de Bèze, Charmes-Chambertin,Chapelle-Chambertin, Griotte- Chambertin, Latricières-Chambertin, Mazis-Chambertin,Ruchottes-Chambertin.


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Morey-St-Denis: Bonnes Mares, Clos Saint-Denis, Clos de Tart, Clos de la Roche, Closdes Lambrays.

Chambolle-Musigny: Musigny, Bonnes Mares.

Vougeot: Clos de Vougeot.

Vosne-Romanée: La Romanée, La Tâche, Richebourg, Romanée-Conti, Romanée-St-Vivant, La Grande Rue.

Flagey-Echézeaux: Grands-Echézeaux, Echézeaux.

The Grand Cru Bonnes Mares straddles the villages of Morey-St-Denis and Chambole-Musigny. Nuits-St-Georges has no Grands Crus.

Premiers Crus: These are too numerous to name here. As with Chablis, a wine blendedfrom several such sites will be labelled as Premier Cru, whereas a wine from anindividual vineyard will bear the vineyard name, eg. Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru

Clos Saint-Jacques.

Village Wines: The villages of the Côte de Nuits are Marsannay (La-Côte), Fixin,Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-St-Denis, Chambolle Musigny, Vougeot (althoughanything other than Grand Cru Clos de Vougeot is rare), Vosne-Romanée and Nuits-St-Georges. Village wines from Flagey-Echézeaux are sold under the Vosne-Romanéeappellation.

Sub-Village Appellations: These include Côte de Nuits Villages (may be applied towine from Corgoloin, Comblanchien, Prémeaux, Brochon, and declassified wine from

Fixin), Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits (applies to a large number of communes tothe west of the Côte d'Or), and basic Bourgogne.

Côte de Beaune

The Côte de Beaune is the more southerly part of the Côte d'Or. The northernmost tipabuts onto the Côte de Nuits, and the region extends south to the Côte Chalonnaise. Thegeology is more variable than that of the Côte de Nuits. The region sits on acombination of Callovian, Argovian and Rauracian limestones, with much interveningmarlstone. Obviously, the climate is the same as for the Côte de Nuits - continental,with a wide annual temperature difference. Spring rains and frost, and Autumn rains,which may interfere with the harvest, can also be a problem here. The vineyards facesouth-east on the slope between the plain to the south-east, and the hills to the north-west, the easterly aspect aiding exposure to the sun.

Pernand-Vergelesses can be a source of some good value Burgundy, but no great wines. Nearby, however, we start to see some of the more serious wines of the Côte de Beaune


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at Aloxe-Corton. The wines of this village, as well as a number of other villages nearby,are red as well as white. Red Corton should be a muscular, savoury wine, whereas thewhite is a rich, intense, buttery drink. Beaune, Savigny-les-Beaune and Chorey-les-Beaune are all best known for their red wines. The wines produced here are well fruited,tasty, sometimes quite elegant affairs, although they are somewhat lighter (and less

expensive) when from the latter two villages.

Pommard can make wonderful red Burgundy, well structured and meaty, whereasVolnay is better known for it's heady, perfumed and delicately textured wines.

Towards the southern end of the Côte de Beaune, however, are the Côte d'Or's mostfamous white wine villages. Meursault produces rich, complex, intense yet elegantwines, but it is Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet that lead the pack. Theformer bears a wonderful combination of richness with mineral complexities, the latterare sometimes broader and more open, although both are lovely, and words cannot

really do them justice. Nearby are the villages of St-Romain, St-Aubin, Santenay andAuxey-Duresses. All are responsible for some value Burgundy.

The appellations of the Côte de Beaune are as follows:

Grands Crus: As with the Côte de Nuits, such wines are not required to bear the villagename. The Grands Crus are as follows:

Aloxe-Corton: Corton (the largest Grand Cru in Burgundy, with a number ofsubdivisions, eg Corton-Bressandes), Corton-Charlemagne.

Puligny-Montrachet: Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet,Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet.

Chassagne-Montrachet: Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet, Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet.

As with the Côtes de Nuits, some vineyards lie in more than one village. Here, theGrands Crus Montrachet and Bâtard-Montrachet lie in both Puligny and Chassagne-Montrachet. Most villages of the Côte de Beaune have no Grands Crus.

Premiers Crus: As with the Côtes de Nuits, these are too numerous to name. As withChablis and the Côtes de Nuits, a wine blended from several such sites will be labelledas Premier Cru, whereas a wine from an individual vineyard will bear the vineyardname, eg Pommard Premier Cru Les Petits Epenots.


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Village Wines: The villages of the Côte de Beaune are Ladoix, Pernand-Vergelesses,Aloxe-Corton, Savigny-lès-Beaune, Chorey-lès-Beaune, Beaune, Pommard, Volnay,Monthelie, St-Romain, Auxey-Duresses, Meursault, Blagny, Puligny-Montrachet,Chassagne-Montrachet, St-Aubin and Santenay. Blagny is a small hamlet close to thePremier Cru vineyards of Meursault.

Sub-Village Appellations: These include Côte de Beaune Villages (may be applied todeclassified wine from fourteen villages of the Côte de Beaune not including Aloxe-Corton, Beaune, Volnay or Pommard), Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits (applies to alarge number of communes to the west of the Côte d'Or), and basic Bourgogne. There isalso the confusing appellation Côte de Beaune, which refers to wines from thecommune of Beaune not deemed worthy of the appellation Beaune.

The Côte d'Or - My top wines. As many producers have vineyards in so many differentsites, I have grouped together the good names in Burgundy here. This is a personal list

(in alphabetical order), so it doesn't include great but hardly affordable domaines suchas Romanée-Conti. My list of top estates and producers includes Domaine d'Arlot,Simon Bize, Robert Chevillon, Bruno Clair, Michel Colin-Deléger, Drouhin, RenéEngel, Faiveley, Jacques Gagnard-Delagrange, Jean-Marc Blain-Gagnard, RichardFontaine-Gagnard, Jean Grivot, Hudelot-Noëllat, Jadot, Jaffelin, Henri Jayer, Leroy,Méo-Camuzet, Albert Morot, Daniel Rion, Domaine des Perdrix, and Etienne Sauzet.There are, obviously, many, many more producers of interest, but there are simply toomany to include here.

Wine: Beaujolais

Agnès et Marcel Durand Red Wine

strong rubyred color, fruity, light menthol smell, fine tannins, full body

Agnès et Marcel Durand Beaujolais-Villages

Aimée-Claude Bonnetain Red Wine

blue red color, scent of red fruit and spices, well structured, balanced, fruity, long,typical, ...

Aimée-Claude Bonnetain Côte de Brouilly

Alain Chatoux Vieilles vignes Red Wine

clar, dark orange red color, notable scent of red fruit with alcoholic notes, aromas ofcurrant j...

Alain Chatoux


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Alain Michaud Red Wine

delicious, deep orange-red color with bright red reflexes, smells of faded roases, spices,coffee...

Alain Michaud Brouilly

André Depardon La Madone Red Wine

dark red color, intense raspberry scent, full, fine, balanced, long flavor, rounded

André Depardon Fleurie

André Méziat Red Wine

clear, intense red color, strong scent of vineyard peaches and cherries, full-bodied, rich,soft,...

André et Monique Méziat Chiroubles

Belvedere des pierres dorées White Wineshining yellow color, complex scent of rhubarb, and strawberries, lively, open, goodcomposition

Cave coop. Beaujolaise

Bernard Broyer Red Wine

deep ruby red color with purple reflexes, expressive scent with citrusfruit, red fruit, andspice...

Bernard Broyer Juliénas

Bernard Jomain Red Wine

intense red color, almost blue, elegant nuances of black currants, strong, rustic

Bernard Jomain Brouilly

Bernard Lavis Red Wine

intense ruby-red color, smells of fresh red fruit, plants, clear, rounded, soft flavor, full

Bernard Lavis Beaujolais-Villages

Bernard Pichet Red Wine

orange-red color, hints of blossoms and raspberries, youthful, plant aromas, balanced

Bernard Pichet Chiroubles


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Bernard Santé Red Wine

delicious orange-red color, strong, concentrated scent of licorice and flowers, very soft,sweet,...

Bernard Santé Chénas

Cave Beaujolaise de Quincié Red Wine

shining, clear, pepper-flowery scent, hints of very ripe grapes, open personality,rounded, long ...

Cave Beaujolaise de Quincié Régnié

Cave de Po

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