Chapter 8 – Old world countries - France, Italy and Spain

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CHAPTER 8 – OLD WORLD COUNTRIES: France, Italy and Spain

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CHAPTER 8 – OLD WORLD: France, Italy & Spain

Contents

• France– Introduction– Bordeaux– Burgundy– Rhone Valley– Alsace

• Italy– Introduction– Principal Italian

Wines

• Spain– Introduction– Principal Spanish

Wines

• Focused tastings

"In Europe we thought of wine as something as healthy and normal as food and also a great giver of happiness and well being and delight. Drinking wine was not a snobbism nor a sign of sophistication nor a cult; it was as natural as eating and to me as necessary.“ Ernest Hemingway – A Moveable Feast

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France – Introduction

• France produces more fine wine (and brandy) than any other country.

• French wine industry is strictly regulated.

• Many established classic regions and styles.

• Diverse range of grape varieties and wine styles.

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France – Introduction

• Bordeaux – producing mainly Cabernet, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc

• Burgundy – producing mainly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay

• Alsace – producing mainly Riesling and Gewürztraminer

• Loire Valley – producing mainly Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc

• Rhone Valley – producing mainly Syrah and Grenache

• Provence – producing international varieties

• Languedoc-Roussillon – producing international varieties

Main wine regions are:

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France – Quality gradings

• Table wine

– Vin de table:Everyday drinking wine from anywhere in France. Often blended and usually made for early consumption.

– Vin de pays:Table wine with specific regional characteristics. The label must state the area of production, for example, vin de pays de l’Hérault and vin de pays des Côtes de Gascogne.

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France – Quality gradings

• Quality wine– Vin Delimité de Qualité

Supérieure (VDQS):the lower category of quality wines.

– Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée

(AC):the highest category of French wine.

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France – Main wine regions

Main wine regions are: Bordeaux Bordeaux BurgundyBurgundy AlsaceAlsace Loire ValleyLoire Valley Rhone ValleyRhone Valley ProvenceProvence

Languedoc-RoussillonLanguedoc-Roussillon OtherOther

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Bordeaux

Bordeaux produces:

• Tannic red wines needing time to mature

• Lighter reds made for early drinking

• Very fine sweet wines

• Dry white wine mainly for drinking young

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Bordeaux

LOCATION:Near the west coast of France (Atlantic ocean influences).

Vineyards actually inland 40 – 100 km on the left and right banks of the Gironde estuary.

CLIMATE:Mild and humid climate

SOIL:Many types; generally gravel, clay or sand on top of

limestone.

GRAPE VARIETIES:Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, MerlotSauvignon Blanc, Semillon

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Bordeaux – DistrictsBordeaux subdivisions: Bas MédocBas Médoc Haut MédocHaut Médoc Blaye Blaye Bourg Bourg PomerolPomerol St EmillonSt Emillon Entre-Deux-MersEntre-Deux-Mers Premiere Cotes de Premiere Cotes de

BordeauxBordeaux GravesGraves

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Bordeaux – Appellation SystemTerminology:• Appellation – controlled area / district – often

specifying permitted grape varieties, vineyard management and sometimes even wine making processes.

• Château (plural – châteaux) – individual property

• Cru – vineyard

• Commune – village

• 1st – 5th Cru (1st – 5th growth) – Bordeaux specific cru classification system based on wine prices over 50 years (1805 – 1855)

• Premier Cru = 1st Cru

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Bordeaux – Appellation System

Only 5 Châteaux have qualified as 1st Cru:

• Château Haut Brion (Graves)

• Château Lafite (Médoc)

• Château Latour (Médoc)

• Château Margaux (Médoc)

• Château Mouton Rothschild (Médoc)

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Bordeaux – Appellations

• Haut Médoc produces higher quality wines than Bas Médoc.

• All AC wines from Médoc are red.

• 4 main communes: St EstèpheSt Estèphe PauillacPauillac St JulienSt Julien MargauMargau

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Médoc AC

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Bordeaux – AppellationsGraves AC• “Graves” means gravel, and

the soil has given its name to the district.

• produces red and white wines and the appellation is given to both.

Sauternes AC• AC for sweet wines only. 3

varieties are used – Semillon (thin skin easily attacked by Noble Rot), Sauvignon Blanc (for Botrytis and acid balance) and Muscadelle (for aromas).

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Bordeaux – AppellationsEntre-Deux-Mers AC• The AC is for dry white wine only,

lying between the rivers Garonne and Dorgogne.

St Emillon AC• AC for red wines only. • Classification system created in

1955 – eleven châteaux listed as premier grand crus, led by Château Ausone and Château Cheval Blanc

Pomerol• Appellation for red wines only,

focusing on Merlot. Most famous Merlot only winery is Château Pétrus

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Burgundy

LOCATION:Situated in central France, the region of Burgundy includes

both Chablis and the Beaujolais. The region produces dry red and white wine and some sparkling wine.

CLIMATE:Being an inland region, Burgundy has hot summers but

severe winters, with frost being a major hazard.

SOIL:Clay & limestone – Côtes d’Or; Granite – Beaujolais.

GRAPE VARIETIES:Gamay; Pinot Noir; Chardonnay; Aligoté

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Burgundy – Districts

ChablisChablis Côte d’OrCôte d’Or

Côte de NuitsCôte de Nuits Côte de BeauneCôte de Beaune

Côte ChalonnaiseCôte Chalonnaise Mâconnais Mâconnais BeaujolaisBeaujolais

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Burgundy – Appellations

Chablis• A small district making dry crisp

white wine from Chardonnay.

Côte d’Or• Wines from this long narrow strip

from Dijon to Santenay are in high demand.

• Côte de Nuits in the north makes red wines from Pinot Noir.

• Côte de Beaune to the south also produces red wines, such as Volnay, Pommard and Beaune. It also makes great white wine from the chardonnay, wines such as Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet.

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Burgundy – AppellationsCôte Chalonnaise• Both red and white wines are

produced here.• Crémant de Bourgogne, the AC

for sparkling burgundy, is the name of a wine made in the Côte Chalonnaise.

Mâconnais• Here, white wine is made from

the chardonnay. The better white wines take the AC Mâcon Villages or add the name of the local village to Mâcon, e.g. Mâcon-Lugny, Mâcon-Viré-Clesse. The best known white wine is Pouilly-Fuissé.

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Burgundy – Appellations

Mâconnais• Red wine here (called Mâcon

Rouge) is from Gamay (may be blended with Pinot Noir).

Beaujolais• Here, Gamay grown on granite

soil produce light, fruity reds that are best drunk young.

• Northern part producing best quality, with finest from ten specific communes.

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Rhone Valley – Districts Côte RôtieCôte Rôtie HermitageHermitage

HermitageHermitage Crozes Crozes

HermitageHermitage Châteauneuf-du-PapeChâteauneuf-du-Pape GigondasGigondas Beaumes-de-veniseBeaumes-de-venise LiracLirac TavelTavel OtherOther

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Northern Rhone

LOCATION:Vines are grown on terraces, mostly so narrow and steep that

all the work has to be done by hand.

CLIMATE:The northern Rhône has a continental climate with cold

winters and short summers. The main problem is the Mistral, a powerful, cold wind which blows down the valley from the north

SOIL:The soil in general is predominantly granite with some

sandstone..

GRAPE VARIETIES:The red grape variety of the northern Rhône is the syrah

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Northern Rhone – Appellations

Côte Rôtie• Undergoing a renaissance

recently• Slopes so steep in parts than

winches must be used.• Syrah often blended with up to

20% Viognier

Hermitage• Famous appellation producing

extremely limited quantities of seriously long-lived Syrah wine.

• Hermitage is surrounded by the larger district of Crozes Hermitage which makes less intense wines.

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Southern Rhone

LOCATION:In the south the Rhône valley has broadened out. There are no

steep cliffs, only a wide, flat plain marked by outcrops of large stones.

CLIMATE:This part of the Rhône valley enjoys a Mediterranean climate

with mild winters and hot summers and autumns.

SOIL:The sub-soil is limestone with a covering of sand and large

stones in the finest areas

GRAPE VARIETIES:The AC laws in the southern Rhône permit many different red

and white grape varieties. The former include grenache, syrah, cinsault and mourvèdre.

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Southern Rhone – Appellations

AC Côtes du Rhône Villages

• Apart from the general AC Côtes du Rhône, there are 16 villages which produce superior wine and wines from this area are given the AC Côtes du Rhône Villages.

Tavel• Rosé made by vinifying red and white

grapes together.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape:• The alcohol levels of these wines are

high, the minimum required being 12.5%

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AlsaceLOCATION:In the north east of France, next to Germany, separated from

the rest of France by the Vosges mountains.

CLIMATE:Alsace has a continental climate, with hot summers and severe

winters. It is an exceptionally dry and sunny region - the Vosges mountains shelter the vineyards from the rain-bearing winds blowing across northern France.

SOIL:A wide variety of soils exist depending on the altitude of the

vineyard.

GRAPE VARIETIES:Riesling; Gewurztraminer; Pinot Blanc; Pinot Gris; Muscat d’Alsace;

Sylvaner; Pinot Noir. Only 9% of the total production in Alsace is red and the grape used is pinot noir.

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Alsace – Districts

Bas RhinBas Rhin Haut RhinHaut Rhin

• The appellation for most wines is AC Alsace. The best vineyards are being reclassified as AC Alsace Grand Cru.

• The districts are:

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Italy – Introduction

• Italy’s wine growing areas cover a diverse range of latitudes (more than 10º)

• Italy has a diverse range of climates in its growing regions:– In the north, the climate is continental – cold winters

and long hot summers.– In the south, the climate is Mediterranean – warmer

winters, summers very hot and dry.

• Italy has many indigenous grape varieties. – Reds: Nebbiolo; Sangiovese; Barbera; Lambrusco.– Whites: Verdicchio; Trebbiano; Malvasia

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Italy – Quality gradings

• Table wine

– Vino da TavolaItalian equivalent to French Vin de Table.

– Indicazione Geographica Tipica (I.G.T):Italian equivalent to French Vin de Pays.

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Italy – Quality gradings

• Quality wine– Denominazione di Origine

Controllata (DOC)This is the Italian equivalent of the French AC - guarantees: that the wine has been produced in the named vineyard area; that methods of production in the vineyard and the winery have been specified.

– Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG):This category has been reserved for a few wines that have been subjected to even stricter controls. Each bottle carries a government seal. Examples of DOCG wines include Barolo and Chianti.

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Italy – Main wine regionsMain wine regions:

Piedmont Piedmont (Piedmonte) (Piedmonte)

VenetoVeneto Tuscany (Toscana)Tuscany (Toscana) OtherOther

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Italy – AppellationsBarolo DOCG• A full bodied red wine from the

nebbiolo grape grown in the vineyards around the village of Barolo in Piedmonte. Must be aged a minimum 3 years.

Barbaresco DOCG• A red wine from the nebbiolo

grape grown in Piedmonte• It matures rather earlier than

Barolo.

Valpolicella DOC• A red wine usually quite light in

colour and style grown near Verona in the northeast (Veneto).

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Italy – Appellations

Soave DOC• A very dry, but fruity white wine

named after the commune of Soave near Verona (Veneto)

Chianti DOCG• Red wine produced in Tuscany

and made from a mixture of grape varieties, the most important being the sangiovese. It can vary from light red wines made for early drinking to well aged wines with great depth of flavour.

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Spain – Introduction

• Spain has more land under vines than any other country, but ranks only third in production terms.

• Spain produces large quantities of light wines. These are mostly dry, and can be red, rosé or white.

• Rioja is Spain’s classic red wine

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Spain – Quality gradings

• Table wine

– Vino de mesaSpanish table wine.

• Quality wine– Denominacion de Origen(DO)

This is the Spanish equivalent of the French AC - guaranteesgeographical origin of the wine.

– Denominacion de Origen Calificada(DOCa)A higher quality grade introduced in 1991 initially for the wines of Rioja.

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Spain – Main wine regions

Main regions: RiojaRioja NavarraNavarra PenedesPenedes OtherOther

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Spain – AppellationsRioja DOCa• Situated in northern Spain along the

banks of the river of the river Ebro. The two most important red grapes are tempranillo and garnacha.

• Reserva wines have had a longer maturation than the standard riojas and gran reservas are the finest wines with the longest maturation periods of all.

Penedes DO• Most of Spain’s quality sparkling

wine is produced in this region, which lies west-south-west of Barcelona.

• Also producing a range of red, white and rosé light wine.

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Chapter 8 – Old world countries - France, Italy and Spain