WINES OF
FRANCE -Jerson Fernandes
Accor Management Trainee-Culinary
Introduction
• France has always been considered the heart land of the wines of the World. It has traditionally been know as the best Wine producing Region of the world.
• France is also the largest wine producing country of the world
Wine laws of France• The Wine laws in France are controlled by INAO
( Institue Nationale des Appellation d’ Origine )
• Classification of the Wines:AOC- Appellation d’ Origine Controlee 1935
– This classification is given to the best wines of France
– The government guarantees the place ( district or a Chateau ), name, grape of the Wine, and that it has been made according to the growing and making standards specified by the Government.
VDQS – Vin de limite de Qualite Superior– Better Quality of wine from a specific region. Taste tests
were introduced to determine the quality of the Wine.
VIN DE PAYS – Country Wines, guarantees that wine comes from the
specified area, from the permitted grape, but gives the wine maker the freedom to make the wine as he sees fit
VIN DE TABLE– These are ordinary table Wines, made with some degree of
quality and could be a Blend of other wines.
Wine laws of France
Champagne
Alsace
Burgundy
Rhone
Loire
Wine regions of France
Bordeaux
Burgundy
Cotes du Rhone
Loire Valley
Alsace
Champagne
BORDEAUX
BORDEAUX• Bordeaux is the Largest Wine producing region of
France
• The river GIRANDE flows through Bordeaux, its 2 estuaries GARONNE & DORDOGNE are responsible for the Terrior of this region
• 80% of the Wines produced in Bordeaux are Red.
BORDEAUXCLIMATE & SOIL• Bordeaux has Mild winters and Warm summers. The
soil is mainly pebbly, not very fertile but very rich in minerals.
GRAPES• Red – Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot,
Malbec & Petit Verdot• White – Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc
• Bordeaux Red wines are usually delicate, Light bodied, mostly Dry. They are popularly know as CLARETS.
• WHAT MAKES GREAT BORDEAUX REDS– Soil
– Good grape variety
– Right balance of sugar and acid
– Careful vinification, fermentation temperature and wines used for blending
– Bottling at the right time ( 18 – 24 months after fermentation )
BORDEAUX
Main Wine producing districts of Burgundy :
• Medoc– Haut Medoc
– Bas Medoc
• Graves• Sauternes• St. Emilion• Pomerol
BORDEAUX
Champagne
Alsace
Burgundy
Rhone
Loire
Pomerol
Haut Medoc
Bas Medoc
GravesSauternes
Districts of BordeauxMEDOC• Medoc Reds are medium bodied wines, they require
longer maturation because they are higher in tannins.
• Medoc is divided into 2 Sub- Districts:– Haut Medoc and Bas Medoc
• Haut Medoc produce better wines. Some quality Chateau’s – Margaux– Paulliac– St. Julien– St. Estephe.
• In 1855 Medoc was divided into 70 best properties or Chateau. Some of the best Chateau’s of Medoc are :
– Chateau Lafit Rothschild Pauillac
– Chateau Latour Pauillac
– Chateau Margaux Margaux
– Chateau Mouton Rothschild ( 1973 ) Pauillac
Districts of Bordeaux
GRAVES• Graves soil is predominantly GRAVEL. • Graves produces good quality Dry White wines and
Excellent light Red wines.
• Premier / Grand Cru – Chateau Haut Brion
• The Grave White range from Sweet to Extremely Dry. Some of the grave wines are labeled as Superior, this just means that they have higher alcoholic %.
Districts of Bordeaux
SAUTERNES • This region is very famous for its Sweet white wines.
The grape used for production is SEMILLON.
• The most famous wine from this region is Chateau d’yquem.
St. EMILION• This region only produces Red wine. The grape used
for production is MERLOT.• The quality of wine produced is re-assessed every 10
yrs.
Districts of Bordeaux
POMEROL• Mainly produces Red wines. • The wines are more tannic in nature and have to be
aged longer. • The wines are more robust and full bodied and are
sometimes referred to as Burgundies of Bordeaux.
• The main grape used for production is MERLOT & CABERNET FRANC.
• Produces the most expensive wine of the world in good vintage year from CHATEAU PETRUS.
Districts of Bordeaux
• Some Great wines of Bordeaux are :
– Chateau Haut-Brion Graves– Chateau Lafit Rothschild Pauillac– Chateau Latour Pauillac– Chateau Margaux Margaux– Chateau Mouton Rothschild ( 1973 ) Pauillac– Chateau D’ Yquem Sauternes– Chateau Petrus Pomerol– Chateau Cheval Blanc St. Emilion– Chateau Ausone St. Emilion
BORDEAUX
BURGUNDY
• Burgundy is a narrow strip of Land along the river SAONE. This region is about 75 miles long in the Middle of Eastern France.
• Burgundy Reds are very Robust and Full bodied and the Whites are refined and distinguished. The White wine are mostly Dry.
• The Main Grape Varieties :– Red Grapes : Pinot Noir ( Cote d’ Or and Chalonnais )
Gamay ( Maconnais and Beaujolais )– White Grapes : Chardonnay ( Chablis and Maconnais )
Aligote
BURGUNDY
Climate :• The Region has very harsh, severe and mild winters. The
summers are sometimes very hot and sometimes unpredictable.
• In Burgundy the Grapes are picked before they have ripened because of the severe winters. This results in Grapes being higher in Acid and less Sugar content.
• The resulting Grape juice from these grapes lacks the desired sugar content. To increase the sugar levels in the juice CHAPTALISATION is done. ( Chaptalisation is the addition of sugar to Grape juice).
BURGUNDY
Main Wine producing regions of Burgundy :
• Cote d’ Or• Chalonnaise• Maconnais• Beaujolais• Chablis
BURGUNDY
Champagne
Alsace
Burgundy
Rhone
Loire
Chablis
Nuit
Chalon
Beaujolais
COTE D’ OR
• Literally translated Cote d’ Or means Golden Hills. It produces good quality Red and White wines.
• Grapes used for the production of Wines:– Red Wines – Pinot Noir
– White Wines - Chardonnay
Districts of Burgundy
COTE D’ ORIt is further divided into two regions : • Cote de Nuits
– This region has Chalk and clay as soil composition. This region is better know for its Red wines.
– Gevery Chambertain, Musigny, Vougeot, Romanee-conti.
• Cote de Beaune– This region has Clay, Chalk and Marl as soil composition.
This region produces good quality White wines.– Pommard, Volnay, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet
Districts of Burgundy
CHALONNAISE
• This region produces a range of Red, White and Sparkling Wines.
• Grapes used for the production of Wines :– Red Wines – Pinot Noir and Gamay– White Wines – Chardonnay & Aligote
• This region produces fragrant full bodied Red wines and crisp white wines.
• Better known wines of this region are:
– Givery, Mercury, Rully, Bouzeron & Montagny.
Districts of Burgundy
MACONNAIS • The most famous wine from is region is Pouilly
Fuisse, one of the Worlds best Chardonnay Whites.
• Grapes used for the production of Wines:
– Red Wines – Gamay
– White Wines – Chardonnay
• Some of the better known wines of the region are:– Macon, Pouilly Fuisse, Pouilly Vinzelle and St. Veran.
Districts of Burgundy
BEAUJOLAIS• Grapes used for the production of Wines:
– Red Wines – Gamay– White Wines – Chardonnay
• The fermentation in this region is done through CARBONIC MACERATION ( fermentation is done without the pressing of Grapes ). This results in wines being fresh and fruity. The BEAJOULAISE NOUVEAU is made by this method. These wines have lesser shelf life and are best had chilled.
• The wines from this region are light, fresh and delicate and are sometimes called the Bordeaux’s of Burgundy.
Districts of Burgundy
BEAUJOLAIS• Beaujolais “Cru” Villages:
• These are the best know villages and produce the best wines in the region.– Bouilly– Cote de Bouilly– Chenas– Chirobule– Fleurie– Julienas– Moulin a vent– St. Amour– Morgon
Districts of Burgundy
CHABLIS• One of the Worlds best white wine producing
region. The White wines are of great quality and finesse.
• This region uses CHARDONNAY. Nowhere else in the world does Chardonnay achieve such greatness. Chardonnay produces very dry wines.
• The soil type is mainly Limestone and Chalk.
Districts of Burgundy
CHABLIS• The Appellation divides Chablis into Four categories:
– Chablis Grand Cru – It consists of 7 Climats, which produce the best wines in this region.
– Chablis Premier Cru – These are fine wines and take their names from 27 villages.
– AC Chablis – The basic appellation and the best of the rest of the wines. These wines are good value for money.
– Petit Chablis – Harvested from an area which is entitled for this classification. These wines should be consumed as young and fresh as possible.
– Some well know Grand Cru wines : Les Clos, Le Pruese, Blanchots, Bougros.
Districts of Burgundy
COTE DU
RHONE
Champagne
Alsace
Burgundy
Rhone
Loire
Cote du Rhone• The region is situated around the River Rhone. This is
one of the Oldest wine producing region of France.
• This region produces the best Rose wines of France TAVEL & LIRAC. This region also produces the World Famous Chateauneuf du pape.
• The climate of this region is warm and steady, thus, resulting in consistent wines. The wines have stability and good keeping quality, they have distinctive character and favour.
Cote du Rhone
Northern Rhone• The soil in this region is predominantly GRANITE. • Grapes used are:
– Red Wines – Syrah– White Wines - Voigner
• Better known wines of this region are:– Hermitage & Cote Roti ( Red & White )– Condrieu ( W )– Chateau Grillet ( W )
Cote du RhoneSouthern Rhone• The soil in this region is predominantly CHALK
• Grapes used are :– Red Wines – Grenache– White Wines – Ugni Blanc & Clairette
• Better know wines of this region are:– Chateau neuf du pape ( Popes new house )– Cote du Rhone– Tavel & Lirac– This region also produces a very good sweet wine called MUSCAT
DE BEAUME DE VENICE
LOIRE VALLEY
Champagne
Alsace
Burgundy
Rhone
Loire
Loire valley• This region is situated on the most Majestic river of France.
• The region produces Crisp White wines, Golden Sweet dessert wines and some fine Sparkling wines. This region is also well known for its fine Rose wines.
• Grapes used for making wines:– Red Wines – Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Franc– White Wines – Muscadella
Chenin BlancSauvignon Blanc
Loire valley
Districts of Loire :
NANTES
• The grape used in this district is MUSCADELLA. It produces a fine wine called MUCADET it is a very light acidic White wine.
Loire valleyANJOU – SAUMUR
• The grape used in this district is Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. It produces good quality Red, White, Rose and Sparkling wines.
• Anjou is famous for Red, White, Rose and Sparkling wines.
• Saumur is famous for dry and sweet Red, White, Rose and
Sparkling wines.
Loire valleyTOURAINE• The better known wines from this region are VOUVRAY
( Dry and Sweet White Wines ) & CHINON.• This region also produce a well known sparkling wine called
VOUVRAY MOUSSEAUX ( This wine is made by Method Champanoise )
CENTRAL VINEYARDS• The grape used for the production of wines is
SAUVIGNON BLANC. This region produces the world famous Dry White wines POUILLY FUME & SANCERRE.
ALSACE
Champagne
Alsace
Burgundy
Rhone
Loire
Alsace
• This wine region of France borders Germany, because of which most of the Wines are very close to the wines of Germany. This region is situated on the VOSGES MOUNTAINS and is separated from BADEN by River Rhine.
• The region has hot summers and Cold winter. The
Autumn is Dry, Sunny and long.
AlsaceMain Grape variety:White wines : Gewurztraminer ( Gewurz means SPICY )
Pinot BlancMuscat d’ AlsaceTokay d’ AlsaceRieslingSylvaner
• The region is popular for Sweet White wines. The wine
is bottled in tall bottles called “ Flute d’ Alsace “
CHAMPAGNE
Champagne
Alsace
Burgundy
Rhone
Loire
Champagne
• This region is to the North of France.
• Champagne produces the best sparkling wine of the world
• The name CHAMPAGNE and METHODE CHAMPENOISE are protected by law and can only apply to the wines made in the region of Champagne
• This applies to all countries without exception
Champagne
• The vineyards of Champagne are divided into three main districts :– Montagne de Reims ( The Reims mountains )
– Vallee de la Marne ( The Marne valley )
– Cote des blancs ( The white hills )
ChampagneMain Grape variety:
• Montagne de Reims ( The Reims mountains )– PINOT NOIR
• Vallee de la Marne ( The Marne valley )– PINOT NOIR & PINOT MEUNIER
• Cote des blancs ( The white hills )– CHARDONNAY
Champagne
Types of Champagne :
• BLANC DE BLANC ( White wine from white grapes )• Chardonnay
• BLANC DE NOIR ( White wine from black grapes )• Pinot Meunier
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