A%20Journey%20into%20French%20wine

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A Journey into French wine

• By Matthew Jermaine Aubin

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Key Terms

• Aging- The process by which wine matures
• Aroma- The natural fragrance that emanates from
  the fermented grape
• Body- The body can be real of perceived. The real
  body refers to the thickness of the wine in the
  bottle, whereas perceived is the feel of the wine
  in the mouth.
• Bouquet- The Bouquet is the scent released from
  the bottle once it is uncorked. Once the Bouquet
  dissipates, the wine is left with the aroma
• Chaptalization- This refers to changing the
  alcohol content of the wine by adding sugar to
  the must. This does not add to the sweetness of
  the wine, this is caused by the grapes, not from
  Chaptalization. Italy and California do not allow
  Chaptalization
• Dry- This refers to a wine low in residual sugar
• Fermentation- This is the process by which grape
  juice turns into wine. Glucose is broken down
  into equal parts of ethanol and carbon dioxide in
  the presence of yeast.

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Key Terms contd

• Finish This refers to the taste that is left in
  the mouth after the wine has been swallowed. It
  is the aftertaste, texture, and mouth-feel
• Must This is the unfermented juice of freshly
  harvested grapes
• Oenophile A wine connoisseur
• Texture The impression on the palate left by
  dense, full-bodied wines
• Thin A wine lacking in body, with the viscosity
  of water
• Vinification The act of wine making
• Vintner A wine maker

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Map of French Wine Regions
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History

• Wine has been around for thousands of years!
• Through the ages, wine has played a major role in
  the development of the human species
• The Neolithic period 8500-4000 B.C. has the first
  recorded evidence that wine was not a seasonal
  happenstance
• Pottery first appeared around 6000 B.C. creating
  the perfect means to store the beverages of
  choice
• A major breakthrough towards understanding
  Neolithic wine was a discovery in northern Iran
  which dates back to 5400-5000 B.C.
• A large jar was found with a yellowish residue
  and with 5 smaller jars accompanying them
• The yellowish residue contained a high amount of
  calcium tartrate which occurs only once in
  nature, with grapes

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History contd

• Wild grapes never grew in present day Egypt, yet
  much evidence of wine was found in the Nile delta
  area
• This is due much to the trade by the bronze age
  people of the eastern Mediterranean region
• The middle east was the first area where evidence
  of wine was found and it progressively spread out
  to the greater Mesopotamia area
• The 5th century B.C. Greek historian Herodotus
  describes shipping wine down the Euphrates or
  Tigris from Armenia

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Wine Producing Regions of France

• Alsace
• Located on the Eastern border of France with
  Germany
• The Six major types of wine from the Alsace
  include
• Riesling
• Gewurztraminer
• Pinot blanc
• Tokay Pinot Gris
• Sylvaner
• Cremant dAlsace

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Alsace Wines

• Riesling is the most elegant grape of the Alsace
  region. It gives dry, neat, graceful and
  well-balanced wine.
• Riesling is known to be the finest Alsace wine
• Should be drunk after 5 years but it is excellent
  after only 1-2 years of aging
• Gewurztraminer is the most typical Alsatian wine
• Gewurz means spicy in German and traminer means
  from Tramin which is located in southern
  Austria where the grape comes from
• Gewurztraminer is the name of the grape which the
  wine comes from and the wine itself
• Pinot Blanc
• Blanc stands for white and Pinot is a wide
  variety of grapes
• It is a dry white wine and often less aromatic
  than the other white wines of the Alsace area
• Tokay Pinot Gris
• The name still remains a mystery to this day
• Pinot Gris from Alsace has a yellow color tending
  to gold. It offers aromas of wood and mushroom

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Alsace wines contd

• Sylvaner
• The Sylvaner grape was originally grown in
  Austria and was only introduced to the Alsace
  region 2 centuries ago
• Sylvaner grapes give a pleasant, fresh, fruity,
  and dry wine
• The Grapes only cover about 10 of the vineyards
  in the Alsace region
• Cremant dAlsace
• This wine is made in the same manner as Champagne
• The wine is fermented twice, the second
  fermentation being while bottled. The wine
  makers add sugar and yeast to the wine which
  naturally produces carbon dioxide (hence the
  bubbles) while the sugar ferments to alcohol

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Bordeaux

• There are 21 types of wine that are produced in
  the Bordeaux Region
• The three most popular wines are
• Saint Emilion
• Medoc
• Margaux

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More Bordeaux

• The Saint-Emilion region of Bordeaux is the
  oldest wine producing area of Bordeaux
• The Wines are generally much more robust, high in
  color, and reach their maturity much sooner than
  other red Bordeaux wines
• The Medoc area is located north of the town of
  Bordeaux
• Medoc wines are red and are described as
  delicate, medium colored, fine, and elegant
• The Margaux requires the most care of the 3
  popular Bordeaux wines
• The grapes sit on a soil of white graves which
  is a special kind of gravel brought from the
  mountains by the river
• The Margaux wines have a full-flavored bouquet
  and a magnificent elegance

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Burgundy

• The Burgundy region of France is located in the
  eastern half and is southwest of Alsace
• The most popular wine from this region and also
  the most popular white wine in France is the
  Chablis
• The Chablis comes from the Chardonnay grape
• The Chardonnay grape grows on a limestone soil
  rich in fossils and specialty oysters
• This is due to the fact that in an earlier age, a
  Sea covered the area

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Champagne

• One of the best known wines in the world
• The Region is located in the north eastern part
  of France
• The Champagne region harbors Chardonnay, Pinot
  Meunier, and Pinot Noir
• Champagne is a festive wine, and is most known
  for times of celebration

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Côtes du Rhône

• Located in the Southeast region of France
• Very diverse wines take most advantage of the
  weather and winemaking conditions of the Rhône
  valley.
• Produces 10 varieties of wine
• These 10 include Côte Rôtie - Condrieu - Château
  Grillet - Hermitage - Crozes Hermitage Cornas -
  Gigondas - Châteauneuf du Pape - Côte du Ventoux

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Languedoc-Roussillion

• The most productive wine region in the world
• Produces mostly red wines, and are good for
  everyday table wines
• The types of wines created there are Corbière,
  Coteaux du Languedoc, Côtes du Roussillon, Fitou,
  Minervois, Saint Chinian, Costières de Nimes

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Loire Valley Region

• Located in the north-west region of France
• This Region is known as one of the most beautiful
  wine producing regions of France
• The most popular wines produced in this region
  include Muscadet, Anjou, Coteaux du Layon,
  Saumur, Touraine, Bourgueil, Chinon, Vouvray,
  Pouilly Fumé, Sancerre

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Provence

• The Provence region is located in the South of
  France on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea
• It is most known for its fruity Rose Wines
• Three very popular wines from the region include
  Côtes de Provence, Bandol, Bellet

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Corsica

• Corsica is the Island found off the southern
  French coast
• It is affectionately called "L'île de beauté or
  The Beautiful Island
• The wines here are naturally delicious and
  generally consist of dry white wines, and rose
  wines
• These wines must be drunk young and fresh, and
  the best wines from the region come from the east
  and west coasts of the island

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South West France

• The wines from the South West of France are very
  diverse and include red wine, dry white wine, and
  sweet white wines
• The types of wines produced here include
  Bergerac, Buzet, Cahors, Gaillac, Madiran,
  Bergerac, Jurançon, Gaillac, Monbazillac
• Located in very close relation to the Bordeaux
  region and the wines are often confused with one
  another
• The wines of the region today are of excellent
  quality and follow local history and traditions

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• -FIN-

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Sources Cited

• www.upenn.edu/museum/Wine/wineintro.html
• http//www.terroir-france.com/wine/regions.html
• Google.com/images
• Chicken Soup for the Wine Lovers Soul, 2007.
  Health Communications Inc. Jack Canfield, Mark
  Victor Hansen, Theresa Peluso
• The Geography of Wine, 2008. Plume Publications
  Brian J. Sommers
• Guide to the Wines and Vineyards of France, 1986.
  Alfred A. Knopf, New York Alexis Lichine