Top 14 reasons to visit Bordeaux France # 39; Aquitaine
So I drink certainly my share of French wine, I'm not an expert on the various vineyards; nor my rather sophisticated palette to be able to tell you exactly what notes of what you taste that, I know the different French wine regions and what types of wine come hence the designations do not know what name is read french wine include four categories.
While France is the country where the vinification and the first wine was refined and French defined different types of wine production regions of France are now just as synonymous with that of the wines come from there what the landscape is like France is the cradle of modern viticulture and serves as a model for wine production internationally Even if it is only the size of Texas, France produces between 7 and 8 billion bottles per year and has the second large total vineyard area in the world.
Before you in France, you may be interested in learning more about the wines come from regions you visit llbe Here is a comprehensive guide to the wine regions of France.
While the south-western suburbs of Paris, has long been known that the old stomping grounds of the kings of France, the Loire Valley is the third largest wine region in France and is known for its sparkling wines, it is the second largest region in France for sparkling wine after Champagne and for his lighter red.
the white wines of the Loire Valley are perfect for spring and summer, their fruity aromas and acidity make them lighter.
The slightly sweet rosé pink to shades that come from the Loire are also known as a perfect summer wine and have a refreshing taste ROSES can be perfect aperitif before dinner.
Loire Valley reds can be either lighter or strong, but they have the reputation of being a generally smooth, red lighter than those of Burgundy or Bordeaux lighter can be served fresh at a summer barbecue, and more complete bodies are great for fall, or as a slightly lighter alternative to more traditional winter wines.
Because Champagne comes only from the Champagne region, the sparkling wine from the Loire Valley is called BUBBLES fines However, they produce large sparkling wines that tend to be on the crisper, drier side, a little like the white of the region.
The Loire Valley is known for its sweet wines that make for an aperitif or dessert wine white wines of the Loire are often paired with foie gras and are known to work well with blue cheeses as well.
Bordeaux is not only one of the great wine regions of France, with production facilities vintages as much as 900 million bottles per year; Bordeaux wines range from everyday table wines at some of the most prestigious and expensive in the world.
There are 57 different appellations of Bordeaux wines made by producers of grapes castles 10,000 13,000 Romans winemakers have established many vineyards during their occupation of Saint Emillon over a hundred years before the birth of Christ.
The dry white wines are made throughout the region from a blend dominated by Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, with those of Graves being the best known and the only subregion with a classification for dry white wines Unlike lighter white the Loire valley, many of these wines tend to have a significant influence of oak.
In several locations and appellations of the region, sweet white wine is made from Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle botrytized The best known of these appellations is Sauternes, which also have an official classification, and where some of the world s most famous sweet wines are produced there also has neighboring appellations Sauternes, on both sides of the Garonne, where similar wines are made enjoy a glass of Sauternes paired with foie gras is the sky that I'm not a joke more Pie on a delicious spreadable treat.
This region produces a lot of the most famous wines of France, and most of the wines here are called Burgundy in honor of the region they come Actually, Burgundy has a greater number of AOCs read on designations in French wine Understanding the four categories than any other region in France Although small amounts of sparkling and rosé wines produced in Burgundy, the region is known for its Chablis dominated by Chardonnay, its light, young red Beaujolais Nouveau and Pinot Noir.
Because of the long history of the monasteries that make wine in this area, Burgundy is the most conscious part of the land in France; great attention is paid to what wines are produced where and what kind of 400 soil types that exist in the region The main classifications of Burgundy wines.
Chardonnay is the most popular white wine in Burgundy, however, Aligoté is a dryer white wine more acidic which is traditionally used in white wine kir mixed with a blackcurrant liqueur known as Cassis Chablis Chardonnay is the most famous white Burgundy ; a dry white wine known for the purity of its aroma and taste and cooler weather in the part of France produces acidity.
Ninety percent of wine production in this region are varieties of red wines, and Burgundy is known for its grapes Pinot Black Pinot Black grow better in cooler temperatures, which is why the northern region Burgundy and Oregon also produced great Pinot.
Made from Gamay thin-skinned and light tannins, Beaujolais wines are red light body with high acidity that are intended to be drunk, or as soon as possible after bottling each year, there are celebrations everywhere in France and in the world during the third week in November to celebrate the release of Beaujolais Nouveau.
This wine region south of France produced many varieties of wines under different names, although the most widely produced and well-known wines are called Cotes du Rhone Cotes du Rhone is one of the most diverse wine regions in France, producing everything full-bodied reds to fruity red, dry, full-bodied whites.
The northern Rhône wine producing region is much smaller than the south, and produces mainly red bodied from the Syrah grape is called roasted slope Côte Rôtie to the large amounts of sun this area GETS, sweetener grapes more than 'other.
The wine region of southern Rhone produces mostly full-bodied Syrah and is also the birthplace of the AOC AOC system, which defines the many wine regions of France in the Rhône Red southern region are known to be fine wines at more affordable prices than Burgundies and Bordeaux.
Southern Rôtie and Syrah bodied Coast, the Rhone Valley produces white wines from Viognier in the Condrieu region These whites are known as pretty intense with fresh acidity and higher alcohol content.
There is a small appellation in the Rhône region called producing Tavel rosés Although these wines are not well known, they have a bit of a cult Rosé of this region used mainly Grenache grapes and are the best young drunk.
As near Bordeaux, the vineyards of Languedoc-Roussillon origins in southwestern France date back to Greek and Roman times, you will often see bottles of wine from this region Vin de Pays marked Oc.
This dry region, hot gets little rainfall and is actually the most productive wine region in the world It stretches from the Corbieres hills at the foot of Pyrénée s on the Mediterranean coast and is the sunniest region in France, allowing a little longer season growth and makes the climate similar to wine regions in Spain and France.
This area of red wines tend to be spicy and full-bodied The region is home to many varieties of Merlot to Cabernet Sauvignon to Syrah.
Several different types of white come from here, including Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Grenache Blanc and Muscat These white wines have a reputation for being on the drier side.
These are naturally sweet wines, which means they have been fortified with brandy to stop fermentation and add sweetness The majority of these sweet white wines are made from grapes Muscat, have a higher alcohol content 17 and contain more sugars.
Although these sparkling wines are made using the Champagne method, because it does not actually come from the Champagne region the sparkling wine of this region is called Crémant de Limoux sparkling wines of this region are made with the same method to make Champagne are manufactured in small surrounding villages obviously Limoux wines are generally composed of a combination of grape Mauzac, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc.
This northern region of France is known for its dry white wines and sparkling wines, which grow and age well in the climate cooler and more humid than in warmer areas and sunniest southern France.
Because the Alsace region changed hands between the French and the Germans several times over the past centuries, this region has always had very close ties with Germany and German culture This also applies to the wines, which produces some of the best Rieslings and wines of aromatic Gewurztraminer for its German influence, it is the only region in France to produce wines mainly varieties, usually from similar grapes used in the German wine.
Almost all of Alsace wines are white, except for a few Pinot Noirs, which tend to have a lighter red skin and are often almost pink in color.
The vast majority of Alsace wines are white, which tend to be floral and spicy in flavor Since wines from this region are rarely aged in oak barrels, this means that they tend to pure enough character.
Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer from Alsace have a higher sugar content and tend to be softer, while the wine region, Riesling, Muscat and Sylvaner tend to be much drier.
Alsace produces a significant amount of sparkling wine using the champagne method and especially Pinot Blanc grapes.
Although this is not technically a great whole region, it is well known as the only sparkling wine that unique designation in France can be called Champagne Champagne making process was invented in this area in France the northeast near the city of Reims, about 100 miles from Paris.
However, long before this area became especially known for its champagne, Champagne was an important wine region in France from the Middle Ages in fact, the Champagne region and Burgundy have a centuries-old rivalry and the reign of Louis XIV, the two main wine producing regions would have come to Versailles to compete for dominance.
Because this area of France is located further north in an area with limited sunlight, it is actually a difficult area for the grapes to ripen fully This means that most of the wines from Champagne tend to be white and sparkling, as these more acidic grape varieties do best in climate However, that being said, the cooler climate is perfect for growing Pinot Black, which makes the best red wines of the region.
Champagne is known for its Chardonnay cooler climates and soil tend to give these grapes a higher acid content and tend to be lighter, sharper and less fruity than wines from the southernmost regions.
Of course, the Champagne region is known for Champagne In fact, the region was the cradle of the Methode Champenoise and is where the first bottles of sparkling wine were created.
Envious of the brilliant reputation of southern Burgundy wines, the Champenois ie Champagne people have sought to produce acclaimed wines equal However, the northern climate of the region gave the Champenois a unique set of challenges in making red wine cooler temperatures for grapes would struggle to ripen fully and would often bracing acidity levels and low blood sugar, but the same conditions that made produce good red wines difficult in the Champagne region also proved to be the reason for sparkling wines to succeed.
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