French Wine. Location location location!

“Je ne connais pas celui-là,” is what I said to the wine shop owner as she picked up another bottle of French white wine to show me. “I don’t know that one,” is the translation.

In most of Europe when you go shopping for wine and ask for help, or a recommendation, you are going to get a question in return, and that question is almost always the exact same anywhere in the “old world,” especially France: “Qu’est-ce que tu vas manger?” “What are you going to be eating?” It is implied, of course, what are you going to be eating with the wine?

Most people, not all, in old wine country traditionally only drink wine with food. Again, not all. Yet the majority of wine is still tailored as such. For our dinner that night we were going to have fresh oysters from Bretagne to start, then roasted sea bass with garden herbs and rice. So after telling the wine shop owner this key piece of information she directed me to, and started to point out, several white wines.

Pairing food with wine is a true art, although it is based on chemistry. Acid, sugar, alcohol, and the next 400 compounds that make up what you taste in each sip of wine form the foundation of food and wine pairing. But if you don’t know how to translate that science, and language, into a good dinner pairing then all is for not.

So how do you bridge the language and knowledge gap in the hopes that you end up buying a wine that you will like here in France?

First, all French wine is labeled, and named, based on its location. Location location location! There are a lot of grape varieties that grown in France, and more wines than anyone can know. BUT, the locations of where the best wines come from are known to all French people. Location is the key here, and knowing a few of the big names is a must.

Before your trip to France, do a little research of the taste profiles that are common to a certain region.  Knowing a little about the big red GSM blends from the Rhône, the elegant Pinot Noirs from Burgundy, the minerality of the best whites from the Loire, the difference between the left bank vs right bank in Bordeaux will get you a long way. And never be afraid to ask for help, just try it in French first; “Que recommandez-vous?” You will get a MUCH better recommendation!

Now on to Spain, Portugal, and the Douro!

“Is that from Burgundy?” “Yes, but it’s not a Burgundy.”

The world of wine is large and can, at times, be overly complex. That’s okay, don’t let that discourage you. In fact that is the reason we will always keep getting great new wines. France is responsible for setting most the foundation of the modern wine culture. A Sommelier; French for a wine steward. It means much more now, but most of that movement came from France.French wine can also be quite complicated, especially in deciphering what it actually is. The French name their wines based on where the grapes were grown. Yet those places can be tiny, places within other places. Beaujolais is a place within Burgundy that only grows the Gamay grape. Those wines are called Beaujolais. Beaujolais are not Burgundies. And then within Beaujolais there is (just) Beaujolais, Beaujolais Nouveau (new) and Beaujolais Village. What? Yeah, it gets complicated.While a full class on Beaujolais might interest some, it’s not appropriate here. I will suffice in saying that Beaujolais Village has higher standards and is usually (not always) enjoyed more than the others. Tonight’s Crowd Favorite was a Village Beaujolais, Chateau de Pizay Morgon 2020. A great medium red that can pair with a wide range of foods, not just red meat. Not nearly as potent as a California Cab, but much more full bodied than its Burgundian neighbor, Pinot Noir. I definitely recommend it with food, but experiment, see what you can come up with.

“Wow, that was good!” Aragon’s Women in Wine.

The majority of wine makers, vineyard owners, even wine distributors, are male. These facts don’t mean that men are better at any facet of the wine world than women. Tonight was a good example of that as Aragon showcased some great wines made by women. The first wine, a Champagne, was not just the crowd favorite, it was a Wine of Note. Tasters liked it SO much that they sold every bottle in the store and several tasters ordered extra cases!!! Not extra bottles, cases!People who know me know that I am not a big lover of sparkling wines. I have a few that I like, but generally prefer to have the non-bubblies. But, holding to the rules of wine tasting, I always taste everything. Wow,Castelnau Champagne Brut NV, was good. NV, non-vintage, means that the wine maker took a few of her best and favorite years and blended them. A true Champagne, from the Champagne region of France, had medium bubbles, not exploding out of your mouth, giving it a velvety mouth feel with hints of white nectarine, a dash of green apple and citrus. I am on the waiting list to get a bottle once they get more back in. Definitely a Wine of Note. Conclusion: More women need to be in the world of wine!