Transcript A Journey into French wine

By Matthew “Jermaine” Aubin
Key Terms
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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.
Key Terms cont’d
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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
Map of French Wine Regions
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
History cont’d
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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
Wine Producing Regions of
France
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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 d’Alsace
Alsace Wines
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Riesling is the most elegant grape of the Alsace region. It gives dry,
neat, graceful and well-balanced wine.
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Gewurztraminer is the most typical Alsatian wine
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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
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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
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
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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
Alsace wines cont’d
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Sylvaner
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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 d’Alsace
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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
Bordeaux
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There are 21 types of wine that are produced in
the Bordeaux Region
 The three most popular wines are:
○ Saint Emilion
○ Medoc
○ Margaux
More Bordeaux
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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
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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
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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
Burgundy
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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
Champagne
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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
Côtes du Rhône
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Located in the Southeast region of
France
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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
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:
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Corbière, Coteaux du Languedoc, Côtes du Roussillon, Fitou,
Minervois, Saint Chinian, Costières de Nimes
Loire Valley Region
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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
Provence
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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
Corsica
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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
South West France
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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
-FIN-
Sources Cited
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www.upenn.edu/museum/Wine/wineintro.html
http://www.terroir-france.com/wine/regions.html
Google.com/images
Chicken Soup for the Wine Lover’s 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