Lesson 4 Principle Wine Regions of the World a unique gift from nature and the earth’s geology

Styles of Champagne: NV: Non-Vintage, V: Vintage, Blanc de Blancs: Champagne made entirely from

white grapes (Chardonnay),Blanc de Noir: Champagne made entirely from black grapes, AC Coteaux

Champenois: Created in 1974, this AC covers still wines from the Champagne area.

Champagne: Cuvee Prestige: usually named after someone special in the company (i.e. Louise Pommery). Cremant Method: not allowed to be

used in the Champagne region, must be 9 months in contact with the lees. Cremant: half sparkling, or creaming.

Champagne bottle sizes: (quarter bottle, half bottle, bottle), Magnum: 2 bottles in one, Jeroboam: 4 bottles in one, Rehoboam: 6 bottles

in one, Methuselah: 8 bottles in one, Nebuchadnezzar: 20 bottles in one.

Lesson 4: Principle Wine Regions of the World 4.10 France (continued) [ Corsica / Jura and Savoie Regions ]

• Corsica: Grapes, appellations

• All the winegrowing regions lie in the coastal zones. Corsica, the sunny French Island in the Mediterranean, produces dry strong wines. The roses and whites are best drunk within a year of production, but the reds age well. Corsica produces both fine AC wines and a large quantity of Vin de pays.

• Best known appellations for White, Rose and Red: Calvi, Coteaux d’Ajaccio, Patrimonto, Vin de Corse. Corsica’s best and most characterful wines come from the island’s few indigenous grape varieties, plus muscats and light malmseys (called Vermentino) from the northeast cape.

• Jura and Savoie (the mountain wine of the Alps)

• The wines of Jura and Savoie can be expensive because they are labour intensive due to their hillside locations at the

• Alps, some its vineyards are found at 850 metres. In this region they also grow old grape varieities some stretching back

• 80 years.

• Savoie: background, grapes, appellations

• The wines of Savoie are delicate, refreshing, and alpine in spirit. Savoie wine is nearly all white, it Epitomizes the little local wine travels only in legend. The main grape used is Jacquere: dry and mild like ethereal Muscadet. The best Savoie grape is: Altesse or Roussette.

• Jura: background, grapes and appellations

• The Jura is a large and beautiful area of France running south along the Swiss border between Alsace and Lake Geneva. Although many of the Jura wines have a unique character, vineyards are scattered and occupy only a tiny fraction of the region. Its superior appellations, Arbois, Chateau-Chalon and L’Ecoile, all count for something. Its red and whites are soft and easy. Jura is the home of Pernod, during the nineteenth century large quantities of absinthe were made here; Anis is the modern, tamed down version.

• Louis Pasteur was born at Dole in Jura in 1822 and was the first scientist to turn his mind to wine research, a museum commemorates his research and life in his home town in the Jura.

• Cotes Du Jura AC: the regional AC for Jura covers a wide variety of wines: dry whites, reds, roses, vins jaunes (yellow wine made with Savignin, Ponesard, Chardonnay) and vins de paille. The southern part of the region the pink vin gris from the Poulsard GV.

• The pride of the Jura is its full-bodied Vin Jaune (aged yellow wine) as Chateau Chalon into a sort of pale-dry sherry. (Savagnin grape, late harvested, slow fermentation, left in oak barrels then transferred to glass top jars and aged for 6 years), bottled in 62cl Chavelin bottles. Vin Paille (straw wine) aged for 3 years.

• When you taste Jura wines always taste the red before the whites because of the white wine strengths.

Lesson 4: Principle Wine Regions of the World 4.10 France (continued) [ Loire Valley Region – Wine Map ]

Lesson 4: Principle Wine Regions of the World 4.10 France (continued) [ Loire Valley Region ]

• The valley of Loire is spread into four main vineyard areas or (sub regions) which stretch across northern France from West to East Nantais,

• Anjou, Saumur, Touraine, Central Vineyards. The Loire valley is famous for light summery, dry and medium dry white wines,

• Including Muscadet, Sancerre and sparkling Saumur. Anjou is best known for its Rose and its medium dry and sweet white wines.

• Touraine produces light, crisp white and red wines as well as white Vouvray, which can be still or sparkling.

• Location: Northwest France.

• Climate: because of the length of the river, there are considerable climatic differences between the regions. Nantais and Anjou: maritime influenced by the Atlantic ocean, Touraine and Central Vineyards: increasing continental influence. The Loire valley and its many tributaries play a moderating role.

• Soils overall: Varied, tuffeau in parts of Anjou-Saumur and Touraine.

• Loire Valley best known wines. (Chapter 4 – pp. 107-108)

• Vin de Pays (VDP): is produced generically for the whole area of Loire Valley over 13 departments and is known as ‘Vin de Pays Jardin de France’. VDP can also be used within an area (example VDP Anjou).

• Dry White: Muscadet, Pouilly-Fume, Sancerre, Touraine Sauvignon.

• Medium Dry White: Anjou Blanc, Touraine, Vouvray.

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