French Wine For Dummies - Ed McCarthy, Mary Ewing-Mulligan

French Wine For Dummies

Buch | Softcover
320 Seiten
2001
For Dummies (Verlag)
978-0-7645-5354-7 (ISBN)
17,11 inkl. MwSt
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This introduction to French wine helps demystify the names; places; grape varieties; and wine values, making buying and ordering wine, and even visiting vineyards a pleasure.
“Whether you are an avid collector or wine novice, this book offers an extensive resource in an accessible format.”
—Charlie Trotter, Acclaimed Chef and Award-Winning Author “This book is an invitation to discover the bountiful wine regions, each different from one another, and is an homage to the beauty and uniqueness of the delicious wines they produced.”
—Georges Duboeuf, Les Vins Georges Duboeuf

“The diversity of French wine is one of its attractions, but it can seem perplexing...until you pick up this marvelous guide. The route is well -marked, easy-to-follow, and the destinations are delicious.”
—Kermit Lynch, Wine Merchant and author, Adventures on the Wine Route

“...Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-Mulligan lead us by the hand down the road of adventure to discover the wines of France that they know so well.... In their relaxed, wise, and mischievous way, they show us the joy and pleasure of drinking French wine.”
—Prince Alain de Polignac, Winemaker, Champagne Pommery

You no longer need to be confused or intimidated by French wine. Authored by certified wine educators and authors Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-Mulligan, French Wine For Dummies introduces you to the delicious world of fine French wine. Among other things, you’ll discover how to:



Translate wine labels
Identify great wine bargains
Develop your own wine tastes
Match French wines with foods

Here’s everything you need to know to sip and savor the best—and the best-value—Bordeaux, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Alsace, and other delicious wines. This lighthearted and informative guide covers:



The story of French wine and how it came to dominate the wine world
How the French name and label their wines and why
France’s most important wine regions—including a region-by-region survey of the best vineyards and their products
France’s other wine regions, including Champagne, Alsace, the Loire Valley, and others

So pour yourself a big glass of Beaujolais Nouveau, sit back, and enjoy the ride as Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-Mulligan take you on an intoxicating journey through the wonderful world of French wine.

Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-Mulligan co-authored the bestselling Wine For Dummies. Ed also wrote Champagne For Dummies. Mary, the only woman Master of Wine in the U.S., owns International Wine Center, a New York wine school.

Introduction 1

How to Use This Book 2

Part I: Why France is the Home of Great Wines 3

Part II: France’s High-Profile Wine Regions 3

Part III: France’s Other Wine Regions 3

Part IV: The Part of Tens 3

Part V: Appendixes 4

Icons used in this Book 4

Part I: Why France is the Home of Great Wines 5

Chapter 1: France, Superstar 7

In the Beginning 7

Natural Talents 8

Climate ups and downs 10

Old dirt 11

Time passages 12

French Wine-Think 12

Chapter 2: French Wine Today 15

We’re Number One 15

The Variety of French Wine 16

The colors of France 16

Dry, sweet, and bubbly 16

Collectable to highly affordable 17

Regional characters 18

The Grapes of France 18

Chapter 3: Wine Laws and Labels 21

France’s Wine Laws: The Opposite of Laissez-Faire 21

Privileged versus ordinary locales 22

Small is beautiful 23

AOC, VDQS, and Vin de Pays 23

Degrees of pedigree within the AOC ranks 26

The French Wine Label 28

Part II: France’s High-Profile Wine Regions 29

Chapter 4: Elite Red Wines of Bordeaux 31

The Bordeaux Advantage 32

Bordeaux the red 33

Red Bordeaux’s grape varieties 34

The High-Rent Districts 35

The Left Bank style 36

The Villages of the Haut-Médoc 36

The Right Bank style 38

Classified Information 39

The 1855 Classification 40

The Graves/Pessac-Léognan classification 42

The St.-Emilion classification 43

Bordeaux’s Best Reds 45

Our top ten 45

Great Haut-Médoc wines 46

Top Pessac-Léognan wines 47

The Best St.-Emilion Bordeaux 48

A Pomerol ranking (unofficial) 50

Drinking Red Bordeaux 52

Visiting Bordeaux 52

Haut-Médoc and Graves 53

St.-Emilion 54

Chapter 5: Red Bordeaux on a Budget 55

Where the Bargains are 55

Cru Bourgeois wines of the Médoc and Haut-Médoc 56

Petits châteaux and generics 59

Other Bordeaux Districts 62

Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac 63

Côtes de Bourg and Premières Côtes de Blaye 64

Chapter 6: White Bordeaux—Dry or Sweet, and Delectable 67

Dry White Bordeaux Today 67

Where the dry whites are born 68

Two white grapes — and neither is Chardonnay 69

Drinking white Bordeaux 70

Good Producers of White Bordeaux 71

The star performers 71

Where quality and value meet 72

Other notable dry whites 73

Sauternes and Barsac 73

The Sauternes wine district 74

Sauternes’ grape varieties 75

Enjoying sweet Bordeaux 75

Producers of Sweet White Bordeaux 76

Beyond Château d’Yquem: great Sauternes/Barsacs 77

More good Sauternes/Barsacs 77

Bargain dessert wines 78

Chapter 7: Burgundy—Queen of France 79

The Where and Why of Burgundy 80

Soil and climate 81

The two great Burgundy grapes 81

The scale of Burgundy 82

Burgundy’s AOC System 84

Burgundy’s Districts 89

Chablis, from Chablis, France 90

Chablis appellations 91

Good Chablis producers 93

Recent Chablis vintages 94

Burgundy Royalty: Côte d’Or 95

The Côte d’Or wine villages 96

Côte d’Or wines in the market 99

Côte d’Or producers to buy 100

The Côte Chalonnaise: Affordable Burgundies 103

Côte Chalonnaise appellations 104

Chalonnaise producers to buy 105

Everyday Whites: Mâcon 106

Mâcon’s appellations and wines 106

Mâcon producers to buy 108

Serving Burgundy 109

Enjoying white Burgundy 109

Pairing Burgundy with food 110

Chapter 8: Beaujolais, The Fun Red 111

What Makes Beaujolais 111

The Beaujolais terroir 112

The Gamay grape 113

Beaujolais winemaking 113

From Frivolous to Firm 114

Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages 114

Beaujolais Nouveau 115

Cru Beaujolais 115

Producers and prices 117

Enjoying Beaujolais 118

Chapter 9: Robust Rhône Reds and Unique Whites 121

Two Regions in One 122

The nature of the North 122

The nature of the South 125

The Northern Rhône, Up Close 126

The reds rule 127

Uncommon whites 132

The Southern Rhône in the Spotlight 136

The major wines of the South 137

Satellite wine zones of the Southern Rhône 144

Enjoying Rhône Wines 146

Part III: France’s Other Wine Regions 147

Chapter 10: Champagne: The World’s Greatest Sparkling Wine 149

What Champagne is 149

The Champagne Region 151

Champagne’s climate and soil 153

The grape varieties of Champagne 155

The four grape-growing districts 156

Styles of Champagne 158

Non-vintage, vintage, and prestige cuvées 158

Blanc de blanks, blanc de noirs, and rosé Champagnes 163

From dry to sweet: Brut, Extra dry, and Demi-Sec Champagne 165

The Great Champagne Houses 167

“House styles” 168

Grower-producer Champagnes 169

Aging Champagne 170

Champagne with Food 171

Chapter 11: Alsace: White Wine Wonderland 173

Location, Location 173

Mountains’ majesty 174

Forecast: sunny and dry 175

The Grapes of Alsace 176

The Range of Wines 177

The dominant style 178

Legally speaking 179

VT and SGN: Measures of ripeness 182

Riesling, Above All 183

Alsace’s Other Wine Gems 185

Gewurztraminer 185

Pinot Blanc 186

Tokay-Pinot Gris 187

Other Alsace wines 188

Enjoying Alsace Wines 188

Top Alsace Producers 189

Chapter 12: The Loire Valley’s Hidden Gems 191

The Rambling Loire Valley 191

The Loire’s climate and soil 192

The major wine districts 194

The Upper Loire: Sauvignon Blanc’s Spiritual Home 194

Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé 195

Other wines of the Upper Loire 197

Leading Upper Loire producers 198

The Diverse Central Loire 199

Touraine’s (too) many AOCs 199

The many faces of Vouvray 201

The Touraine’s best red wines 204

The dry and the sweet of Anjou-Saumur 205

Muscadet: The Value White 210

Enjoying Loire Valley Wines 212

Chapter 13: The South of France 213

Languedoc-Roussillon: The Mother Vineyard of France 213

The lay of the land 214

The seeds of change 216

Classical wines: better than ever 218

Languedoc fringe dwellers 222

Beautiful Provence 223

Climate and soil 224

The wines of Provence 225

Chapter 14: Other French Wine Regions 229

Southwest France 230

Bergerac 230

Cahors and vicinity 233

Béarn 235

Jura 236

Savoie 239

Corsica 241

Other French Regions 242

Part IV: The Part of Tens 243

Chapter 15: Answers to Ten Common Questions about French Wines 245

Why are French Wines so Expensive? 245

How are French Wines Different from American Wines? 246

Are Rosé Champagnes Really Dry? 247

Are French Wines the Best Wines? 247

Do French Wines Age Long? 248

Are Prestige Cuvée Champagnes Really Better? Or are they Just a Rip-Off? 248

Can I Keep My Wines in the Refrigerator? 249

The French Make a Big Deal about “Terroir.” Isn’t This Concept Overrated? 249

Is AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) Status a Guarantee of Quality for French Wines? 250

Are All Burgundy Wines Expensive? 250

Chapter 16: Ten French Wine Myths Exposed 251

Champagne Isn’t For Dinner 251

Red Bordeaux Takes Forever to Mature 252

Sauternes are Delicious Young 252

Chablis is too Dry and Acidic 252

Champagne is too Expensive 253

You Must Drink Beaujolais Nouveau before spring 253

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is Full-Bodied and Long-Lasting 253

All Rieslings are too Sweet 254

Wines of Southern France are Rustic and Mediocre 254

Champagnes Don’t Age Well 254

Part V: Appendixes 255

Appendix A: Pronunciation Guide to French Wine Terms 257

Appendix B: Bordeaux and Burgundy Classifications 265

Appendix C: French Wine Vintage Chart: 1979 to 1998 277

Index 281

Erscheint lt. Verlag 15.8.2001
Sprache englisch
Maße 140 x 213 mm
Gewicht 295 g
Themenwelt Sachbuch/Ratgeber Essen / Trinken Getränke
ISBN-10 0-7645-5354-2 / 0764553542
ISBN-13 978-0-7645-5354-7 / 9780764553547
Zustand Neuware
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