Bordeaux

Wine has been an important commodity in Bordeaux in Southwest France since 1152. To this day, the best Bordeaux wines remains the most sought after and expensive wines in the world.

Approximately 87% of the area is planted in red grape varieties. Bordeaux, the wine region, is surrounded by the city of Bordeaux. The region is divided up into five main districts: Pomerol, Saint-Emillion, Graves, Sauternes, and Medoc. The two rivers (the Garonne and Dordogne) meet to form the Gironde, and divide the area into the Right and Left Bank. There are other districts within Bordeaux but the above named are the main ones.

The Medoc and Graves areas are on the Left Bank. The soil here is predominately gravely, so the more common grape variety is Cabernet Sauvignon. Within the Medoc there are communes with specific appellations like Marguax, Pauillac, Saint Estephe, and Saint Julien, and Listrac, which are predominately Cabernet blends. These wines are more intense, tannic and long lived. One of my favorites from St. Estephe is Chateau Cos D’Estournel (60% Cabernet and 40% Merlot).

Saint-Emillion, Fronsac, and Pomerol are on the Right Bank, where the soil is more clay, chalk and sand, so Merlot would be the primary grape variety. These wines will be more supple and less tannic. Pomerol is a small but distinctive wine region in Bordeaux producing opulent red wines mainly from the Merlot grape. Pomerol's most successful wines (Chateau Petrus) are highly sought after and command a high price.

Bordeaux wine makers tend to blend their wines, as opposed to the United States where we tend to make more single varietal wines. The Red wines of Bordeaux are usually blends of five different grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. To the surprise of most of us in the United States, Merlot is the most widely planted variety in Bordeaux.

Bordeaux white wines are also blends of Semillion and Sauvignon Blanc. Almost all the white grapes are grown on the Left Bank south of the city of Bordeaux. The sweet wines (Sauternes) would be an example of something from this area. Chateau d’ Yquem is the most famous Sauternes.

So when you are looking to purchase wines from Bordeaux, think about the wines from the Right or Left Bank. Do you want more of a Cabernet based wine, or Merlot based wines? That will help your decision.
Until next time, cheers!

Wines for a Hot Summer day

There's one thing for sure about the weather between now and Labor Day: It's going to be hot! So on a hot summer evening, look for a chilled white wine.
For me, that means crisp white wine varietals such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris/ Pinot Grigio, Albarino, Riesling and Vinho Verde and certain white blends.

Pinot Gris (pee-no gree) styles ranges from crisp, light and dry-such as those produced in Italy (where it’s called Pinot Grigio), to the rich, full bodied, honeyed styles from France and Oregon. They are always on the dry side and delicately fragrant with mild floral with lemon-citrus flavors.

Riesling has a bit of sweetness; it tends to offsets the heat a bit. Rieslings are one of the most versatile wines for matching with food. They are especially great with light summer fare such as a salad, fish or fruit. One of the best features these wines have is their low alcohol level, usually less than 10%. If you are looking for a dry Riesling, look for the word “Trocken” on German wine labels. Riesling’s have varying levels of sweetness so also look for the word Kabinett on the label, which is the least sweet. Typically there is enough residual sugar to balance out the acid to make them dry with a clean finish.

Albariño, Spain’s signature white wine, is named for a grape grown in Galicia. Albariño will pair best with a plate of seafood, shellfish, (think oysters), or, more specifically, paiella.

Vinho Verde is a Portuguese white wine, fruity and floral with natural acidity .It typically ranges from 9 to 11% alcohol. “Verde”, meaning “green” refers to the hints of lime color. The wine is deliciously refreshing, light, bright, tart and easy to drink. Try pairing it with a Caesar salad. It’s also great with fish, shellfish or, chicken, or as an aperitif

On the sweeter and sparkling side try Moscato d’Asti or Brachetto d’Aqui, sparkling dessert wines from Piedmont (white and red respectively). Great for sipping in the hot tub. Again they are relatively low in alcohol (around 6%) with effervescence.

So wines that are best during the summer are low alcohol, high acid white wines. Alcohol is dehydrating, so wines with high alcohol are going to make you thirstier. On the other hand, wines with high acid will make you salivate more, which to some extent, will help quench your thirst.

And we can’t forget about the many great Rose’s on the market. Look for ones from the Tavel region of France.

Until next time, Ciao!