Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and Burgundy red wine lovers about which is best. They are
made from different grapes. The Bordeaux wines, known
as 'Claret' in England, are almost 100 per cent Cabernet
Sauvignon grapes blended with 5-20 per cent Merlot, a
milder l avoured red grape. The Burgundy wines are made
from 100 per cent Pinot Noir grapes. Both result, in good
years and with proper aging, in intense, full-bodied wines.
But both take time to mature. I always ask for the year when
ordering these wines. Less than three years old, and they are
too green to enjoy.
The best wines of each wine region of France have
been further specii ed by their particular village of origin,
some to their particular vineyards. The Margaux wines of
the Medoc region of Bordeaux, for example, can only be
made from the fruit of a few specii c vines near that village
west of the city of Bordeaux. Same for a Meursault or a
Gevrey-Chambertin from those villages in Burgundy.
As a result, each has developed a certain character
that some serious students of wine can distinguish,
blindfolded. But even they make mistakes. This is where
we leave you to plunge into the complexity of French wines
for yourself.
Back to our list! The Beaujolais wines are made just in
the southern part of the Burgundy region, but from a very
different grape: the Gamay Beaujolais. This produces a
lighter wine than the Pinot Noir. It can be drunk young. The
Beaujolais Nouveau is the ultimate example of this, a wine
drunk within a few weeks of harvest. But that is only sold
in November and December and should be consumed cold
and before the winter is over.
Properly-made Beaujolais wines are good for three years
or more and are quite popular in France, with the best
ones coming from the nine little villages and called the
Beaujolais-Villages.
Côtes du Rhone also produces very popular wines, more
intense reds than Beaujolais. The most famous of these is
the Châteauneuf du Pape. All the wines of this area are made
from a blend of up to nine grape varieties. These are usually
a good buy in reliably hearty reds.
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