France Flashcards
What was the first region in France to develop appelation rules (in the 1920’s)?
Chateauneuf-du-Pape
What is the most planted white grape in France?
Ugni Blanc
What mountain range provides Alsace with a barrier from western storms?
The Vosges
What is the most planted grape variety in France?
Merlot
List the levels of French wine, from low to high.
Vin de Table, Vin de Pays, VDQS, and AOC
What would the EU equivalent of a Vin de Pays wine be?
PGI (table wine with geographic indication)
How many delimited vin de pays regions are there in France?
152
How many AOC’s are there in France?
More than 300
How many cases of wine does Bordeaux produce annually?
About 63 million.(1/4 of French AOC wine production)
Name the two rivers in Bordeaux that meet to form the Gironde?
The Garonne and the Dordogne
What is the main city on the Right Bank? On the Left Bank?
Right = Libourne Left = Bordeaux
What sort of climate does Bordeaux have?
Maritime
What are the white grapes of Bordeaux?
Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and a little Muscadelle.
What is the British term for the Bordeaux style of wine?
Claret
What region produces Bordeaux’s best dry white wine? And what is the dominant grape in these wines?
Graves (especially Pessac-Leognan) - Sauvignon Blanc
What is the French term for botrytis?
Pourriture noble (noble rot)
Bordeaux hosts how many AOC’s?
About 40
What is Bordeaux’s largest appellation?
Bordeaux
Does Graves produce red wines?
Yes
What are the major AOCs of the Left Bank?
Medoc, Haut-Medoc, St Estephe, St-Julien, Pauillac, and Margaux
Does the AOC of Entre Deux Mers produce red wines?
No - although there is a lot of red wine production, only dry white wines carry the Entre Deux Mers AOC
What two Right Bank AOCs make the most coveted wines?
St Emilion and Pomerol
What year marked the classification of the Bordeaux growth wines?
1855 - with Mouton moved to fist growth status in 1973
What years marked the classification of Graves chateaux?
1953 and 1959
What years marked the classification of St-Emilion?
1954 and most recently 2006
What are the two grand cru classe wines in St-Emilion to carry “A” level status?
Chateau Ausone and Chateau Cheval-Blanc
What is the main grape of Pays Nantais in the Loire?
Melon de Bourgogne (Muscadet)
What is the only grape allowed in AOC wines from Pays Nantais?
Melon de Bourgogne
What are the main areas of the central Loire?
Anjou-Saumur and Touraine
What is the main grape of Anjou-Saumur?
Chenin Blanc
What are the two main grapes grown in Touraine?
Chenin Blanc (west) and Sauvignon Blanc (east)
What is a synonym for Malbec in the Loire?
Cot.
How many AOCs are in the Loire Valley?
More than 60.
What is the primary red grape of Anjou-Saumur?
Cabernet Franc.
What is the main sweet wine area of Anjou, and what are it’s two sub-regions?
Coteaux de Layon - Bonnezeaux and Quarts-de-Charme.
What grape is used in the sweet wines of Coteaux de Layon in the Loire?
Chenin Blanc
What is the main grape in Savinierres?
Chenin Blanc
What are the red-only appellations in the Loire?
Saumur-Champigny, Bourgueil, and Chinon
Which produces a red wine - Pouilly-Fume or Sancerre?
Sancerre (Pinot Noir)
What are the four zones of Champagne?
Montagne de Reims, Valle de la Marne, Cote des Blancs, and Cotes des Bar
What is the main soil type of Chamagne?
Kimmeridgian soil
What is the most planted grape in the Champagne region?
Pinot Noir - Chardonnay is the least planted of the three
What does the term Brut Nature mean in Champagne production?
No dosage
Name the levels of sweetness in champagne, from most to least sweet
Doux, Demi-sec, sec, extra dry, brut, extra brut, brut nature
Roughly how many Champagne houses exist?
300
What are the two main geographical boundaries of Alsace?
The Vosges Mountains to the west and the Rhine River to the east.
What is the climate of Alsace
Continental
What are the two distinct styles of dessert wines from Alsace?
Vendange tardive (late harvest grapes that may of may not be botritized) and Selection de grains nobles (botrytized)
How many appellations are in Alsace, and what are they?
3 - Alsace AOC, Alsace Grand Cru, and Cremant d’Alsace
From north to south, name the main regions of Burgundy.
Chablis, Cote de Nuits, Cote de Beaune, Cote Chalonnais, Maconnais, and Beaujolais
The Cote D’Or is made up of what two regions?
Cote de Nuits and Cote de Beaune.
How many appellations are in Burgundy?
100
What grape makes up 90% of Cote de Nuits productions?
Pinot Noir
What are the seven grand cru parcels in Chablis Grand Cru?
Vaudesir, Les Clos, Valmur, Blanchot, Bougros, Les Preuses, and Grenouilles
What is the dominant red grape of Maconnais?
Gamay
What French region is the second largest producer of AOC level wines after Bordeaux?
The Rhone Valley
Are the climates of the northern and southern Rhone similar?
No - the north has a continental climate, the south a Mediterranean.
What is the red grape variety of the northern Rhone? What are the whites?
Red = Syrah White = Viognier, Marsanne, and Rousanne
What grape makes up 2/3 of red wine plantings in the southern Rhone?
Grenache
What region of the northern Rhones requires its red wine to be 100% Syrah?
Cornas.
What wine accounts for more than half of the Rhone Valley’s output?
Cotes du Rhone
What region of the Rhone only produces roses, by law?
Tavel
What is the largest communal AOC of the Cotes Chalonaisse?
Mercurey
