France Flashcards
France - Overview Map
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France - Wine Law - AOC
*Appellation d’Origine Controlee (AOC) *Appellation System (AOC) was created to ensure authenticity of place and typicity of style. This model became the paradigm many other countries in the European Union
France - Wine Law - Wines Without Geographic Indication - Vin de France
*Vin de France = 20% of all French Wine -The least restrictive designation -High yields permitted -No specific place of origin allowed -Variety/vindate allowed on label -Oak chips allowed
France - Wine Law - Wines With Geographic Indication - IGP/Vin de pays
*IGP/Vin de Pays = 30% of all French Wine -74 delimited regions -Divided into: Regional area, Departmental areas, Zones -Fewer restrictions than AOC/AOP -Hybrids allowed -Can be varietally labeled -85% of fruit must originate from stated geographic region
France - Wine Law - Wines With Geographic Indication - AOC/AOP
*AOC/AOP = 50% of all French Wine -The highest and most exacting designation for French wines -Boundaries precisely defined and regulated -Grape or grape varieties planted are strictly regulated -Viticultural practices are regulated: what is planted and where, Yield per hectare, Type of vine training used, Irrigation, Degree of alcohol minimum and maximum -Vinification or winemaking technique is also regulated: Aging requirements, Residual sugar allowance, 100% of grapes must come from stated AOC/AOP
France - Burgundy - Location/Geography
*Chablis
*Cote d’Or
- Cote de Nuits
- Cote de Beaune
*Cote Chalonnaise
*Maconnais
*Beaujolais
France - Burgundy - Burgundy AOP Pyramid
*33 Grands Crus 2%
*550~600 Premiers Crus 12%
*Vilage Wines 30%
*Regional Appellations 56%
France - Burgundy - Domaine
*These are grower/producers that own the vineyards they are producing wine from.
*The entire process from growing the grapes to aging and bottling the wine is done by the Domaine itself.
France - Burgundy - Negociant
*Negociants are wine merchants who buy grapes and/or finished wines for blending and bottling under their own labels.
France - Burgundy - Clos
*This word designates a plot of vineyard land traditionally surrounded with dry-stone walls.
*Close Vougeot, a Grand Cru vineyard next to the tiny village of Vougeot, is the most famous example.
France - Burgundy - Monopole
*Parcels of vineyard land with single owenership, momopoles are less common than you might think.
France - Burgundy - Chablis Overview
*Climate: cool continental
*Soil: Kimmeridgian clay / limestone
*Grape Varieties: 100% Chardonnay
*Vitidulture: Picking time is critical beacuse of late season frosts
*Vinification
- No oak is used with lower-tier wines but is often used with upper-tier wines
- Malolactic fermentation is common
France - Burgundy - Chblis AOPs
*Chablis AOP
*Petit Chablis AOP
*Chablis Premier Cru AOP
-40 vineyards
*Chablis Grand Cru AOP
- Most have a south/southwest exposure to maximize sunshine
- 7 vineyard designations
–Les Preuses
–Bougros
–Grenouilles
–Vaudesir
–Valmur
–Les Clos
–Blanchot
France - Burgundy - Cote de Nuits Overview
- Topography/Aspect
- Hillsides and ridges
- Top vineyard sites are often int he middle section of the hillside
- Climate: Continental
- Grape Varieties: Pinot Noir
- Soil: Marl, Limestone
- Viticulture
- Threats of frost, summer hail, and excessive rain in the fall
- Vinification
- Use of French oak, often new
- Some producers ferment with whole grape clusters, others completely de-stem
France - Burgundy - Cote de Nuits AOP
- Cote de Nuits-Villages AOP
- 5 small communes in the Cote de Nuits
- Red (Pinot Noir) only appellation
- Village AOP
- 100% of the grapes from village
- 9 villages
- Marsannay
- Fixin
- Gevrey-Chambertin
- Morey-St. Denis
- Chambolle-Musigny
- Vougeot
- Vosne-Romanee
- Flagey-Echezeaus
- Nuits-Sint-Georges
- Premier or 1er Cru AOP
- 100% of the grapes from vineyard
- If no vineyard name is on the label, the wine can be a blend of grapes from any of the premier cru vineyards in tht village
- There are more than 130 premier cru vineyeards in the Cote de Nuits
- Grand Cru AOP
- 100% of the grapes from grand cru sites
- 24 of the 33 grands crus vineyards in Burgundy are in the Cote de Nuits
France - Burgundy - Cote de Beaune Overview
- Climate
- Continental, with a wide range of microclimates from village to village and even vineyard to vineyard
- Soil
- Marl, Limestone
- Grape Varieties
- White: Chardonnay
- Red: Pinot Noir
- Vinification
- Oak, often new, is used for both red and whites
France - Burgundy - Cote de Beaune AOP
- Bourgogne AOP
- Pinot Noir or Chardonnay from anywhere in the entire Burgundy region
- Village AOP
- 100% grapes from village
- Best known billages
- Aloxe-Corton
- Beaune
- Pommard
- Volnay
- Meursault
- Puligny-Montrachet
- Chassagne-Montrachet
- Premier or 1er Cru AOP
- 100% grapes from vineyard
- If no vineyard name is on the label, the wine can be a blend of grapes from any of the premiers crus vineyards in that village
- Grand Cru AOP
- 100% grapes from site
- 8 Grand Crus
- Corton
- Corton-Charlemagne
- Montrachet
- Batard-Montrachet
France - Burgundy - Cote Chalonnaise Overview
- Location / Geography
- No hillside escarpments to protect the vineyards from east winds
- Climate: Continental
- Soil: Limestone
- Grape Varieties
- White: Chardonnay, Aligote
- Red: Pinot Noir
- Vinification
- Little to no new oak used for whites and reds
France - Burgundy - Cote Chalonnaise AOP
- 5 main villages with many premiers crus but no grands crus
- Bouzeron AOP
- White wine only: 100% Aligote
- Rully AOP
- White Wines: Chardonnay
- Red Wines: Pinot Noir
- Sparkling Wines: Cremant de Bourgogne
- Mercurey AOP
- White Wines: Chardonnay
- Red Wines: Pinot Noir
- Givry AOP
- White Wines: Chardonnay
- Red Wines: Pinot Noir
- Montagny AOP
- White wine only: Chardonnay
- Bouzeron AOP
France - Burgundy - Cote Maconnais Overview
- Climate
- Contnental but slightly warmer and drier than the more northern burgundy regions
- Topography
- This is relatively large area with low lying hills and fairly flat farmland
- Grape Varieties
- White: Chardonnay
- Red: Pino noir, Gamay
- Vinification
- Mainly white wine production
- Little use of new oak aside from the wines of Pouilly-Fuisse
France - Burgundy - Cote Maconnais AOP
- No grands or premiers crus vineyards
- Macon AOP
- Mainly white wines only: Chardonnay
- Saint-Veran AOP
- White wine only: Chardonnay
- some use of new oak
- Pouilly-Fuisse AOP
- White wine only: Chardonnay
- some use of new oak
- generally more expensive than other wines of region
France - Burgundy - Beaujolais Overview
- Location/Geography
- South of, and slightly overlapping, the Maconnais
- 35 mils long from north to south
- Climate
- Semi-continental; warmer than rest of Burgandy
- Soils
- Schist and granite (for the northern Beaujolais Cru villages)
- Sandstone and clay (in the south)
- Grape Varieties
- White: chardonnay (in small volume)
- Red: Gamay
- Viticulture
- Hillside vineyards with low yields in northern Beaujolais Crus and Flatter plains in the south
- Vinification
- Carbonic maceration
- Stainless steel
- Used or older French oak barrels
France - Burgundy - Beaujolais AOP
- Beaujolais AOP: made from grapes grown anywhere in the region
- Beaujolais Nouveau: THese easy driking red wines are released on the third Thursday in November following the harvest. They should be drunk soon afterward.
- Beaujolais-Village AOP: there are 38 designated villages. The wines do not have individual village names on the labels, but are simply designated as villages.
- Beaujolais Crus
- Only red wines made from Gamay
- 10 named villages, each with its own AOP
- They come from hillside vineyards with granite in the soil
France - Burgundy - Whiis ithe main grape of the Morgon AOP?
- Gamay
France - Burgundy - How are the very best vineyards in the Cote d’Or designated?
- Grands Crus
France - Burgundy - Which of the following is not a classic region or village for Chardonnay in Burgundy?
- Pommard
- Chablis
- Macon
- Pouilly-Fuisse
France - Burgundy - Which of the following is an example of a designated Chablis Grand Cru?
- Les Clos
- Montrachet
- Musigny
- Romanee
France - Burgundy - Which of the following is not in the Cote Chalonnais?
- Chassagne-Montrachet
- Mercurey
- Givry
- Rully
France - Burgundy - What were the Cistercian monks in Burgundy responsible for the first doing?
- Planting vine
France - Burgundy - How did Napoleon’s Code of Inheritance affect the vineyards of Burgundy?
- divide vineyard into pieces
France - Burgundy - Describe the difference between Negociant and Domaine bottling.
- Negociant: buy grapes
- Domaine: grow grapes
France - Bordeaux - Climate
- Maritime
- Bordeaux is located on the 45th parallel. The climate is moderated by its waterways and its proximity to the Atlantic Coast. The Gulf Stream current brings warm waters up from the Caribbean, keeping the weather mild yet humid
- The region can suffer from rain and frost
France - Bordeaux - Soil
- Medoc and Graves on the Left Bank
- Gravel
- Sint-Emilion on the Right Bank
- Gravel, limestone, sand
- Pomerol on the Right Bank
- Iron pan under sand and clay
France - Bordeaux - Vinification
- Red Wines from Medoc communes (left bank)
- 70% Cabernet Sauvingnon
- 30% Melot
- Plus… Cabernet Frac and Petit Verdot
- These wines are usually aged in new French oak barrels
- Red Wines from Saint Emilion and Pomerol (right bank)
- 70% Melot
- 30% Cabernet Sauvignon
- These wines also spend some time in French oak barrels
- Dry White Wines mainly from Graves (Pessac-Leognan) on the left back and Entre-Deux-Mers
- 80% Sauvignon Blanc
- 20% Semillon
- Sweet Wines mainly form Sauternes and nearby communes
- 80% Semillon
- 20% Sauvignon Blanc
- Muscadelle (small percentage)
France - Bordeaux - Medoc
- Soil
- Gravel, with great moisture draining properties. Perfect for Cabernet Sauvingnon.
- Medoc AOPs
- Sub-Regions
- Medoc AOP
- Haut-Medoc AOP
- Commune
- Saint-Estephe AOP
- Pauilac AOP
- Saint-Julien AOP
- Margaux AOP
- Sub-Regions
France - Bordeaux - Frist Growth Chateaux of the 1855 Classification
- Chateau Lafite-Rothschild
- Chateau Latour
- ChateauMouton-Rothschild (elevated to 1st growth status in 1973)
- Chateau Margaux
- Chateau Haut-Brion (Graves)