French Wine Regions Flashcards
How many cases of wine does Bordeaux produce annually?
61 million cases
What are the two rivers that flow through Bordeaux?
Dordogne and Garrone
What is the name of the estuary in Bordeaux that flows to the Atlantic ocean?
Gironde
What is the area on the left bank, north of Bordeaux city called?
Medoc
What is the area on the left bank, south of Bordeaux city called?
Graves
What is the main town on the right bank of the Dordogne?
Libourne
What is the name of the forest that is a protective barrier along the west coast of Bordeaux?
Landes Forest
What percentage of Bordeaux is planted with red grapes?
89%
Behind merlot and cabernet sauvignon, what is the 3rd most widely planted red grape in Bordeaux?
Cabernet Franc
What are the primary white grapes of Bordeaux?
Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Muscadelle
How many AOCs are there in Bordeaux?
60
What are the appellations of Medoc?
Medoc and Haut Medoc
What are the 4 esteemed villages of the left bank of Bordeaux that are communal AOC’s?
St. Estephe, Pauillac, St. Julien and Margaux
The most coveted wines from the right bank of Bordeaux come from what AOC’s?
Pommerol and St. Emilion
What year was the famous Bordeaux classification?
1855
How many red wines were included in the Bordeaux classification of 1855?
61
How many levers of cru’s are there in the original Bordeaux classifications?
5
What are the 4 original Premier Cru chateaux in Bordeaux in the 1855 Classification?
Haut-Brion, Lafite-Rothchild, Latour and Margaux.
What was the 5th chateau to become a 1er cru in Bordeaux and when did it move up?
Mouton-Rothchild in 1973
Bordeaux sweet wine classification levels are:
Superior Growth, First Growth
and Second Growth
In Bordeaux classification is for the vineyard or the chateau?
Chateau
What year were the Graves chateaux classified?
1855
What is the name of the only right bank classification system in Bordeaux and when was it established?
St. Emilion Grand Cru Classe in 1954
What are the two catagories of classification within the St. Emilion Grand Cru Classe?
Grand Cru Classe and Premier Grand Cru Classe
What are the 4 A ranking chateaux in the St. Emilion Grand Cru Classe?
Chateau Angelus, Chateau Ausone, Chateau Cheval Blanc and Chateau Pavie
How many producers have a Premier Grand Cru Classe status in the St. Emilion Grand Cru Classe AOC?
18
Small family owned and operated estates in the Medoc may have the right to use what classification on their label?
Cru Artisan
What are the 3 regional AOCs of Bordeaux?
Bordeaux AOC, Crement de Bordeaux AOC, Bordeaux Superieur AOC
What is the large appellation for dry whites in Graves?
Pessac-Leognan
In what year were wines of St. Emilion first classified?
1954
What is the classification for the best properties in the Medoc that weren’t included in the 1855 classifiction?
Cru Bourgeois
How many cases of wine do the Loire Valley AOC’s produce annually?
45 million
What percentage of Loire Valley wine is at the AOC level?
3/4ths of total production.
What area in France is known primarily for crisp white wines, light red wines, roses and some fine sweet and sparkling wines?
Loire Valley
The Loire Valley originates in the
Massif Central
How long is the Loire Valley wine region in miles?
300 miles
What are the four Loire Valley regions?
Pays Nantais, Anjou-Saumur, Touraine, The Upper Loire
The Pays Nantais is also sometimes called
Muscadet
What is the climate of Pays Nantais?
Maritime
What is the climate of the Upper Loire?
Continental
What are the wine styles of the Loire Valley?
Dry and sweet whites, dry and sweet roses, dry reds, sparkling wines
What are the key white grapes of the Loire Valley?
Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Melon de Bourgogne
What are the secondary white grapes used in the Loire Valley?
Chardonnay, Folle Blanche and Arbois
What grape is used only in the Pay Nantais region of the Loire Valley and no other region?
Melon de Bourgogne
What is Chenin Blanc sometimes called in the Loire Valley?
Pineau de la Loire
Melon de Borgogne is used to make what wine will known in the Pays Nantais area of the Loire Valley?
Muscadet
What are the two most well-known Chenin Blanc based wines of the Loire Valley?
Vouvray & Savenierres
The skin of Chenin Blanc is thick or thin, making it highly susceptible to botrytis?
Thin
Where in the Loire Valley would you most likely find well known Sauvignon Blanc wines?
Sancerre and Pouilly Fume
In what two appellations in the Loire Valley does Sauvignon Blanc produce it’s classic flavor profile with acidity and aromatics?
Sancerre and Pouilly Fume
What is the local name for Cabernet Franc in the Loire Valley?
Breton
What is the local name for Malbec in the Loire Valley?
Cot
Chinon is made from what grape?
Cabernet Franc
Loire Valley’s cool climate produces what style of red wine?
dry, zesty, light reds
Sparkling Loire Valley wines are marketed under what name?
Fines Bulles
Fines Bulles Loire Valley wines are made using what method?
Traditional
Loire Valley Fines Bulles wines are generally based on what white grape?
Chenin Blanc
What styles of sparkling wines are produced in the Loire Valley?
White and rose, dry and sweet
Why is there no top quality level AOP that covers all of the Loire Valley?
Too many different climates and grapes
Melon de Bourgogne is often called?
Muscadet, after the general appellation of the region.
What are the 4 appellations in the Pays Nantais that ONLY allow the Melon de Bourgogne grape?
Muscadet AOC, Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire AOC, Muscadet Cotes de Grandlieu AOC and Muscadet Sevre et Maine AOC
What are the 3 new Pays Nantais AOC’s as of 2011?
Gros Plant du Pays Nantais AOC, Coteaux d/Ancenis AOC, and Fiefs Vendeen AOC.
Gros Plant du Pays Nantais AOC is based on what grape?
Folle Blanche, aka Gros Plant
Coteaux d’Ancenis AOC’s Pinot Gris is sometimes called
Malvoisie
Coteaux d’Ancenis AOC’s reds and roses come from what grape?
Gamay
Anjou AOC allows what percentage of Sauvivnon Blanc or Chardonnay in it’s Chenin Blanc based white wines?
up to 20%
Anjou AOC’s primary white grape is
Chenin Blanc
What are the primary red grapes of Anjou AOC?
Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon
Anjou AOC’s premier dry white wine made from Chenin Blanc is
Savennieres
Savennieres AOC grapes are ____% of _______.
100% Chenin Blanc
The “most cerebral” wine in the world is from
Savenniers AOC
Rose de Anjou AOC is generally made from what grapes?
Grolleau
Cabernet de Anjou AOC is generally made from what grapes?
Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon
Rose de Loire AOC produces what style of rose’s?
dry with 30% Cab Sauv or Cab Franc.
Cabernet de Anjou produces what style of rose’s?
sweet
What style of wine is a specialty of Anjou AOC?
sweet dessert wines
What is the name of the primary sweet wine AOC of Anjou?
Coteaux du Layon AOC
The two subregions of Coteaux du Layon AOC which produce sweet white dessert wines are?
Bonnezeaux and Quarts-de-Chaume
What is the new appellation, as of 2011, which has become the Loire Valley’s first Grand Cru?
Coteaux dy Layon Premier Cru Chaume
Bonnezeaux AOC and Quarts-de-Chaume must use _____% of ________ grape.
100% Chenin Blanc
Pinot d’Aunis is also known as
Chenin Noir
What is the small red wine only AOC in Saumur?
Saumur-Champigny
The main sparkling wine AOC in Saumur is
Saumur Brut