From "the times they are a changing" département Somewhere in the last few days, here at Millésime Bio 2012, the subject of Gravner came up. Millésime Bio is a three day expo of organic and bio-dynamic wineries from France, Italy, Spain and all the rest who showed up. Pretty impressive showing for (...) [On the Wine Trail in Italy] Tasty, enjoyable, delightful wines are always a pleasure, of course, but it’s even more of a boost when there’s something unusual about them. The Patrick Bottex “La Cueille” Bugey-Cerdon, non-vintage sparkling wine, hails from Bugey, a tiny appellation in eastern France, lying between the cities of (...) Remember that this series in “The Twelve Days of Christmas with Champagne and Sparkling Wine” focuses on the diversity of bubbly products made in various regions of France, as well as Champagne. The Third Day of Christmas, by the way, is also the feast day of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, (...) California producers who name their wines with ersatz French terms fall into two groups, although fundamentally, they share the same trait: pretentiousness. They’re either struggling entrepreneurs with little knowledge of France who hope to hoodwink consumers with what they think is a fancy (...) [STEVE HEIMOFF| WINE BLOG ] Here’s a terrific sparkling wine from France that will make your palate and your pocketbook happy. It’s the Marcel Martin Tête de Cuvée Crémant de Loire Brut. The requirements for the Crémant de Loire appellation include originating in the regions of Anjou-Saumur or Touraine, lower grape yields than (...) ~ It depends on your perspective. Different wine contests are designed to discover different things. Our Grape Wall Challenge at Modo asked Chinese consumers to judge wines that retail for under rmb100 and to tell us what they liked. The more recent North by Northwest Challenge at Hilton (...) [China wine blog: Grape Wall of China, a nonprofit site with wine makers, distributors, academics, writers, consultants and consumers as contributors] I've spent the majority of 2011 out in Sonoma County with multiple outings in other California wine regions and industry events (oh and that EPIC trip to France last Spring too!). So much wine, so little time has never been so true to life. We all know (those who follow this blog) how big the (...) ~ By Jim Boyce Chinese wines took the top four spots in the Ningxia vs Bordeaux Challenge held this afternoon in Beijing. The event featured ten wines — five from Ningxia and five from Bordeaux. They were blind-tasted by ten judges — five from China and five from France. I helped organize the (...) [China wine blog: Grape Wall of China, a nonprofit site with wine makers, distributors, academics, writers, consultants and consumers as contributors] otre Santé wines pay tribute to Francis Coppola’s paternal grandmother, Maria Zasa, who would toast with the traditional French phrase, ‘à votre santé,’ each time she raised her glass. In her honor, Francis Ford Coppola Winery created a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, France’s two classic Burgundian (...) By Jim Boyce Great Wall is part of COFCO, a Fortune Global 500 company, and produces over 100 million bottles of wine per year. COFCO also buys wineries overseas, with relatively recent purchases in Chile and France, sponsors major events, including the Beijing Olympics and Shanghai World Expo, (...) [China wine blog: Grape Wall of China, a nonprofit site with wine makers, distributors, academics, writers, consultants and consumers as contributors] Often times, as wine fiends, we think we know our tastes, supremely confident in the knowns and unknowns to us, the preferred and the shunned or slighted. Some good friends of mine (more in America, as France doesn't have the informatique infrastructure) make their wine purchases online and (...) 2009 Chateau de Saint Cosme, Côte-Rôtie, Rhône (France) $55 Ranking point total 7.25 (1/2.25/4) The Côte-Rôtie is the source of some of my favorite Syrahs and also serves as inspiration to New World winemakers, some of which have been able to replicate … Continue reading (...) 2009 Maison Nicolas Perrin, Crozes-Hermitage, Rhône (France) $23 Ranking point total 3.5 (2.25/.75/.5) This was a wine I tasted a month or so ago at an event put on by Rhône Valley Wines. The event was a tremendous spectacle and the … Continue reading (...) Two wines from France, first the white, from the Maconnais region in the south of Burgundy, then the red, a Bordeaux Superieur. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Henri Perrusset Macon-Villages 2010 is the real (...) Rachael Lowe (Photo ©Tom Hyland) Having spent 30 years in the wine industry and being able to travel to wine regions in Italy, France, New Zealand, Chile, California and several other places, I know a few things about wine. But you soon understand that no matter how long you work at it or how (...) |
AOC: Appellation d’Origine Controlée (possible translation: "regulated wine of origin") is the highest level of French wine. AOC has specific rules about the grape varieties allowed in the wine, methods of cultivation, area of production, the maximum yield per acre, methods of wine-making and alcohol percentage. A very strict legislation guarantees the quality of AOC wines.
