September 16, 2006
Posted in Misc at 19:01 by Graham King
The reason new world wines use the grapes they do, is because those are the grapes from the big French wines. But which grapes from which wines ? To find out, you could go to the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine and read the text of each appelation. There are over 300. Or there’s the Wikipedia list of French wine Appelations. Or there’s the handy guide below on which grapes are in which French wines. Happy sipping !
Key areas are in bold, with some of the more well known AOC as bullet points. If a specific AOC’s rules are different to the usual for the area, I list that by the AOC.
Red Bordeaux: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot. (Malbec and Carmenere permitted but seldom used)
- Saint Emilion: Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon.
- Pomerol: Merlot, often together with Cabernet Franc.
- Medoc: Cabernet Sauvignon, with small amounts of Merlot.
- Graves: Cabernet Sauvignon, with small amounts of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
White Bordeaux: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Muscadelle.
- Entre-Deux-Mers
- Sauternes (Chateau D’Yquem), Montbazillac: Desert wine. The grapes have been affected by Botrytis cinerea, also known as noble rot.
Champagne: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier (five other grapes that were historically important are allowed, but very unusual).
Red Burgundy: Pinot Noir
- Cote de Nuits (Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-Saint-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Flagey-Échezeaux, and Vosne-Romanée)
White Burgundy: Chardonnay
Beaujolais: Gamay
Loire Valley: Sauvigon Blanc
- Sancerre
- Pouilly-Fumé
- Muscadet: Melon de Bourgogne. The grape is often also called Muscadet, because of its strong associations with this appelation.
- Vouvray: Chenin Blanc (occasionally a small amount of Arbois)
Red Northern Rhone Valley: Syrah (Shiraz).
- Cornas
- Saint-Joseph: Syrah and up to 10% Marsanne and Roussanne.
- Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage: Syrah and up to 15% Marsanne and Roussanne.
- Côte-Rôtie: Syrah and up to 20% Viognier.
White Northern Rhone Valley: Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne.
Southern Rhone Valley: Lots of varieties, although Grenache often dominates.
- Chateuneuf-du-Pape: Many grape varieties allowed although Grenache Noir is the most common. Others are Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsaut, Terret Noir, Muscardin and Vaccarèse. Whites are produced from Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Roussanne, Picpoul, Picardan and Bourboulenc.
South-East:
- Cahors: Cot, with up to 30% Merlot and Tannat.
Languedoc-Roussillon: Very large area, lot of varieties.
- Fitou and Minervois: Mainly Carignan Noir, Grenache Noir, Mourvèdre and Syrah.
- Gaillac primeur: Gamay. (Note that regular Gaillac is mainly Duras Noir, Fer Noir and Syrah.)
Alsace: Lots of varieties. Alsace wines are usually varietals (single grape) and have the grape variety on the label.
June 30, 2006
Posted in Misc at 19:04 by Graham King
Some notes from a talk / taster I went to on food and wine pairing. It was led by Tom Forrest - and a very interesting and knowledgeable chap he is.
Food / Wine pairing - things to consider
Flavours
The flavours of the food and wine should amplify each other. Similar flavours usually pair well. Opposites can also work - Sweet Sauternes or Gewurztraminer with foie gras. Dry rose with a fresh fruit dessert.
Intensity
Strongly flavoured foods need strongly flavoured wines to accompany them. A light dish like salmon mousse would not go with a strong red such as Shiraz. Try it instead with a chilled unoaked Chardonnay or Muscadet. The acidity will ‘lift’ the fish flavours and give the mousse a citrus ‘zing’.
Weight
Weight is the ‘texture’ of the wine. Weight differs from Intensity, in that a light wine such as Riesling can have an intense flavour. Weight is usually determined by alcohol content - the more alcohol the heavier the wine. It can also be given by aging the wine in oak barrels. This is particularlly the case with Chardonnay - the oak aging makes it feel creamy and heavy in the mouth.
Tannin
This is the bitter tasting substance found in red wines. Tannin clashes with acidity and with fish. It goes very well with red meat because the protein softens the tannin in the wine, and the tannin cuts through the chewiness of the meat. A heavy red such as Cabernet or Shiraz goes beautifully with rare steak. A lighter, less tannic red, such as Pinot Noir, pairs better with more delicate meat.
Saltiness
Salty foods do not usually go well with wine, especially tannic ones. Cheese is one of the most salty foods we eat with wine. Sweet wines are the best option - Port and Stilton, Rieslings with less strong cheeses, Sauvignon Blanc with goats cheese. The high fat content of cheese tends to coat the mouth, so heavy, high alcohol wines are a good match.
Assorted
The acidity in Sauvigon Blanc (Sancerre, Loire valley wines) and the alcohol in Port lift heavy creamy cheeses like Stilton.
The dry feeling on the gums from red wine comes from tannin.
Chardonnay that has been in oak gets a buttery taste / texture - the longer it is in the more flavour it has. Less time in oak can make a crisper, cleaner wine. New world Chardonnays tend to go for oaky, whereas French ones tend to be much lighter. The sweet taste, but without being sugary, is a ripe taste.
Older barrels have less toasty notes. Cheaper, younger Chardonnays might be aged in stainless steel with oak wood chips thrown in. This can make the wine a bit oily (but less expensive).
Madeira is fortified by adding grape alcohol, to kill the yeast before it eats all the sugar. This is how come we can get strong, sweet wines. This is also done to Port. After fortification Madeira is baked slowly to get the caramel, coffee flavours. Hence it does not change with age.
Classico in Italian wine usually means from the original region, before commercial expansion (i.e. from the best land).
Vines produce as much grape as you want (within reason), but only so much flavor. So less wine from a plant often means better wine - most Appellation d’Origine Controlle have limits on the weight of grapes allowed to be produced per hectare.
Stronger alcohol in a wine comes from more sugar in the grapes, because of better land, which often means better wine.
The edge of red wine gets darker with age.
Tanin tastes good with protein - hence the pairing of high tanin red wines with meat.
Try pairing Champagne with Parmesan cheese.
As Tom says: Experiment !
Posted in Misc at 13:05 by Graham King
Art at work
This is the webgroup’s first online gallery show. It is titled 10 ways to kill a pig.
Pig In a Box
A scathing critique of the established order, Pig In A Box is the Webgroup’s first work. Notice the pill. ‘Big Pharma’, the pharmaceutical empire, is here deconstructed. Why is the pig in the box ? Is he dead ? Did the pill kill him or will it save him ? An homage to Schroedinger’s cat, to breaking free. To hope. Even within our boxes.
Pig On A Stick
The Webgroup’s second work, Pig On A Stick, takes on darker overtones. An homage to Lord Of The Flies, it is youthful innocence defiled. When you turn the pencil, the pig turns.
Pig On A String
Their final work, their swan song, Pig On A String is the culmination of the Webgroup’s work. Notice the coffee cup - it helps to hang the pig. Free coffee isn’t free. Suspended from office supplies. Is this what office supplies are for ? What they do ? The pencils and the paper. This pig is dead.
10 ways. Why 3 exhibits ? Three is the triumvirate, the magic number, the whole in parts. All parts are one. One is all the parts.
Who is the pig herein represented ?
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