Online Shopping Guide

The Burgundy Wine Region Of France

The Burgundy wine region is located in central east France and is an area of some 31,500 square kilometers running some 360 kilometers north/south from Dijon down to Rhoône and endures cold continental winters and warm summers.

Many of the vineyards of the area were originally established by the monasteries but, following the French revolution, most of these were demolished and the vineyards broken up into smaller plots. This fragmentation has survived to the present day.
Today Burgundy produces some 180 million bottles of wine each year including some 99 appellations. Indeed, six hundred vineyards from this region currently hold the ‘Premier Cru’ appellation, signifying a particularly fine quality wine, and some thirty three hold the prized ‘Grand Cru’ appellation including Montrachet, Chambertin and Clos Vougeot, setting them apart as some of the world’s finest vineyards.
The wines of the Burgundy region are well known and range from full-bodied reds such as Pommard and Corton through medium wines like Beaune to world class white wines such as the wonderfully dry Chablis or Chassagne Montrachet.

Burgundy reds which are fermented from the pinot noir grape pair superlatively with Boeuf Bourguignon or pheasant, while Chablis and other white wines from the region are truly delightful with everything from shrimp to goat’s cheese.
Many people will know the name of Chablis, which the wine takes from the famous village of the same name, and the Chardonnay grapes here grow in a limestone and fossil rich soil producing a dry white wine with refreshing acidity.
Many people will also know the name of the world famous Beaujolais which is fermented from the Gamay grape grown in granite limestone to produce a wine with a fruity flavor that is the perfect accompaniment to lamb or grilled chicken.

But perhaps the true treasure of the region is the red Pommard which has been in decline for some years but is finally making a comeback.
Red Pommard is produced on 780 acres from Pinot Noir grapes grown on limestone and red clay are there are currently some 1.8 million bottles of this tannic, robust flavored wine with the aroma of black cherry and blackcurrant produced every year. This wonderful wine ages well at anywhere from 5 to 15 years and is excellent when served with venison or roast red meat.

World food and wine was once considered the preserve of the few but today it is rightly open to us all to enjoy. GreatWineTastings.com will guide you through every type of wine you can imagine and even suggest the perfect accompanying wine country basket.

Author: Donald Saunders

• Comments Off

The Bordeaux Wine Region Of France

Located in the south west of France around the city of Bordeaux, the Bordeaux wine region lies close to the Atlantic ocean and the region covers more than 10,000 square kilometers and supports approximately 284,000 acres of vineyards. Today Bordeaux is home to thousands of wine producing châteaux following a tradition started way back in the first century AD.

Bordeaux winters are short and the climate overall is temperate with long hot summers. Humidity in the region however tends to be high as it is located close to the estuaries of the Dordogne, Garonne and Gironde rivers.
The vineyards of Bordeaux are divided into five distinct regions and there are also 57 appellations. The Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) in France is applied to a defined region in which the manner in which wines are produced, labeled and sold is strictly regulated.

The Medoc region, which lies between the Atlantic Ocean and the estuary of the Gironde River, grows largely Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot vines on a series of gravel plateaus created over many hundreds of years over a heavy clay and limestone base. The Medoc region produces about 36 million bottles of wine each year from approximately 400 vineyards covering some 10,500 acres.
The Graves region, which lies to the west of the Garonne River, gets its name from the pebbles found in the soil of this area which provides excellent drainage and produces very healthy vines. Graves produces a lovely garnet-colored red wine with a balance of Merlot and Cabernet grapes and the white wines produced here are dry and are based mainly on the Semillon grape with some Sauvignon Blanc blended in.

To the south of Graves lies the Sauterne region enjoying a warm and dry climate and with a soil which is rich in limestone. The white wines which are fermented from Semillon grapes grown on this limestone rich soil are sweet, a quality which is enhanced through the addition of a fungus known as Botrytis Cinerea.
This region is particularly well known for its sweet dessert wines such as, Raymond-Lafon, Yquem and Rieussec and produces about 4.5 million bottles each year on approximately 4,500 acres.

Saint Emilion, which lies to the east of the Gironde River, is the oldest wine growing area in Bordeaux. The soil of this region ranges from limestone gravel to mostly sand which once more provides excellent drainage and the main grape grown here is the Merlot. Saint Emilion is particularly well known for producing high quality, robust and fast maturing red wines and produces some 36 million bottles each year on about 13,000 acres.
By far the smallest wine growing region of Bordeaux is the Pomeral which grows vines on just 1,900 acres of sandy soil over a clay base which has significant iron content. The region supports predominantly Merlot grapes, together with some Bouchet grapes, which is a type of Cabernet Franc, and makes some scarce but superior red wines including the Château Pétrus.

Many of the red wines from the Bordeaux region have age extremely well over 5 to15 years and some will produce excellent drinking as much as 50 years after bottling. With so many very good wines produced by the region however it may be difficult to resist the temptation for decant a fine Bordeaux red for as much as 50 years.

World food and wine was once considered the preserve of the few but today it is rightly open to us all to enjoy. GreatWineTastings.com will guide you through every type of wine you can imagine and even suggest the perfect accompanying wine country basket.

Author: Donald Saunders

• Comments Off

Serving Wine from Wine Country

Once you are done with purchasing different wine from vineyards of wine country you must purchase wine glasses accordingly for your home to keep up the memory intact for years. Whether it’s huge and circular with a wide mouth, or tall, thin and differently shaped, a wine glass is a vessel designed to augment wine appreciation. The main purpose of the glass is to hold liquid. At some places you can also find wine glasses to be like a jelly jar. This is rural and easy, and for many wines this will do very well.

Reason for purchasing different wine glasses:
• The one who loves the wine will surely twirl the glass to enjoy the aroma. If the mouth of the glass is widened and the size is large then it’s easy to collect aroma. So for the wines with the majority to proffer by the specialty of aroma, a larger glass, 12 ounces or more is best. Since the quantity of wine might be too much just fill half of the glass. You can easily avail these glasses at wine country.
• Tall and tapered glass should be used to serve shiny wines. These glasses can withstand the rising bubbles and can also serve aroma lovers.
• Using traditional glasses or antique glasses can be other added advantage to the adventure lovers. This can bring back the grandma day memories.
• Clear glasses are always suggested to be used to enjoy the wine completely.

Most of the vineyards and good wine shops in the wine country have glassware for sale. You can talk to them and explain your requirements and they’ll get back to you with the glass of your expectations.
Wine Lasting:

Once you open the wine there is a certain time period through which wine can last and later the taste has different sensation. This is due to exposure of wine to the air resulting in deterioration of flavor and aroma.
Chilling will minimize the loss of taste and aroma. The finest way is to decant the wine into small bottles. Keeping a little quantity of wine in a bottle more with space is not suggested. If you don’t feel like decanting the wine into small bottle then you can put cleaned marbles into the wine bottle to raise the wine up to the rim of bottle. This is a alternative technique mostly used by many of the wine purchasers from vineyards of wine country.

As several kinds of wines are available in the market, different wines have different storage technique. White wines if refrigerated lasts longer than the red wine. It is always suggested to finish the wine once it has been opened within a day or two to enjoy its actual taste. Prolonging the treat after opening is not a good idea.
For sparkling wines you can easily avail special sealers that can help you in keeping the bubble fresh. In wine country you can avail these sealers from the tasting rooms. Many wines available in the market can be maintained for a week or long. The expiration of the wine completely depends upon the type of wine and the storage techniques.

Devi is a seo copywriter for winecountrytourshuttle.com. She has involved herself in this field for more than 2 years. For further details related to the article you can visit the site http://www.winecountrytourshuttle.com. You can contact her through mail at dev.nisha@gmail.com

Author: ashok kumar

• Comments Off

The Loire Wine Region Of France

Situated near Nantes in western France, the Loire Valley is one of the most picturesque winemaking areas anywhere in Europe. Following the course of the Loire river, the valley meanders from Auvergne and the Massif Central mountains to the Atlantic coast.

The climate varies considerably over the wide area of the Loire valley with relatively mild weather in the west, influenced by the winds coming off the Atlantic ocean, to cold winters and warm summers in the east of the region and history shows that vines have been grown here for many centuries with wine being produced since 380 AD, if not earlier.

The main grapes of this region are the Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon which account for about three-quarters of the regions production as white wine, with the remaining one-quarter being red wine produced from Cabernet Franc, Gamay and Pinot Noir grapes.
The vines of the Loire valley are grown predominantly in limestone and clay soils and production, which is approximately 400 million bottles annually, ranges widely from both sweet and dry whites to rosés and fruity reds.

To the east of the region around Pouilly and Sancerre the majority of the grapes used in winemaking are Sauvignon Blanc and these are used to make the delicious dry, white Pouilly-Fumé.
Moving west into the province of Touraine the predominant grape becomes the Chenin Blanc, which forms the base of the fruity Montlouis. Some of the superb red Loire wines including Bourgueil and Chinon are also produced here, made mostly from Cabernet Franc grapes.

To the west of Touraine, Anjou-Saumur also produces a white wine from the Chenin Blanc which is famed for its smooth quality and winemakers clustered around Angers produce the well known Rosé d’Anjou which was reportedly a favorite of King Henry II of England.
But we cannot leave our brief tour of the Loire valley without a mention of Muscadet which lies at the far western end of the Loire Valley. Producing some 100 million bottles a year, Muscadet is known throughout the world for its pale dry white wine which is best enjoyed when it is fresh and young.

GreatWineTastings.com provides an introduction to the wines of the world and, if you are not sure whether to buy a French red wine or a Californian white wine, then you will find this is the perfect guide to wine for dummy wine drinkers.

Author: Donald Saunders

• Comments Off

I Love Wine Tasting in NYC Cosmopolitan Atmosphere, Do You?

New York City is known as one of the most sophisticated cities on Earth. Here you will find many opportunities to see some interesting ways of wine tasting NYC style. These different wine tasting events will not take place in any vineyards. As there are no wineries located near New York you will be able to experience wine tasting in an entirely different way. There are however places in the city where you can learn about wine tasting NYC style.

These wine tasting NYC affairs can be formal in nature or they can be informal gatherings. At the formal wine tasting NYC will have experts in the wine trade teach you the subtle nuances of selected wines. You will be given a brief history of these wines and the process of wine tasting begins in earnest. These wine tasting classes are designed for the different levels of wine tasting NYC citizens love to join in.
For the person who is interested in wines these places are the best way to learn about different wines and how you can appreciate them like the experts. From these various wine tasting NYC events and classes you will learn about the best ways to store wines, select wines, host wine tasting parties, and the different foods that will complement the wines.

As your interest and knowledge of wines grow you can find still other places where you can try wine tasting of certain wines that are produced in one country. The next time that you are going for wine tasting NYC ethnic styled wines like the Italian wines might be nice to try and learn more about. These types of wine tasting classes and places can be found in New York for furthering your wine education.
There is another way that you can improve your wine palate while you are in New York. You will need to locate the various educational classes that will teach you about wines and the ways that you can understand these wines. These classes are great places for the novice wine enthusiast to learn about wines without spending too much money or time worrying about if they are buying the wrong wine.
While many people will tell you that you need to be in authentic Wine County to taste wine in the correct style, there is no reason why you can’t enjoy your wine in a wine tasting NYC cosmopolitan atmosphere. As long as there are experts in the field of wines you can’t go wrong with learning about and tasting wines in the Big Apple.

Muna wa Wanjiru is a web administrator and has been researching and reporting on internet marketing for years. For more information on wine tasting NYC, visit his site at wine tasting NYC
Author: Muna wa Wanjiru

• Comments Off