Posts Tagged ‘Bordeaux’

Everybody loves cheese and wine together! After all, they make such a lovely couple. So, for your pleasure, here are some more wine and cheese pairings. Start expanding your search to find cheeses you’ve never tried before. In fact, try hosting a wine and cheese party!

Ardrahan cheese comes from Ireland and works nicely with Pinot Noir, Chianti, and Sangiovese.

Ever had soft Banon from France? Or how about St. Andre? Pair the first with Chenin Blanc or Bordeaux. The second with a fruity rose.

Travel to Greece and experience Manouri with Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc. Try the semi-hard Kefalotiri with a dry white like Riesling.

Italy is ready for you with the soft Mozzarella Bufala and the hard Parmigiano-Reggiano. Go with Chianti for the first, Chardonnay for the second.

Great Britain has the semi-hard Red Leicester that works nicely with Pinot Noir or an oaky Chardonnay. Or you can try the Stilton with a glass of Port.

Travel up to Denmark for Havarti with Bordeaux or Rioja. Or how about Sweden’s Graddost with Chenin Blanc or Sauvignon Blanc? While you’re there, skip on over to Holland for some smoked Gouda with virtually any red or white that you like!

If you ever find yourself stuck on what to get for a birthday present, there’s a simple and rather personalized option. For people who enjoy wine, a vintage in their birth year can easily be a great way to let them know how much you care.

For people with significant birthdays, buying aged wine is exactly what you need to do. It may sound a bit difficult at first, but once you start your search, you should be able to find the right wine for the person. No matter if the person is turning 21, 30, or even 50, there is an aged wine set to go. There are only a handful of wines that will be good by the time you need them for a gift representing a person’s birth year, but the safest bets tend to be Vintage Ports from Portugal, Chateaux of Bordeaux, and even some Cabernet Sauvignons from California. If you aren’t sure, visit a winery and ask for some help, or a high quality wine shop.

A wine lover that sees his/her birth year on the label will quickly realize what you have done and appreciate all of your effort in obtaining such a grand bottle.

In France’s Bordeaux region, there are only six approved grapes when it comes to winemaking. The Petit Verdot is one of them. Interestingly enough, the Petit Verdot grape varieties are used more like a spice than for an entire bottle of wine. They are potent and just a few grapes will go a long way. For example, in the total amount of wine produced, the Petit Verdot grape may only be included as much as 1% to 3%. Its dominant tastes are what gives the wine a bit of an edge and why only small amounts of the grape are used.

The grape often ripens late in the season and has the potential of being lost to rain when harvesting time comes around. Because of this, Petit Verdot varieties are beginning to be lost completely. However, some areas in California are beginning to incorporate Petit Verdot grapes into their wine. Other wineries are going even bolder and using the grape as the primary variety in their wine for bottles with some supreme zing.

Anyone who knows wine is well aware of the name Cabernet Franc.  This little red grape offers up numerous inventions of itself, often mixing together with other grapes to create fine wines.  It is particularly useful when creating different Bordeaux blends.  The inclusion of Cabernet Franc to Bordeaux creates a unique complexity of acidity as well as aroma.  You can also find anywhere from a 10-15% inclusion in other wines.

Researchers interested in the family tree of the Cabernet Franc have concluded through genetics that it is indeed the parent of Cabernet Sauvignon.  But unlike Cabernet Sauvignon, its wines have a distinctly fruitier and lighter flavor and style, making it the ideal wine choice for numerous occasions.  Cabernet Franc grapes can be found in many different countries and used in several ways by the different winemakers in the regions.

Celebrate the Cabernet Franc in your own way the next time you decide to choose a bottle of great wine.

Naturally you will expect your wine to come in a glass bottle.  But have you ever noticed the slightly different shapes of the bottles you buy?  Each of them is tall, showing off a wider body and a thin neck.  However, the differences in bottles can tell you about how the wine inside might taste.

If a bottle has a high shoulder, then it is considered a “Bordeaux Bottle” and is used by many wineries that harvest grape varieties in the Bordeaux region to develop red wines.  Wines you will find in this type of bottle include Merlot, Malbec, Sauvignon, and other Bordeaux blends.

The “Burgundy Bottle” features a similar shape, but the shoulders are more sloped.  Both red and white grape varieties are used in the Burgundy region of France.  Expect to find Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in these bottles – and not just in France, but around the world.

Slightly thinner with very sloped shoulders is the “Hoch Bottle.”  You can find this type prominently in Germany and Alsace, France.  Naturally, with Germany being its primary user, Riesling, Muller-Thurgau, and Gewurztraminer can all be poured from this bottle.

The most important wine region in France, the Bordeaux region has around 7,000 chateaux constantly producing delectable wines.  Bordeaux also has a huge range of wines that come out of the area.  In fact, there are 21 different appellations that are produced in Bordeaux:

Médoc

Haut Médoc

Margaux

Saint Estèphe

Pauillac

Moulis Saint Emilion

Saint Julien

Cotes de Castillon

Listrac

Cotes de Francs

Pomerol

Cotes de Bourg Graves

Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux

Fronsac

Barsac

Sauternes

Pessac Léognan

Bordeaux aoc/supérieur

Entre deux mers

Located in the southwestern area of France, it makes one-third of all high-quality French wines.  These wines also range greatly, from full-bodied red wines to sweet white wines.  Many of the wines made here are so good that a ranking system was created in order to separate the best of the best.  Though critics now question the system, it still can’t be denied that Bordeaux is a prime place to taste wine.