Posts Tagged ‘French wine’

Corsica is a lovely little island just off the southern coast of France that produces some delectable wines that carry along subtle flavors and light tones that will put a smile on your face.  Some of the best Corsican wines come from right along the coast, giving them a light and airy quality.  Corsican wines are also best consumed when they are fresh, which also means they’re readily available and don’t take long to create.

Drink these wines with a light meal or aperitif – just before a meal as an appetizer to stimulate the appetite.  The best known Corsican wines are Patrimonio and Ajaccio.  Patrimonio includes both red and white grapes and can create a full body red wine, a light and fruity white wine, or a dry rose.  The Ajaccio takes 3 to 5 years with unique aromas such as pepper and candied fruits.  Try it with lamb or a bit of goat cheese.

The next time you find yourself in France, be sure to take a trip to Corsica to luxuriate in the soft sands, beautiful coastlines, and delicious wines. 

Some wines just wouldn’t be wine if they weren’t grown in the Burgundy region of France.  Burgundy produces some of the most exciting wines that the world has seen.  The area is only a small sliver within France, but it is a unique spot that delivers two of the most popular wines in France, the Beaujolais and Chablis.  But that doesn’t mean Burgundy doesn’t have plenty of other options.  Just take a look at this list of appellations in the region:

Chablis

Côte de Nuits

Gevrey Chambertin

Clos Vougeot

Vosne Romanée

Nuits Saint Georges

Côte de Beaune

Corton

Pommard

Volnay

Meursault

Chassagne Montrachet

Macon

Mercurey

Givry

Pouilly Fuissé

Rully

Bourgogne aoc

Bourgogne Aligoté

With so much to choose from, when visiting this French region, you may want to take your time and visit plenty of different vineyards and taste all sorts of different wines.  Burgundy offers up a range of beautiful reds and amazing whites.  Some of the best foods to eat with Burgundy wines are red meat, including game for reds and grilled fish and oysters with whites.

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.

Located in the northeastern corner of France, the Alsace region is a little sliver of wine country that produces some lovely blends such as:

Riesling – Said to be the most elegant grape of the region, it offers up a dry and well-balanced wine that can be paired with shellfish, fish, and cold meats.

Gewurztraminer – Meaning “spicy” in German, it has a fruity taste with powerful aromas that may remind tasters of flowers.  It goes wonderfully with many traditional German dishes that include sausages and sauerkraut.

Pinot Blanc – A dry white wine, it has a faint fruity taste and aromas that will remind tasters of peaches or pears.

Tokay Pinot Gris – A rich white wine with a near-golden color that actually has the power to replace a red wine when eating a dish that features red meat.

Sylvaner – Originally from Australia, it is a fresh and fruity dry white wine with an interesting pale green color.  Best when served young and preferably with fish.

Crémant d’Alsace – A sparkling wine that is found in several other wine regions as well, though it is most popular when from Alsace.  Perfect with desserts when served young.