Red Bordeaux
   
One of the most important wine region on earth, producing about 1/3 of the
   
finest wines of France.  Located near the Atlantic Coast in southwest 
   
France, about 300 miles from Paris, Bordeaux is a region geographically 
   
dominated by its rivers.  The Garonne and Dordogne Rivers meet north of 
   
the city of Bordeaux.  Bordeaux's great variety of wines rightly suggests 
   
an equally great variety of soils. The climate is generally mild the short
   
winters, rare frosts and with a degree of humidity created by the nearness 
   
of water.  The major red grapes grown in the area is CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
   
and CABERNET FRANC which gives the wine vigor, tannin and long life, also 
   
MERLOT which gives softness and suppleness.  White Wines are made from 
   
SAUVIGNON BLANC and SEMILION.
   
   There are four basic categories under which Bordeaux wine is sold.
   
1) Chateaux-bottled wine,wine made from grapes grown on the vineyards of 
   
one estate or chateaux and vinified, aged and bottled on the same estate 
   
(ex.-Chateau Latour or Chateau Margaux).
   
2) Wines made at a chateau or vineyard and then sold in the barrel to a 
   
Bordeaux shipper who bottle them.
   
3) Largest category is the regional or communal appellation, such as
   
St.Emilion or simply Bordeaux, they are wines bought by shipper from 
   
vineyards within the appellation area, this maintains a consistent 
   
quality from year to year. 
   
4) This is the Monopole, a wine blended by a merchant-shipper and given 
   
a brand name.  Often the brand name is coupled with region and communal 
   
appellation.
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Medoc
  
These are classic clarets, delicate, medium in color and with great 
   
finesse and elegance, tannin in youth but magnificent with maturity.  
   
Medoc, a peninsula north of the city of Bordeaux, is divided into two 
   
parts, the Haut-Medoc which is the southern area and the northern half 
   
is called Medoc.
   
  Haut-Medoc itself is divided into six communes, going from north to 
   
south, the 1st is Saint-Estephe, wines with depth, fruit, full and tannic.
   
Pauillac, south of Saint-Estephe, home of the 3 First Growths: Chateau 
   
Lafite, Chateau Latour and Chateau Mouton-Rothschild. These wine have 
   
great finesse when mature. Next is Saint-Julien wine somewhat lighter in 
   
style.  Further down is Moulis and Listrac generally produce dry, fruity 
   
wines ready to drink younger than most Medoc's. Margaux, home of the First 
   
Growth, Chateau Margaux, produces the most delicate wine of this area.
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Graves
  
Southwest of the city of Bordeaux, Graves derives the name from its 
   
gravelly soil.  The grapes that come from this soil gives wines a 
   
distinctive garnet-color, rich, appealing and fuller-bodied than many 
   
Medoc wines. The top chateaux are all rated equally `Crus Classes' or 
   
`Classified Growths', Chateau Haut-Brion is the exception.
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Saint-Emilion
  
About 20 miles northeast of the city of Bordeaux, the most ancient wines 
   
of Bordeaux, and considered among the fullest of all the red wines of 
   
Bordeaux.  Generally being deep in color, wonderfully soft and well 
   
balanced.  
   
They are classified into two categories: 
   
`Premiers Grand Crus Classes' (First Classified Great Growths) and 
   
`Grands Crus Classes' (Great Classified Growths).
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Pomerol
  
This is the smallest of the top wine districts of Bordeaux. 
   
Its wines can be fuller and sturdier than those of its neighbor, 
   
Saint-Emilion, with a velvety quality. Pomerol has no official 
   
classification but makes outstand wines from well known chateaux.
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Fine Chateaux
  
                      Chateau Lafite-Rothschild:
         Pauillac, First-Growth, amoung the world's best wines.
   
                            Chateau Latour:
         Pauillac, First-Growth, rich,fruity but firm in flavor.
    
                           Chateau Margaux:
        Medoc, First-Growth, esteemed for delicacy, texture, & bouquet
    
                        Chateau Cos d' Estournel:
              Second-Growth, sturdy wines which mature well.
     
                            Chateau Montrose:
         Second-Growth, dark, intense wines, distinctive when mature.
    
                             Chateau Palmer:
         Excellent Third-Growth Margaux, powerful, elegant, stylish.
   
                             Chateau Talbot:
                  Fourth-growth, good and richly flavored.
   
                           Chateau Cheval-Blanc:
             Superb Saint-Emilion, drinkable sooner than other Medocs.
    
                            Chateau Haut-Brion:
            Graves wine honored with Lafite, Latour, Margaux in 1855.
   
                              Chateau Petrus:
           Ranks with top Bordeaux; grapes grow in gravelly clay soil.
   
                           Chateau Clos Fourtet:
             Saint-Emilion wines, lighter lately but still elegant. 
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White Bordeaux
  
Some quite dry some extremely sweet, though all made from grapes of the 
   
SAUVIGNON BLANC and SEMILLON varieties. The less expensive whites are 
   
titled "Bordeaux Blanc" ranging again from dry to semi-sweet. 
   
The areas in Bordeaux for white wines are Graves, Entre-Deux-Mers, 
   
Sauternes and Barsac.
   
Fine Chateaux include:
  
                           Chateau Carbonnieux:
                Excellent dry whites from Leognan, Graves.
   
                           Domaine de Chevalier:
             One of the best Graves, made in small quantities.
    
                                  Couhins:
                    Well-made, dry Graves white; good value.
      
                          Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere:
                         Dry, full-bodied; good value.
         
                         Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion:
                   Outstanding, sold as Laville-Haut-Brion.
         
                                Chateau Olivier:
                Classified Graves property, sturdy, dry whites.
    
                          Chateau Smith-Haut-Lafitte:
                 Dry whites from Sauvignon blanc, good value.
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Sauternes
  
A rich, golden wine, high in alcohol (often over 14%) and sweet.  The 
   
finest Sauternes are all sold under the names of specific chateaux, the 
   
leading vineyard is Chateau d'Yquem.  Made from SAUVIGNON BLANC and 
   
SEMILLON grapes, when picking the grapes the are left on the vines for 
   
over ripening, when further concentrated by the action of benificient 
   
mold ("Pourriture noble"), making Sauternes amoung the sweetest of all 
   
natural wines and descriibed as a dessert.  Sauternes and Barsac is in 
   
the most southern reaches of Bordeaux.  Barsac is a village in the 
   
Sauternes district which are quite similiar in flavor although usually 
   
slightly drier.
   
Fine Chateaux include:
   
                            Chateau d'Yquem:
         World's best Sauternes, superb in sweetness, depth, aging. 
    
                            Chateau Guiraud:
             Second only to Yquem, though less concentrated. 
   
                        Chateau La Tour-Blanche:
             First-growth, less concentrated than formerly. 
   
                            Chateau Rieussec:
          Superb first-growth, concentrated, elegant golden wines. 
   
                            Chateau de Malle:
              Rich, well-balanced second-growth; good value. 
    
                             Chateau Caillou:
              Excellent sweet wines from Barsac; good value. 
   
                              Chateau Climens:
                 Possibly Barsac's best sweet white wines. 
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Red Burgundy
  
French word "Bourgogne", about 70 miles southeast of Paris and extends to 
   
Lyon.  The total production of this area is only about 1/10th of that of 
   
Bordeaux; therefore a truely fine Burgundy can be something of a rarity, 
   
produced from one extraordinary strip of hillside named `Golden Slopes' or 
   
Cotes d'Or (which is divided into the northern Cotes de Nuits and 
   
southern Cotes de Beaune) then Cote Chalaonnaise, the Maconnais and 
   
Beaujolais.  The grapes produced from Cotes d'Or and the Chalonnais are 
   
made from red PINOT NOIR, while the reds of the Maconnais and Beaujolais 
   
are made from the GAMAY grape.  The major white grape used in Burgundy is 
   
CHARDONNAY, which is mainly produced from the Chablis and the Maconnais 
   
areas.  Just like other fine wines in France they are controlled by laws 
   
A.O.C.  They are classified as `Grand Cru', the most distinguished and are 
   
identified only by their vineyards; `Premier Cru', first using the village 
   
of communal name then with either the vineyard name or the phrase `Premier 
   
Cru'; finally Village wines, named simply for the village.
    
Red Burgundy Villages:
  
Cotes de Nuits reds are rich in bodied and elegance, rich in color and 
   
bouquet.  The 1st village is Fixin, south of that is Gevrey-Chambertain 
   
being home to eight `Grand Cru' vineyards.  Next is Morey-Saint-Denis, 
   
a village of four `Grand Cru'one is Clos de Tart, then Chambolle-Musigny 
   
being elegant and delicate.  Vougeot known for Clos de Vougeot, the next 
   
village is Vosne-Romanee (known for Romanee-Conti & La Tache). 
   
Nuits-Saint-Georges being the largest and southern most town of Cotes de 
   
Nuits.
   
    A few miles south of this it becomes Cotes de Beaune; these wines tend 
   
to be a little lighter in style and mature more quickly.  First in this 
   
area is Aloxe-Corton, the only `Grand Cru' in Beaune, next the city of 
   
Beaune the center of Burgundy.  To the south is Pommard, produces 
   
excellent wines, neighbor to Volnay, then Auxey-Duresses.  Further down 
   
is Meursault and Chassagne-Montrachet.  Below Cotes de Beaune begins 
   
Southern Burgundy, Cote Chalonnais where Givry and Mercurey are produced, 
   
the Maconnais or Macon district, finally Beaujolais.
     
Red Burgundy Names of Interest:
  
                             Chambertin:
              The most famous; sturdy, aromatic, durable.
    
                          Clos de Vougeot:
         Cote de Nuits 124-acre vineyard; wine varies by grower.
       
                         La Romanee-Conti:
         World's most expensive wine; excellent but not the best.
   
                         Nuits St. Georges:
        Earthy, full-bodied, from several Cote de Nuits vineyards.
      
                              Pommard:
       Large famous commune; pleasant wines but sometimes overpriced.
     
                               Corton:
            Excellent Grand Cru red; rich, powerful, long-lived.
        
                            Moulin a Vent:
          Biggest of the 9 Crus of Beaujolais; powerful, long-lived.
         
                             Beaujolais:
        Light, short-lived, fruity; best when young and slightly cooled.
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White Burgundy
  
With this area giving such recognition to beautiful white wines, any 
   
gourmet or a lover of fine things would prefer to drink or serve these 
   
wines with any meal.
   
  These wines consist of the area of Chablis, a crisp, extremely dry wine
   
with refreshing acidity, the soil is chalky and a short growing season. 
   
Chablis has same classification as the rest of Burgundy `Premier Cru' 
   
(usually labelled with the name Chablis) the most elegant wine of Chablis 
   
come from `Grand Crus' (Great Growths) they are named with there vineyards 
   
name.  Next area is Meusault, then Puligny-Montrachet, rich, green-gold,
   
dry and superb it has two villages `Grand Crus', Chevalier-Montrachet and 
   
Batard-Montrachet and close by the town of Chassagne-Montrachet. Southern 
   
Burgundy most of these wines are labeled a Macon or `Maconnais' producing 
   
light, dry, crisp, well-balanced white wine - Macon Superieur, 
   
Macon-Villages or Pinot Chardonnay - Macon.  Best known region Pouilly-
   
Fuisse, slighty green-tinged, pale golden, very dry white wine - sister 
   
area with it less expensive Saint-Veran.
     
Names of fine Burgundy include:
   
                           Montrachet:
       Simply the best - dry yet luscious; strong, perfumed Cote d'Or.
   
                        Batard-Montrachet:
           Second only to Montrachet; rich and expensive.
    
                    Criots-Batard-Montrachet:
        Batard-Montrachet's likeness in fruit, body, bouquet.
    
                     Chevalier-Montrachet:
         Similar to Montrachet though less powerful; costly.
         
                       Puligny-Montrachet:
       Excellent, rich, dry; from various Montrachet vineyards.
       
                         Clos des Mouches:
              Premier Cru vineyard; one of Beaune's best.
        
                        Corton-Charlemagne:
              Rich, spicy, long-lived white Corton.
       
                        Pernand-Vergelesses:
         Very fine wines from vineyards at Corton; good value.
      
                              Meursault:
       Rich, smooth, dry but mellow; superb Premier Crus vineyards.
       
                            Pouilly-Fuisse:
        Best of the Macon area; dry, full-bodied, often overpriced.
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Cotes du Rhone
  
Cotes du Rhone is a long, narrow strip of wine country that stretches 
   
along the banks of the Rhone River. It begins just below Lyon, the great
   
gastronomic center, and ends 140 miles at Avignon, site of the ancient 
   
Palace of the Popes.  The climate is hot and sunny and more constant from 
   
year to year than most wine Regions of France.  The soil is rocky, 
   
dominated.  With their long, intensely hot and sunny growing season, the 
   
wines of the Rhone are generally big, robust and high in alcohol than most 
   
French wines.
   
   In the northern part of the valley, where some of the finest Rhone reds
   
are to be found, the wines tend to be full-bodied, long lived, vigorous 
   
and deeply colored; most of these wines are made from the SYRAH grape.  
   
Southern Rhone wines are usually full-bodied and tend to mature earlier 
   
than their northern counterparts; they may be produced from more than a 
   
dozen different grape varieties.
   
   Northern Vineyards consist of Cote Rotie, Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, and
   
Cornas.  White wines in the area are also full, high in alcohol and tend 
   
to live long, golden in color and fragrant aroma.  
   
Southern Vineyards consist of 80% of the production of the Cotes du Rhone 
   
are Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Cotes du Rhone.
   
Names of Cotes d Rhone include:
    
                        Chateauneuf-du-Pape:
          The best reds are dark, strong; quality varies widely.
   
                         Chateau-Grillet:
       A tiny 3.5-acre vineyard; rich, fragrant wines; drink young.
   
                       Coteaux du Tricastin:
         Recently elevated to Appellation Controlee; good value.
   
                            Cote Rotie:
       Finest in the Rhone; rich, smooth-textured with age; good value.
        
                          Cotes-du-Rhone:
          Variable quality, but light and pleasant; drink young.
       
                          Cotes-du-Ventoux:
        Recently labeled Appellation Controlee; similar to the above.
   
                              Hermitage:
          Powerful reds, round and velvety with age; good value.
    
                            Crozes-Hermitage:
         Similar but less distinctive than Hermitage; sturdy reds.
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Loire Valley 
  
Loire Valley is the longest and most beautiful rivers of France, the
   
countryside is gentle and rolling and soft especially in the summers. 
   
Very similar to the wines they produce but also making a wide range of 
   
styles.
   
  The Valley, in west-central France, takes its name from the Loire River 
   
which flows across it, east to west, for about 350 miles before emptying 
   
into the Altantic Ocean.  The eastern part of the Valley is called the 
   
Upper Loire and here, the SAUVIGNON BLANC is the most successful grape 
   
grown.  The vineyards first in this area are those of Pouilly-Sur-Loire, 
   
home of the lovely dry white wine Pouilly-Fume (not to be confused with 
   
Pouilly-Fuisse of Burgundy) this has a delightful fragrance, rich flavor 
   
and distinctive tang. Across the river is Sancerre, which produces an 
   
excellent wine from the SAUVIGNON BLANC grape and is one of the better 
   
know of the Loire whites, being very dry, full-flavored, delicate crisp 
   
and clean.  Further west, in the center of the valley is the district of 
   
Touraine. Here, CHENIN BLANC is the dominant white grape, and its most
   
famous wine is Vouvray. Generally a soft, fresh, fruity wine, Vouray is 
   
made dry, mellow or sweet, still, sparkling and semi-sparkling. Another 
   
popular Loire Valley district is Muscadet producing pale white wine that 
   
is dry, light, refreshing and tart - the grape variety, like the region 
   
and the wine is called Muscadet.
   
Loire Valley Names include:
   
                               Muscadet:
    Whites fine, full-bodied; acidity complements shellfish; good value.
       
                             Pouilly-Fume:
        Fruity, distinctive aroma; grapes must be Sauvignon Blanc.
       
                               Sancerre:
        Whites similar to Pouilly-Fume; crisp, fresh; drink young.
       
                             Savennieres:
            Anjou district whites with depth, body; age well.
    
                               Vouvray:
     Various whites: dry, semisweet, very sweet, sparkling; good value.
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Champagne
  
Champagne is that unique and incomparable wine created in the old French 
   
province that gave it its name.  Its preparation is controlled by strict 
   
regulations which in their turn justify the reputation which has made 
   
Champagne famous throughout the world; a symbol of perfection and good 
   
taste.  The history of Champagne is often intimately intertwined with the
   
history of France as a whole, this is why we know Champagne as having a
   
special production with techiques and strict classification.   
   
A first rule: the grapes used in this production must come from a 
   
precisely delimited vine-bearing zone only in Champagne, this area unites
   
250 different vineyards, each one with its own particular character. This 
   
area is mostly situated halfway up a hillside and the roots grow deep into 
   
chalky and limestone soil, due to the harsh weathers conditions of the 
   
seasons three types of vines were planted:
   
1) PINOT NOIR: gives body and strength 
   
2) CHARDONNAY: contributes finesse and elegance
   
3) PINOT MEUNIER: endows freshness and youth.
   
  All Champagne is blended wine and all great Champagne is the result of
   
the wine blender's art.  Non-vintage is a blend of wines from several 
   
years.  Vintage is a blend from one superior year (not every year is a 
   
vintage year) but combining these Champagne, the blender uses his skills 
   
to make it quality and to match the standards of the wine.  This procedure 
   
has created a `Cuvee'.  After Cuvee is completed it is bottled with a 
   
small amount of sugar and yeast dissolved in wine called `ligueur de 
   
tirage' this solution is responsible for starting the next major step in 
   
Champagne making - the second fermentation happening in a corked bottle 
   
so no carbon-dioxide to escape, this magnificent bubbles. The bottled wine
   
is stored in the cellar for at least one year, which at this point the 
   
wine has undergone its second fermentation.  The bubbles are in the 
   
bottle, but so is the sediment which the fermentation has deposited. To 
   
remove it, the bottle is placed in a `pupitre', or riddling rack, with the
   
neck of the bottle tilted slightly downward.  Each day skilled workmen
   
twist the bottle and tilt it farther down to force the sediment into the
   
neck, this process is called the `remuage'.  When all the sediment has 
   
been worked into the neck, the wine is ready for its `degorgement'- where 
   
the neck is quickly frozen so that the sediment is sealed in a plug of ice 
   
and removed, the gas inside pushes out this plug.  A slight dose of cane 
   
sugar usually dissolved in `Esprit de Cognac' and known as the `ligueur d' 
   
expedition', this will determine the type of Champagne produced, whether 
   
it is to be brut (contains almost no sugar), extra dry-`extra sec'(despite 
   
its name, is very slightly sweet), or sweet-`sec'(which means dry in 
   
French, actually refers to a fairly sweet wine in Champagne).
   
Note: Fine champagne can never be inexpensive, by the time a bottle leaves 
   
the cellars, it has handled at least 150 times over a period of from three 
   
to six years.
   
Some Champagne Names :
  
                           Heidsieck, Charles:
           Leading champagne house; luxury brand is Cuvee Royal.
    
                            Laurent-Perrier:
       Luxury brand, Cuvee Grand Siecle, has superb fruit, finesse.
    
                           Moet et Chandon:
          Largest and one of the oldest, with famed Dom Perignon.
   
                             Dom Perignon:
        Classic, full-bodied, elegant; named for champagne's inventory.
       
                            Mumm G.H. & Cie:
             Sells Cordon Rouge; luxury cuvee is Rene Lalou.
      
                             Perrier-Jouet:
       Consistently light, fruity; deluxe cuvee is Fleur de Champagne.
     
                            Piper-Heidsieck:
           Famous old Reims producer; luxury cuvee is Florens Louis.
     
                              Taittinger:
     Growers and shippers of Reims; luxury brand is Comtes de Champagne.
  
                             Veuve Clicquot:
           Superb, historic house; luxury cuvee is La Grande Dame.
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