Burgundy Bottles to try :
| DEEP DIVE |
A Taste of French Wine Regions
BY KELLY MAGYARICS
The vineyards of Domaine Xavier & Agnès Amirault Clos de Quarterons overlooking Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil in the Loire Valley .
France is renown as one of the great wine-producing countries in the world . From Alsace and Champagne in the north to the Languedoc and Provence in the south , French winermakers uphold long-standing traditions as well as embrace new innovations . Here ’ s a look at four of the popular French wine regions .
BURGUNDY Long considered the global benchmarks , chardonnay and pinot noir reign supreme in this classic wine region of eastern France . Cultivation of these varietals likely started in the second century A . D .; the region ’ s wine industry is historically intrinsically linked to the Roman Catholic Church .
Vineyards were first donated to the church in 586 A . D . Monasteries and monks who tended to vineyard and cellar operations over the centuries bestowed wine terms as “ cru ,” and were mindful of the concept of terroir .
Wines from any of the hundred Bundundian appellations have traditionally been labeled with the village or area . But winemakers have been responding to confused consumers by also listing the grape .
The Beaujolais region at the southern end of Burgundy “ has so much to offer both the serious and the newbie ,” says Jill Weber , owner of Philadelphia ’ s Jet Wine Bar , Rex at the Royal , Sor Ynez and Cafe Ynez . She thinks that the gamay varietal may finally be poised to have its breakout year .
“ Gamay can be a fun , fruity frolic in a glass , but it can also be a complex mixture of intense red berries , delicate flowers and wild herbs and spice .”
In general , less is becoming more with both white and red Burgundy . “ Heavily oaked , manipulated , overproduced wine is falling out of style with both customers and sommeliers ,” says Darlin Kulla , beverage director for the Washington , D . C . -based restaurant group Knead Hospitality +
Burgundy Bottles to try :
2020 Julien Sunier Wild Soul Beaujolais Villages ($ 28.99 ), organic farming and cold semi-carbonic maceration ; fresh and vibrant .
2019 Bouchard Père & Fils 2019 Réserve Chardonnay ($ 28 ), an aromatic white Burgundy with crisp apple , white flowers and food-friendly acidity .
2017 Domaine Cellier aux Moines , Mercury Blanc ‘ Les Margotons ’ ($ 40 ), a rare white from the Mercurey appellation , with balanced oak , ripe apple and creaminess .
2018 Domaine Pavelot Savigny-les- Beaune Rouge ($ 58 ), black cherries and red raspberries balance minerality , spice and a whiff of forest floor .
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