French Wine For Dummies

Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-Mulligan co-authored the bestselling Wine For Dummies. Ed also wrote Champagne For Dummies. Mary, the only woman Master of Wine in the U.S., owns International Wine Center, a New York wine school.

• Introduction 1How to Use This Book 2Part I: Why France is the Home of Great Wines 3Part II: France’s High-Profile Wine Regions 3Part III: France’s Other Wine Regions 3Part IV: The Part of Tens 3Part V: Appendixes 4Icons used in this Book 4Part I: Why France is the Home of Great Wines 5Chapter 1: France, Superstar 7In the Beginning 7Natural Talents 8Climate ups and downs 10Old dirt 11Time passages 12French Wine-Think 12Chapter 2: French Wine Today 15We’re Number One 15The Variety of French Wine 16The colors of France 16Dry, sweet, and bubbly 16Collectable to highly affordable 17Regional characters 18The Grapes of France 18Chapter 3: Wine Laws and Labels 21France’s Wine Laws: The Opposite of Laissez-Faire 21Privileged versus ordinary locales 22Small is beautiful 23AOC, VDQS, and Vin de Pays 23Degrees of pedigree within the AOC ranks 26The French Wine Label 28Part II: France’s High-Profile Wine Regions 29Chapter 4: Elite Red Wines of Bordeaux 31The Bordeaux Advantage 32Bordeaux the red 33Red Bordeaux’s grape varieties 34The High-Rent Districts 35The Left Bank style 36The Villages of the Haut-Médoc 36The Right Bank style 38Classified Information 39The 1855 Classification 40The Graves/Pessac-Léognan classification 42The St.-Emilion classification 43Bordeaux’s Best Reds 45Our top ten 45Great Haut-Médoc wines 46Top Pessac-Léognan wines 47The Best St.-Emilion Bordeaux 48A Pomerol ranking (unofficial) 50Drinking Red Bordeaux 52Visiting Bordeaux 52Haut-Médoc and Graves 53St.-Emilion 54Chapter 5: Red Bordeaux on a Budget 55Where the Bargains are 55Cru Bourgeois wines of the Médoc and Haut-Médoc 56Petits châteaux and generics 59Other Bordeaux Districts 62Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac 63Côtes de Bourg and Premières Côtes de Blaye 64Chapter 6: White Bordeaux—Dry or Sweet, and Delectable 67Dry White Bordeaux Today 67Where the dry whites are born 68Two white grapes — and neither is Chardonnay 69Drinking white Bordeaux 70Good Producers of White Bordeaux 71The star performers 71Where quality and value meet 72Other notable dry whites 73Sauternes and Barsac 73The Sauternes wine district 74Sauternes’ grape varieties 75Enjoying sweet Bordeaux 75Producers of Sweet White Bordeaux 76Beyond Château d’Yquem: great Sauternes/Barsacs 77More good Sauternes/Barsacs 77Bargain dessert wines 78Chapter 7: Burgundy—Queen of France 79The Where and Why of Burgundy 80Soil and climate 81The two great Burgundy grapes 81The scale of Burgundy 82Burgundy’s AOC System 84Burgundy’s Districts 89Chablis, from Chablis, France 90Chablis appellations 91Good Chablis producers 93Recent Chablis vintages 94Burgundy Royalty: Côte d’Or 95The Côte d’Or wine villages 96Côte d’Or wines in the market 99Côte d’Or producers to buy 100The Côte Chalonnaise: Affordable Burgundies 103Côte Chalonnaise appellations 104Chalonnaise producers to buy 105Everyday Whites: Mâcon 106Mâcon’s appellations and wines 106Mâcon producers to buy 108Serving Burgundy 109Enjoying white Burgundy 109Pairing Burgundy with food 110Chapter 8: Beaujolais, The Fun Red 111What Makes Beaujolais 111The Beaujolais terroir 112The Gamay grape 113Beaujolais winemaking 113From Frivolous to Firm 114Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages 114Beaujolais Nouveau 115Cru Beaujolais 115Producers and prices 117Enjoying Beaujolais 118Chapter 9: Robust Rhône Reds and Unique Whites 121Two Regions in One 122The nature of the North 122The nature of the South 125The Northern Rhône, Up Close 126The reds rule 127Uncommon whites 132The Southern Rhône in the Spotlight 136The major wines of the South 137Satellite wine zones of the Southern Rhône 144Enjoying Rhône Wines 146Part III: France’s Other Wine Regions 147Chapter 10: Champagne: The World’s Greatest Sparkling Wine 149What Champagne is 149The Champagne Region 151Champagne’s climate and soil 153The grape varieties of Champagne 155The four grape-growing districts 156Styles of Champagne 158Non-vintage, vintage, and prestige cuvées 158Blanc de blanks, blanc de noirs, and rosé Champagnes 163From dry to sweet: Brut, Extra dry, and Demi-Sec Champagne 165The Great Champagne Houses 167“House styles” 168Grower-producer Champagnes 169Aging Champagne 170Champagne with Food 171Chapter 11: Alsace: White Wine Wonderland 173Location, Location 173Mountains’ majesty 174Forecast: sunny and dry 175The Grapes of Alsace 176The Range of Wines 177The dominant style 178Legally speaking 179VT and SGN: Measures of ripeness 182Riesling, Above All 183Alsace’s Other Wine Gems 185Gewurztraminer 185Pinot Blanc 186Tokay-Pinot Gris 187Other Alsace wines 188Enjoying Alsace Wines 188Top Alsace Producers 189Chapter 12: The Loire Valley’s Hidden Gems 191The Rambling Loire Valley 191The Loire’s climate and soil 192The major wine districts 194The Upper Loire: Sauvignon Blanc’s Spiritual Home 194Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé 195Other wines of the Upper Loire 197Leading Upper Loire producers 198The Diverse Central Loire 199Touraine’s (too) many AOCs 199The many faces of Vouvray 201The Touraine’s best red wines 204The dry and the sweet of Anjou-Saumur 205Muscadet: The Value White 210Enjoying Loire Valley Wines 212Chapter 13: The South of France 213Languedoc-Roussillon: The Mother Vineyard of France 213The lay of the land 214The seeds of change 216Classical wines: better than ever 218Languedoc fringe dwellers 222Beautiful Provence 223Climate and soil 224The wines of Provence 225Chapter 14: Other French Wine Regions 229Southwest France 230Bergerac 230Cahors and vicinity 233Béarn 235Jura 236Savoie 239Corsica 241Other French Regions 242Part IV: The Part of Tens 243Chapter 15: Answers to Ten Common Questions about French Wines 245Why are French Wines so Expensive? 245How are French Wines Different from American Wines? 246Are Rosé Champagnes Really Dry? 247Are French Wines the Best Wines? 247Do French Wines Age Long? 248Are Prestige Cuvée Champagnes Really Better? Or are they Just a Rip-Off? 248Can I Keep My Wines in the Refrigerator? 249The French Make a Big Deal about “Terroir.” Isn’t This Concept Overrated? 249Is AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) Status a Guarantee of Quality for French Wines? 250Are All Burgundy Wines Expensive? 250Chapter 16: Ten French Wine Myths Exposed 251Champagne Isn’t For Dinner 251Red Bordeaux Takes Forever to Mature 252Sauternes are Delicious Young 252Chablis is too Dry and Acidic 252Champagne is too Expensive 253You Must Drink Beaujolais Nouveau before spring 253Châteauneuf-du-Pape is Full-Bodied and Long-Lasting 253All Rieslings are too Sweet 254Wines of Southern France are Rustic and Mediocre 254Champagnes Don’t Age Well 254Part V: Appendixes 255Appendix A: Pronunciation Guide to French Wine Terms 257Appendix B: Bordeaux and Burgundy Classifications 265Appendix C: French Wine Vintage Chart: 1979 to 1998 277Index 281