Notes

• Wine is an alcoholic beverage made with the fermented juice of grapes. Most red wines use the whole grape, including the skin pulp and seeds whereas white wine only uses the juice of the grape.
• France has always been one of the biggest makers of wine and are still relatively dominant in the wine industry.
• However other countries like Spain, Italy, New Zealand and South Africa are beginning to compete for the ownership of some of the best wines in the world
• Wine is an annual plant which means that it is only harvested once a year. This means that vineyards will produce a certain number of wine bottles per harvest.
• Then depending on how good the year is seen to be, the bottles of wine will be stored to age to potentially improve the wine.
• Ageing can alter the aroma, colour, mouth taste and taste of the wine in a way that may be more pleasing to the taster.
• These factors can then determine the price of the wine.
• For example a Château Margaux 1787 went for $225,000, where as you can buy a Louis De Camponac Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 for £20 at Tesco.
• Another important factor is the maker. You can estimate the quality of a wine bottle with a good degree of accuracy just by seeing the maker of the wine and the type as different vineyards have better grapes that others.
• Wine is an annual plant which means that it is only harvested once a year. This means that vineyards will produce a certain number of wine bottles per harvest.
• Then depending on how good the year is seen to be, the bottles of wine will be stored to age to potentially improve the wine.
• Ageing can alter the aroma, colour, mouth taste and taste of the wine in a way that may be more pleasing to the taster.
• These factors can then determine the price of the wine.
• For example a Château Margaux 1787 went for $225,000, where as you can buy a Louis De Camponac Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 for £20 at Tesco.
• Another important factor is the maker. You can estimate the quality of a wine bottle with a good degree of accuracy just by seeing the maker of the wine and the type as different vineyards have better grapes that others.
• French wine is produced all throughout France, in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. Obviously all this wine is bottled into different sized bottles such as:
• (187.5 ml) Piccolo or Split: Typically used for a single serving of Champagne.
• (375 ml) Demi or Half: Holds one-half of the standard 750 ml size.
• (750 ml) Standard: Common bottle size for most distributed wine.
• (1.5 L) Magnum: Equivalent to two standard 750 ml bottles.
• (3.0 L) Double Magnum: Equivalent to two Magnums or four standard 750 ml bottles.
• (4.5 L) Jeroboam (aka Rehoboam): Equivalent to six standard 750 ml bottles. (Jeroboam is either 3 or 4.5 L depending on what part of France you’re in)
• (6.0 L) Imperial (aka Methuselah): Equivalent to eight standard 750 ml bottles or two Double Magnums.
• After that the names come from the Bible, such as the Solomon (18.0 L)
• There are two main types of wine, Red and White, as well less famous in some cases Champagne and sweeter Dessert wines
• France’s main red grapes are: Merlot, Shiraz and Pinot noir
• France’s main white grapes are: Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc
• There are two main regions, Burgundy and Bordeaux.
• Both areas have almost always been some of the most famous parts of the world for wine.
• Difference is that in Bordeaux there are a number of smaller key regions and they were well known as the best wines in the world and some still are.
• Another aspect that differs the two regions is the two methods of classification each region uses. The Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 resulted from the 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris , when Emperor Napoleon III requested a classification system for France's best wines that were to be on display for visitors from around the world. Brokers from the wine industry ranked these wines according to a château’s reputation and trading price, which at that time was directly related to quality.
• However Burgundy instead of having famous chateaus there are tiny producers with little wineries and so you need to understand the maker of the wine and it is more niche. That is why the vineyards are classified by different crus which I will mention later.
• Bordeaux is arguably the greatest wine growing area in the world.
• The wines were ranked in importance from first to fifth growths. All of the red wines that made it on the list came from the Médoc region except for one which is Château Haut-Brion from Graves.
• The most famous are the First Growths.
• Below are some of the most famous wineries from Bordeaux:
• Château Lafite, now Château Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac.
• Château Latour, Pauillac.
• There were also later classifications of other areas in the Bordeaux region including the The 1955 Official Classification of St-Émilion.
• While the record for the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold belongs to an American wine ($500,000 for a 1992 Screaming Eagle from California), this is an anomaly as it was bought in a charity auction. Until October 2018, Bordeaux wines held 3 of the next 4 places ($304k for a 1947 Cheval Blanc, $230k for a 1869 Chateau Lafite, $225k for a 1787 Chateau Margaux).
• Red Burgundy is made in the Burgundy region of eastern France using 100% Pinot Noir grapes.
• White Burgundy is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes.
• Burgundy has over 100 different titles, numerous individual vineyards and more than 3,000 individual producers.
• Over the centuries, Burgundy has become known for being the best land in the world because of the soils of Burgundy being extremely varied, in their richness, depth, and mineral content for producing both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and it is for this reason that Burgundy wines have received such acclaim. In fact, the quality of the land is considered to be so important to the creation of red and white Burgundy, that inside the Burgundy region, vineyards are classified by four levels, depending on how exceptional it is believed one’s plot of land is for growing the grapes. These levels are:
• Grand Cru- this classification is reserved for only the best vineyards, with only 2% of all vineyards actually receiving this classification, these wines are in the most demand and can be quite pricey. According to Robert Parker, a leading wine connoisseur the 1911Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair la Romanee Grand Cru Burgundy received a 100 point ranking, a very prestigious prize.
• Premier Cru- The wines are produced by vineyards that are still of good quality but not as good as the Grand Cru, these wines mace up about 12% of the vineyards in Burgundy and can also produce good wines.
• Village Wines- These are your average wine makers that produce Burgundy wine from one of its 42 villages.
• Regional Wines- Considered as the Lowest Level of Classification.
• In 2018 the previous records for most expensive wine ever sold was broken with 2 bottles of 1945 Romanee-Conti selling for just over $500,000 each bottle.
• The main two regions are Provence, Chablis, Alsace as well as Burgundy.
• The world’s most famous sparkling white wines come from France’s Champagne region.
• The region of Alsace, a reasonably famous region for wine making is between France and Germany and Riesling is the signature white wine of Alsace.
• Chablis comes from Burgundy’s northernmost sub-region. One of the world’s top environments for Chardonnay.
• Bordeuax is more famous for red wines but the region’s whites are also well respected. Bordeaux’s sweet white wines are among the best in the world including Sauternes.
• In Burgundy, Chardonnay is the grape of their most famous white wines. Montrachet is arguably the top as well as Pouilly Fuissé.
• The Rhône region is well-known for its red wines, but its whites are also quite famous. Viognier comes from Northern Rhone’s Condrieu, while Roussanne and Marsanne are from Hermitage. Grenache Blanc is from the southern Rhone and Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc.
• The Provence area produces white wines near the Mediterranean. This helps the mineral content in the soil especially sodium from sea salt; which is needed from a good metabolism.
• If you have any questions, Please Ask