By Matthew Jermaine Aubin

Key Terms

Aging- The process by which wine matures

Aroma- The natural fragrance that emanates from the fermented grape
Body- The body can be real of perceived. The real body refers to the
thickness of the wine in the bottle, whereas perceived is the feel of the wine
in the mouth.
Bouquet- The Bouquet is the scent released from the bottle once it is
uncorked. Once the Bouquet dissipates, the wine is left with the aroma
Chaptalization- This refers to changing the alcohol content of the wine by
adding sugar to the must. This does not add to the sweetness of the wine,
this is caused by the grapes, not from Chaptalization. Italy and California do
not allow Chaptalization
Dry- This refers to a wine low in residual sugar
Fermentation- This is the process by which grape juice turns into wine.
Glucose is broken down into equal parts of ethanol and carbon dioxide in
the presence of yeast.

Key Terms contd

Finish This refers to the taste that is left in the mouth after the wine has
been swallowed. It is the aftertaste, texture, and mouth-feel
Must This is the unfermented juice of freshly harvested grapes
Oenophile A wine connoisseur
Texture The impression on the palate left by dense, full-bodied wines
Thin A wine lacking in body, with the viscosity of water
Vinification The act of wine making
Vintner A wine maker

Map of French Wine Regions

History

Wine has been around for thousands of years!

Through the ages, wine has played a major role in the development of the
human species
The Neolithic period 8500-4000 B.C. has the first recorded evidence that
wine was not a seasonal happenstance
Pottery first appeared around 6000 B.C. creating the perfect means to
store the beverages of choice
A major breakthrough towards understanding Neolithic wine was a
discovery in northern Iran which dates back to 5400-5000 B.C.
A large jar was found with a yellowish residue and with 5 smaller jars
accompanying them
The yellowish residue contained a high amount of calcium tartrate
which occurs only once in nature, with grapes

History contd
Wild grapes never grew in present day Egypt, yet much evidence of
wine was found in the Nile delta area
This is due much to the trade by the bronze age people of the
eastern Mediterranean region
The middle east was the first area where evidence of wine was
found and it progressively spread out to the greater Mesopotamia
area
The 5th century B.C. Greek historian Herodotus describes shipping
wine down the Euphrates or Tigris from Armenia

Wine Producing Regions of

France

Alsace
Located on the Eastern border of France

with Germany
The Six major types of wine from the Alsace
include
Riesling
Gewurztraminer
Pinot blanc
Tokay Pinot Gris
Sylvaner
Cremant dAlsace

Alsace Wines

Riesling is the most elegant grape of the Alsace region. It gives dry,
neat, graceful and well-balanced wine.
Riesling is known to be the finest Alsace wine
Should be drunk after 5 years but it is excellent after only 1-2 years of aging

Gewurztraminer is the most typical Alsatian wine

Gewurz means spicy in German and traminer means from Tramin which is

located in southern Austria where the grape comes from

Gewurztraminer is the name of the grape which the wine comes from and the wine
itself

Pinot Blanc
Blanc stands for white and Pinot is a wide variety of grapes
It is a dry white wine and often less aromatic than the other white wines of the

Alsace area

Tokay Pinot Gris

The name still remains a mystery to this day
Pinot Gris from Alsace has a yellow color tending to gold. It offers aromas of wood

and mushroom

Alsace wines contd

Sylvaner
The Sylvaner grape was originally grown in Austria and was only introduced to the

Alsace region 2 centuries ago

Sylvaner grapes give a pleasant, fresh, fruity, and dry wine
The Grapes only cover about 10% of the vineyards in the Alsace region

Cremant dAlsace
This wine is made in the same manner as Champagne
The wine is fermented twice, the second fermentation being while bottled. The

wine makers add sugar and yeast to the wine which naturally produces carbon
dioxide (hence the bubbles) while the sugar ferments to alcohol

Bordeaux

There are 21 types of wine that are produced in

the Bordeaux Region
The three most popular wines are:
Saint Emilion
Medoc
Margaux

More Bordeaux

The Saint-Emilion region of Bordeaux is the oldest wine

producing area of Bordeaux
The Wines are generally much more robust, high in color, and

reach their maturity much sooner than other red Bordeaux wines

The Medoc area is located north of the town of Bordeaux

Medoc wines are red and are described as delicate, medium colored,

fine, and elegant

The Margaux requires the most care of the 3 popular

Bordeaux wines
The grapes sit on a soil of white graves which is a special kind of gravel

brought from the mountains by the river

The Margaux wines have a full-flavored bouquet and a magnificent
elegance

Burgundy

The Burgundy region of France is located in the

eastern half and is southwest of Alsace
The most popular wine from this region and also the most

popular white wine in France is the Chablis

The Chablis comes from the Chardonnay grape
The Chardonnay grape grows on a limestone soil rich in
fossils and specialty oysters
This is due to the fact that in an earlier age, a Sea covered
the area

Champagne

One of the best known wines in the

world
The Region is located in the north eastern

part of France
The Champagne region harbors
Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Noir
Champagne is a festive wine, and is most
known for times of celebration

Ctes du Rhne

Located in the Southeast region of

France

Very diverse wines take most advantage of the weather and

winemaking conditions of the Rhne valley.
Produces 10 varieties of wine
These 10 include: Cte Rtie - Condrieu - Chteau
Grillet - Hermitage - Crozes Hermitage Cornas Gigondas - Chteauneuf du Pape - Cte du Ventoux

Languedoc-Roussillion

The most productive wine region in the

world
Produces mostly red wines, and are
good for everyday table wines
The types of wines created there are:
Corbire, Coteaux du Languedoc, Ctes du Roussillon, Fitou,
Minervois, Saint Chinian, Costires de Nimes

Loire Valley Region

Located in the north-west region of

France
This Region is known as one of the most beautiful wine

producing regions of France

The most popular wines produced in this region include:

Muscadet, Anjou, Coteaux du Layon, Saumur, Touraine,

Bourgueil, Chinon, Vouvray, Pouilly Fum, Sancerre

Provence

The Provence region is located in the South of

France on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea
It is most known for its fruity Rose Wines
Three very popular wines from the region include:
Ctes de Provence, Bandol, Bellet

Corsica

Corsica is the Island found off the southern French

coast
It is affectionately called "L'le de beaut or The
Beautiful Island
The wines here are naturally delicious and
generally consist of dry white wines, and rose
wines
These wines must be drunk young and fresh, and
the best wines from the region come from the east
and west coasts of the island

South West France

The wines from the South West of France are very diverse and include red
wine, dry white wine, and sweet white wines
The types of wines produced here include: Bergerac, Buzet, Cahors,
Gaillac, Madiran, Bergerac, Juranon, Gaillac, Monbazillac
Located in very close relation to the Bordeaux region and the wines
are often confused with one another
The wines of the region today are of excellent quality and follow local
history and traditions

-FIN-

Sources Cited

www.upenn.edu/museum/Wine/wineintro.html
http://www.terroir-france.com/wine/regions.html
Google.com/images
Chicken Soup for the Wine Lovers Soul, 2007. Health
Communications Inc. Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen,
Theresa Peluso
The Geography of Wine, 2008. Plume Publications; Brian J.
Sommers
Guide to the Wines and Vineyards of France, 1986. Alfred A.
Knopf, New York; Alexis Lichine