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Published:
August 30, 2001

French Wine For Dummies

Overview

“Whether you are an avid collector or wine novice, this book offers an extensive resource in an accessible format.”
—Charlie Trotter, Acclaimed Chef and Award-Winning Author

“This book is an invitation to discover the bountiful wine regions, each different from one another, and is an homage to the beauty and uniqueness of the delicious wines they produced.”
—Georges Duboeuf, Les Vins Georges Duboeuf

“The diversity of French wine is one of its attractions, but it can seem perplexing...until you pick up this marvelous guide. The route is well -marked, easy-to-follow, and the destinations are delicious.”
—Kermit Lynch, Wine Merchant and author, Adventures on the Wine Route

“...Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-Mulligan lead us by the hand down the road of adventure to discover the wines of France that they know so well.... In their relaxed, wise, and mischievous way, they show us the joy and pleasure of drinking French wine.”
—Prince Alain de Polignac, Winemaker, Champagne Pommery

You no longer need to be confused or intimidated by French wine. Authored by certified

wine educators and authors Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-Mulligan, French Wine For Dummies introduces you to the delicious world of fine French wine. Among other things, you’ll discover how to:

  • Translate wine labels
  • Identify great wine bargains
  • Develop your own wine tastes
  • Match French wines with foods

Here’s everything you need to know to sip and savor the best—and the best-value—Bordeaux, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Alsace, and other delicious wines. This lighthearted and informative guide covers:

  • The story of French wine and how it came to dominate the wine world
  • How the French name and label their wines and why
  • France’s most important wine regions—including a region-by-region survey of the best vineyards and their products
  • France’s other wine regions, including Champagne, Alsace, the Loire Valley, and others

So pour yourself a big glass of Beaujolais Nouveau, sit back, and enjoy the ride as Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-Mulligan take you on an intoxicating journey through the wonderful world of French wine.

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About The Author

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.

Sample Chapters

french wine for dummies

CHEAT SHEET

Choosing a French wine means understanding how to read and pronounce French wine names and words you find on the label, the variety of grape specific to certain French wines, and getting the best value of a French wine.How to pronounce French wine namesDon’t let the pronunciation of a French wine get your tongue in a knot.

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Articles from
the book

France's Alsace wine region seems a world apart from the rest of France. Alsace sits on the verge of France, with a culture, architecture, and cuisine uniquely its own. Alsace’s wines are also unique. The grape varieties that grow there, for the most part, don’t grow elsewhere in France. The wines of Alsace are varietals, named after the grapes — a nomenclature unheard of in France’s other classic wine regions.
The Beaujolais region is unique among French wine regions because it makes wines that are happy to please without trying to impress. Beaujolais wine is the product of the Beaujolais region of France and the red Gamay grape variety. Administratively, Beaujolais is a district of the Burgundy region, but the red wine of Beaujolais is very different from those in the rest of Burgundy — made from a different grape variety grown in different soil and a warmer climate.
The Bordeaux region that produces France's famous red Bordeaux wines lies in the southern part of western France, on the Atlantic coast. The Gironde Estuary and its two major rivers, the Dordogne and the Garonne, run through the heart of the region. Almost all of Bordeaux’s great wine estates are near the Gironde or one of its tributaries.
Many wine lovers claim that Burgundy wines — from the Burgundy wine region of France — are the greatest red wines in the world, while others insist that Bordeaux wines hold that claim. Nothing quite compares in aroma and flavor to a great red Burgundy. Burgundy is a long, narrow wine region in eastern France, southeast of Paris.
Chablis is a tiny town in the center of France's Chablis wine district, about a two-hour drive southeast of Paris. The Chablis wine district produces white wines only, 100 percent Chardonnay. The Chablis (pronounced shah blee) district is 70 miles away from the rest of the Burgundy region, and yet it’s still a part of Burgundy — thanks to the Duke of Burgundy, who annexed the area in the 15th century.
The Bordeaux region of France produces some of the world’s finest white wines, in addition to the more commonly known red Bordeaux wines. The finest dry white wines of Bordeaux are unique to the Bordeaux region; nowhere else in the world can you find such wines. As with many fine wines, however, their production is small.
Choosing a French wine means understanding how to read and pronounce French wine names and words you find on the label, the variety of grape specific to certain French wines, and getting the best value of a French wine.How to pronounce French wine namesDon’t let the pronunciation of a French wine get your tongue in a knot.
Practically all the most famous grape varieties used in the world's wines are French varieties, meaning that they either originated in France or became famous through their expression in French wines. These varieties include Chardonnay, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Syrah, among many others.
The variety of grapes (red or white) used for making French wines is usually named for the region in France where it’s grown. Here are some French wine types and the main grape used for making it: Wine Type Principal Grape(s) Beaujolais Gamay Bordeaux (red) Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc Bordeaux
France has been the leader of the winemaking world for centuries. France is number one in wine production (most years) and also in wine consumption. In the quality department, the most critically-acclaimed, most treasured red wines, white wines, sparkling wines, and sweet wines all come from France. The country’s renown is such that winemakers from all over the world find inspiration and motivation in French wines.
Don’t let the pronunciation of a French wine get your tongue in a knot. Pronouncing the names of French wines just takes a little practicing, which you can do with the following table. Remember: Unlike English words, there are no stressed syllables in French words. Aligoté (ah lee go tay) grand cru classé (grahn crew clahs say) Bâtard-Montrachet (bah tar mon rah shay) grand vin (grahn van) Blanc de Blancs (blahn deh blahn) Graves (grahv) Chablis (shah blee) Haut-Brion (oh bree ohn) Chambolle-Musigny (shom bowl moo sih nyee) Haut-Médoc (oh meh dock) Chassagne-Montrachet (shah sahn n’yah mohn rah shay) Languedoc-Roussillon (lahn guh doc roo see yohn) Château d’Yquem (sha toh dee kem) Loire (l’wahr) Château Lynch-Bages (sha toh lansh bahj) Mâcon-Villages (mah con vil lahj) Château Trotanoy (sha toh troh tahn wah) millisime (mill eh seem) Corton-Charlemagne (cor tohn shar leh mahn) Moët (moh eT) Côte de Nuits (coat deh n’wee) Pauillac (poy yac) Côte Rotie (coat ro tee) Perrier-Jouët (pehr ree yay jhoo et) Cramant (crah mahn) Sémillon (seh mee yohn) crémant (cray mahn) St.
The quality of winemaking in the Alsace region, especially known for its Riesling white grape variety, is among the highest in France. The finest wines are magnificent, but even the ordinary quality wines are well made and worth drinking. Compared to many other French wine regions, Alsace grows a real hodgepodge of grapes: Nearly a dozen varieties in all are permitted in the production of AOC wines.
Burgundy is a complex region that encompasses four distinct wine districts. Although the four Burgundy districts grow essentially the same red and white grape varieties, the wines of each district are unique in how they taste, and how they are best served. From north to south, the main Burgundy wine districts are Chablis, Côte d’Or, Côte Chalonnaise, and Mâconnais.
In most cases, Champagne is an extremely complex blended wine — not only a blend of grape varieties, but also a blend of wines from vineyards throughout the Champagne region of France. The blend, called the cuvée, combines the strengths of each vineyard. Champagne is also typically a blend of wines from different vintages.
France's red Bordeaux is always a blended wine. It’s made from two to five so-called black grape varieties — with most Bordeaux wines made from three or four of the five varieties. Red Bordeaux goes best with simple cuts of red meat, lamb, or venison. It’s also fine with hard cheeses, such as Cheddar or Comté, and good, crusty bread.
Looking to get the most for your money when it comes to French wine? Here are some of France’s top wine values, including the types of wine and whether they’re red or white: Alsace Riesling (white) Côte Chalonnaise Burgundy (red/white) Beaujolais-Villages (red) Côte de Bourg Bordeaux (red) Bergerac (red/white
France produces more wine than any other country — except when Italy does. (The two countries are neck and neck.) The amount of wine produced varies from one year to the next, according to the weather. Generally speaking, France makes about 1.5 billion gallons of wine each year. Luckily for the reputation of French wines, the huge quantity produced each year comprises hundreds of different types of wine.
The first step toward understanding French wine names is to realize that, in France, the government controls how wines are named, and every wine name is a reflection of French wine law. In theory, you could learn all sorts of information about any French wine just by looking up its name in the French laws. That information would include the general vineyard territory for that wine, which grape varieties could possibly be in that wine, and so forth.
A French wine label contains a lot of information, but you can crack the code and understand French wine once you know how to read the label. Here are some words you may find and what they mean: Appellation . . . Contrôlée (AOC): The word(s) appearing between these two words on the label indicate the official place-name of the wine, the location where the grapes grew.
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