Every wine lover would agree that
Cabernet Sauvignon's spiritual, if not historic,
home lies in Bordeaux. It has done so much to foster
the great reputation of Bordeaux wines in all corners
of the globe that it could be considered the region's
finest ambassador.
It
is easy to become familiar with the basics of Bordeaux
because the 57 Bordeaux appellations are commonly divided
into six families of wine: four red and two white.
There
is no single comprehensive classification system that
ranks Bordeaux's 57 appellations and thousands of wines.
But Médoc, Sauternes and Barsac, Graves, and Saint-Èmilion
districts do have their own official internal classification
systems.
Considerations
which will influence your selection and help guide you
through the aisles so you can find the right bottle for
you.
France
was an early leader in establishing laws that govern winemaking
and wine labeling practices.
The
Chablis region is famous for its dry white wines from
the Chardonnay grape. I have seen people turn their noses
up to this maligned wine over the years and I feel I
should set the record straight.
The
first ever-documented mention of champagne in any language
is an English text from 1676. At that time, the English
used to import French wines in casks and then add sugar
and molasses to create champagne.
Learn
all about Vintage Champagne, Non-vintage Champagne, Rose
Champagne and other types of Champagne.
The
making of champagne has been essentially unchanged for
over 100 years. The wine is fermented twice, once quickly
in bulk and then slowly in the bottle, and it is this
second fermentation in a confined space that adds the
bubbles.
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