Although label laws have been relaxed in recent years, trying to figure out what’s inside many bottles of French wine can still be a daunting task. That’s because most bottles are labeled by region (known as an appellation in France)…
Blog Archives
French Wines to Try: Let the Label Be Your Friend
Tagged with: Alsace, Beaujolais, Bordeaux, Burgundy, champagne, French wine, Languedoc-Roussillon, Loire Valley, Provence, Rhone Valley
Posted in Wine Buzz
Posted in Wine Buzz
Discovering the Willamette Valley
Oregon’s Willamette Valley is best known for producing the same wine variety for which France’s Burgundy appellation is revered: Pinot Noir. But should you happen to run into a Willamette Valley vintner at his wine estate or a tasting event,…
The Most Expensive Wine in the World
There are two types of wine collectors: Those who stock up on what are perceived as the world’s finest wines for their own future enjoyment (and perhaps to impress their friends and associates with a well-stocked cellar). Those who buy…
Tagged with: Burgundy, Germany, Pinot Noir, Riesling, world’s most expensive wine
Posted in Wine Buzz
Posted in Wine Buzz
Our Love Affair With Pinot Noir: It’s All About Flavor
Critics who praise the “complexity” of red Burgundy and Champagne are absolutely, 100-percent on target. A few years ago, a team of French and Italian researchers mapped the genome of the Pinot Noir grape, used to make bubbly and many…
France’s 4 Best Wine Regions
Listing or naming the “best” anything can be a daunting exercise in subjectivity, and that’s particularly true when it comes to types of wine, wine-producing countries and wine regions. That said, lists are fun, so I’ve decided to go out…
Tagged with: Bordeaux, Burgundy, champagne, Cotes du Rhone, France, Rhone Rangers, travel
Posted in Wine Region Profiles
Posted in Wine Region Profiles
Everything You Need to Know About France’s Wine Regions
For centuries, France has set the benchmarks for virtually every type of wine you could imagine, developed through a generations-long focus on the concept of terroir. In a nutshell, “terroir” is about matching the right variety to the right type…
Tagged with: Bordeaux, Burgundy, Cabernet Sauvignon, champagne, Costieres de Nimes, French wine regions, Grenache-Syrah-Mourvedre, Loire, Rhone Valley, terroir
Posted in Wine in the Glass, Wine Region Profiles
Posted in Wine in the Glass, Wine Region Profiles
An Inn and a Restaurant for French Wine Lovers
Because so much of wine’s history is linked to France, that country will always hold a special place in the hearts of wine lovers. Today, I’d like to tell you about a French inn that’s attracting foodies from around the…
Tagged with: Burgundy, dining out, Eleven Madison Park, France, French cuisine, Le Grande Maison de Bernard Magrez, New York, restaurants, travel
Posted in Wine Buzz
Posted in Wine Buzz
5 Fascinating Facts About French Wine
The French are amazingly resilient people, an assertion underscored in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Paris last November. I happened to be covering an important global bowling tournament, the QubicaAMF World Cup in Las Vegas, for Bowlers Journal…
Why Are Most French and Italian Wines Named After a Place Instead of a Grape?
In telling the story of my “epiphany wine,” I have mentioned the period of time when I used to have a glass of “Chablis” with my steak at the local Sizzler restaurant. I knew nothing about wine then. First, I…
Tagged with: Burgundy, Chablis, champagne, field blends, France, French wine, Italian wine, Italy, Sizzler
Posted in Wine FAQ
Posted in Wine FAQ
Cruising Europe in Search of Wine
Viking River Cruises, Emerald Waterways and Uniworld are among the cruise lines offering wine-themed river cruises, and all are worth checking out if you’d like to experience European wine regions at a nice, slow, casual pace. Yet another option is…
Tagged with: Avalon Waterways, Burgundy, Claude Monet, Cote d’Azur, cruise ship, cruise ships, cruising, Emerald Waterways, Europe, France Wine River Cruise, Normandy, Paris, tourism, travel, trvael, Uniworld, Viking River Cruises, Vincent van Gogh, wine tasting
Posted in Wine Buzz
Posted in Wine Buzz
