Terroir produces top-quality French wine
France is considered one of the best wine-producing nations in the world. The French have promoted the importance of quality in their wines since the mid 1800s. In order to assure that the best quality is achieved, the French have a set of rules. These rules revolve around the concept of "terroir."
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Over the course of time, winemakers have learned what the best grapes are for the soil of the area, weather of the area and the winemaking techniques of the area. This is what they call terroir. The French are masters of this art.
A quick look at a wine map of France shows that only a minority of land in the country is dedicated to quality wine production. France is approximately 260,000 square miles. Of this area, only about 3,150 square miles are dedicated to quality wine production. Put in those terms, it is not big at all. It is big enough, however, to produce between 7 billion to 8 billion bottles of wine per year.
There are more than 100 distinct terroir in France. Most of these are located in broader regionally named areas. Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone, Beaujolais, Alsace and Champagne are names that are familiar to those that like great quality wines. Jura, Languedoc-Rousillion, Cahors, Savoie, Plaine d'Aleria are terroir that may not be known to the average wine drinker.
Although the French are dedicated to the rules of terroir, they are not so stiff that they won't allow changes. After years of study and experimentation, new varietal plantings may be allowed or new land may be named as terroir.
Different varietals might be planted in an area due to changing weather conditions. New terroir might be named because the production standards of the region have improved. Such is the case with one of the newest appellations in the Burgundy region, Vire-Clesse.
You are probably familiar with the French wines labeled as Pouilly-Fuisse. Wines named with this term come from an area of Burgundy that encompasses land around five towns — Pouilly, Chaintre, Solutre, Vergisson and Fuisse. The wine grape of the area is Chardonnay. Offerings bearing the name Pouilly-Fuisse should be very popular around here. The wines of Pouilly-Fuisse match well with some of our favorite foods—shellfish, especially oysters.
The Macon area of France is home to the cities of Vire and Clesse. The land around these cities forms a distinct terroir, which is great for Chardonnay production. While wines have been produced there for many years, the little southeastern-facing niche appellation of Vire-Clesse was carved out of the Macon as being distinctive only about five years ago.
There are several producers that have bottled wines using this appellation and one of the first and finest wines of the area was the Chanson Vire-Clesse. 2003 was the first vintage of this nice wine, which has been consistently good since its inception. Look for peach and lemon with undertones of chalk and minerals. This is quite refreshing. Be daring and try this wine with shrimp and pasta scampi. It takes a special wine to match well with the garlic and the Chanson Vire-Clesse is a great choice to live up to this daunting challenge.
Champagne is another appellation that recently changed its structure. The growing area of the Champagne district is not contiguous. Since regulations named 315 villages in the district as approved growing areas in 1927 the landscape has been dotted with grapefields. Unapproved lands host other crops or just lay vacant.
In 1999, the world-wide demand for champagne exceeded production. This was due to planned celebrations for the New Year and the changing of the millennium. As the wines were rediscovered the demand has stayed high. In March 2008, about 40 new villages were admitted to the existing group of villages approved to grow grapes in the Champagne district. (Two villages from the 1927 list were actually dropped from the roll of approved villages.) It will be a couple of years before we get to experience wines made from the grapes of this new approved territory.
Until then you will just have to enjoy one of the existing proven wines. One of the great wines of the Champagne district is Dom Perignon. The cost of this wine makes it prohibitive for most people to consider. There are some very nice offerings from the Champagne district that are affordable. One of them to consider is the often over-looked Mumm Cordon Rouge. This is very nice dry champagne with traditional yeasty, toasty impressions that are high-lighted with citrus and floral notes.
The spirit of the terroir is found in well-made French offerings. The Spirit has been there for many years as in the Cordon Rouge or recently experienced as with the Vire-Clesse. The choices for great French wines are numerous. Experience the wines of different French appellations side by side to begin understanding terroir.