Chapter 8 – Old world countries - France, Italy and Spain

1
CHAPTER 8 – OLD WORLD COUNTRIES:
France, Italy and Spain

2
CHAPTER 8 – OLD WORLD: France, Italy & Spain
Contents
• France
– Introduction
– Bordeaux
– Burgundy
– Rhone Valley
– Alsace
• Italy
– Introduction
– Principal Italian Wines
• Spain
– Introduction
– Principal Spanish
Wines
• Focused tastings
"In Europe we thought of wine as something as healthy and normal as food
and also a great giver of happiness and well being and delight. Drinking wine
was not a snobbism nor a sign of sophistication nor a cult; it was as natural
as eating and to me as necessary.“ Ernest Hemingway – A Moveable Feast

3
France – Introduction
• France produces more
fine wine (and brandy)
than any other country.
• French wine industry is
strictly regulated.
• Many established classic
regions and styles.
• Diverse range of grape
varieties and wine styles.

4
France – Introduction
• Bordeaux – producing mainly Cabernet, Merlot and
Sauvignon Blanc
• Burgundy – producing mainly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
• Alsace – producing mainly Riesling and Gewürztraminer
• Loire Valley – producing mainly Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin
Blanc
• Rhone Valley – producing mainly Syrah and Grenache
• Provence – producing international varieties
• Languedoc-Roussillon – producing international varieties
Main wine regions are:

5
France – Quality gradings
• Table wine
– Vin de table:
Everyday drinking wine from anywhere in France.
Often blended and usually made for early
consumption.
– Vin de pays:
Table wine with specific regional characteristics.
The label must state the area of production, for
example, vin de pays de l’Hérault and vin de pays
des Côtes de Gascogne.

6
France – Quality gradings
• Quality wine
– Vin Delimité de Qualité Supérieure
(VDQS):
the lower category of quality wines.
– Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AC):
the highest category of French wine.

7
France – Main wine regions
Main wine regions are:
 BordeauxBordeaux
 BurgundyBurgundy
 AlsaceAlsace
 Loire ValleyLoire Valley
 Rhone ValleyRhone Valley
 ProvenceProvence
 Languedoc-RoussillonLanguedoc-Roussillon
 OtherOther

8
Bordeaux
Bordeaux produces:
• Tannic red wines
needing time to
mature
• Lighter reds made for
early drinking
• Very fine sweet wines
• Dry white wine mainly
for drinking young

9
Bordeaux
LOCATION:
Near the west coast of France (Atlantic ocean influences). Vineyards
actually inland 40 – 100 km on the left and right banks of the
Gironde estuary.
CLIMATE:
Mild and humid climate
SOIL:
Many types; generally gravel, clay or sand on top of limestone.
GRAPE VARIETIES:
Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot
Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon

10
Bordeaux – Districts
Bordeaux subdivisions:
 Bas MédocBas Médoc
 Haut MédocHaut Médoc
 BlayeBlaye
 BourgBourg
 PomerolPomerol
 St EmillonSt Emillon
 Entre-Deux-MersEntre-Deux-Mers
 Premiere Cotes dePremiere Cotes de
BordeauxBordeaux
 GravesGraves

11
Bordeaux – Appellation System
Terminology:
• Appellation – controlled area / district – often specifying
permitted grape varieties, vineyard management and
sometimes even wine making processes.
• Château (plural – châteaux) – individual property
• Cru – vineyard
• Commune – village
• 1st
– 5th
Cru (1st
– 5th
growth) – Bordeaux specific cru
classification system based on wine prices over 50 years
(1805 – 1855)
• Premier Cru = 1st
Cru

12
Bordeaux – Appellation System
Only 5 Châteaux have qualified as 1st
Cru:
• Château Haut Brion (Graves)
• Château Lafite (Médoc)
• Château Latour (Médoc)
• Château Margaux (Médoc)
• Château Mouton Rothschild (Médoc)

13
Bordeaux – Appellations
• Haut Médoc produces
higher quality wines than
Bas Médoc.
• All AC wines from Médoc
are red.
• 4 main communes:
 St EstèpheSt Estèphe
 PauillacPauillac
 St JulienSt Julien
 MargauMargau
xx
Médoc AC

14
Graves AC
• “Graves” means gravel, and the
soil has given its name to the
district.
• produces red and white wines
and the appellation is given to
both.
Sauternes AC
• AC for sweet wines only. 3
varieties are used – Semillon
(thin skin easily attacked by
Noble Rot), Sauvignon Blanc
(for Botrytis and acid balance)
and Muscadelle (for aromas).

15
Entre-Deux-Mers AC
• The AC is for dry white wine only, lying
between the rivers Garonne and
Dorgogne.
St Emillon AC
• AC for red wines only.
• Classification system created in 1955
– eleven châteaux listed as premier
grand crus, led by Château Ausone
and Château Cheval Blanc
Pomerol
• Appellation for red wines only,
focusing on Merlot. Most famous
Merlot only winery is Château Pétrus

16
Burgundy
LOCATION:
Situated in central France, the region of Burgundy includes both
Chablis and the Beaujolais. The region produces dry red and
white wine and some sparkling wine.
CLIMATE:
Being an inland region, Burgundy has hot summers but severe
winters, with frost being a major hazard.
SOIL:
Clay & limestone – Côtes d’Or; Granite – Beaujolais.
GRAPE VARIETIES:
Gamay; Pinot Noir; Chardonnay; Aligoté

17
Burgundy – Districts
 ChablisChablis
 Côte d’OrCôte d’Or
 Côte de NuitsCôte de Nuits
 Côte de BeauneCôte de Beaune
 Côte ChalonnaiseCôte Chalonnaise
 MâconnaisMâconnais
 BeaujolaisBeaujolais

18
Burgundy – Appellations
Chablis
• A small district making dry crisp white
wine from Chardonnay.
Côte d’Or
• Wines from this long narrow strip from
Dijon to Santenay are in high demand.
• Côte de Nuits in the north makes red
wines from Pinot Noir.
• Côte de Beaune to the south also
produces red wines, such as Volnay,
Pommard and Beaune. It also makes
great white wine from the chardonnay,
wines such as Meursault and Puligny-
Montrachet.

19
Côte Chalonnaise
• Both red and white wines are
produced here.
• Crémant de Bourgogne, the AC for
sparkling burgundy, is the name of a
wine made in the Côte Chalonnaise.
Mâconnais
• Here, white wine is made from the
chardonnay. The better white wines
take the AC Mâcon Villages or add the
name of the local village to Mâcon,
e.g. Mâcon-Lugny, Mâcon-Viré-
Clesse. The best known white wine is
Pouilly-Fuissé.

20
Mâconnais
• Red wine here (called Mâcon Rouge)
is from Gamay (may be blended with
Pinot Noir).
Beaujolais
• Here, Gamay grown on granite soil
produce light, fruity reds that are best
drunk young.
• Northern part producing best quality,
with finest from ten specific
communes.

21
Rhone Valley – Districts
 Côte RôtieCôte Rôtie
 HermitageHermitage
 HermitageHermitage
 CrozesCrozes
HermitageHermitage Châteauneuf-du-PapeChâteauneuf-du-Pape
 GigondasGigondas
 Beaumes-de-veniseBeaumes-de-venise
 LiracLirac
 TavelTavel
 OtherOther

22
Northern Rhone
LOCATION:
Vines are grown on terraces, mostly so narrow and steep that all the
work has to be done by hand.
CLIMATE:
The northern Rhône has a continental climate with cold winters and
short summers. The main problem is the Mistral, a powerful, cold
wind which blows down the valley from the north
SOIL:
The soil in general is predominantly granite with some sandstone..
GRAPE VARIETIES:
The red grape variety of the northern Rhône is the syrah

23
Northern Rhone – Appellations
Côte Rôtie
• Undergoing a renaissance recently
• Slopes so steep in parts than winches
must be used.
• Syrah often blended with up to 20%
Viognier
Hermitage
• Famous appellation producing
extremely limited quantities of
seriously long-lived Syrah wine.
• Hermitage is surrounded by the larger
district of Crozes Hermitage which
makes less intense wines.

24
Southern Rhone
LOCATION:
In the south the Rhône valley has broadened out. There are no steep
cliffs, only a wide, flat plain marked by outcrops of large stones.
CLIMATE:
This part of the Rhône valley enjoys a Mediterranean climate with mild
winters and hot summers and autumns.
SOIL:
The sub-soil is limestone with a covering of sand and large stones in the
finest areas
GRAPE VARIETIES:
The AC laws in the southern Rhône permit many different red and white
grape varieties. The former include grenache, syrah, cinsault and
mourvèdre.

25
Southern Rhone – Appellations
AC Côtes du Rhône Villages
• Apart from the general AC Côtes du
Rhône, there are 16 villages which produce
superior wine and wines from this area are
given the AC Côtes du Rhône Villages.
Tavel
• Rosé made by vinifying red and white
grapes together.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape:
• The alcohol levels of these wines are high,
the minimum required being 12.5%

26
Alsace
LOCATION:
In the north east of France, next to Germany, separated from the rest of
France by the Vosges mountains.
CLIMATE:
Alsace has a continental climate, with hot summers and severe winters.
It is an exceptionally dry and sunny region - the Vosges mountains
shelter the vineyards from the rain-bearing winds blowing across
northern France.
SOIL:
A wide variety of soils exist depending on the altitude of the vineyard.
GRAPE VARIETIES:
Riesling; Gewurztraminer; Pinot Blanc; Pinot Gris; Muscat d’Alsace;
Sylvaner; Pinot Noir. Only 9% of the total production in Alsace is red
and the grape used is pinot noir.

27
Alsace – Districts
 Bas RhinBas Rhin
 Haut RhinHaut Rhin
• The appellation for most
wines is AC Alsace. The best
vineyards are being
reclassified as AC Alsace
Grand Cru.
• The districts are:

28
Italy – Introduction
• Italy’s wine growing areas cover a diverse range of
latitudes (more than 10º)
• Italy has a diverse range of climates in its growing
regions:
– In the north, the climate is continental – cold winters and long
hot summers.
– In the south, the climate is Mediterranean – warmer winters,
summers very hot and dry.
• Italy has many indigenous grape varieties.
– Reds: Nebbiolo; Sangiovese; Barbera; Lambrusco.
– Whites: Verdicchio; Trebbiano; Malvasia

29
Italy – Quality gradings
• Table wine
– Vino da Tavola
Italian equivalent to French Vin de Table.
– Indicazione Geographica Tipica
(I.G.T):
Italian equivalent to French Vin de Pays.

30
Italy – Quality gradings
• Quality wine
– Denominazione di Origine
Controllata (DOC)
This is the Italian equivalent of the French AC - guarantees:
that the wine has been produced in the named vineyard
area; that methods of production in the vineyard and the
winery have been specified.
– Denominazione di Origine
Controllata e Garantita (DOCG):
This category has been reserved for a few wines that have
been subjected to even stricter controls. Each bottle carries
a government seal. Examples of DOCG wines include
Barolo and Chianti.

31
Italy – Main wine regions
Main wine regions:
 PiedmontPiedmont
(Piedmonte)(Piedmonte)
 VenetoVeneto
 Tuscany (Toscana)Tuscany (Toscana)
 OtherOther

32
Italy – Appellations
Barolo DOCG
• A full bodied red wine from the
nebbiolo grape grown in the vineyards
around the village of Barolo in
Piedmonte. Must be aged a minimum
3 years.
Barbaresco DOCG
• A red wine from the nebbiolo grape
grown in Piedmonte
• It matures rather earlier than Barolo.
Valpolicella DOC
• A red wine usually quite light in colour
and style grown near Verona in the
northeast (Veneto).

33
Italy – Appellations
Soave DOC
• A very dry, but fruity white wine named
after the commune of Soave near
Verona (Veneto)
Chianti DOCG
• Red wine produced in Tuscany and
made from a mixture of grape
varieties, the most important being the
sangiovese. It can vary from light red
wines made for early drinking to well
aged wines with great depth of flavour.

34
Spain – Introduction
• Spain has more land under vines than any
other country, but ranks only third in
production terms.
• Spain produces large quantities of light
wines. These are mostly dry, and can be
red, rosé or white.
• Rioja is Spain’s classic red wine

35
Spain – Quality gradings
• Table wine
– Vino de mesa
Spanish table wine.
• Quality wine
– Denominacion de Origen(DO)
This is the Spanish equivalent of the French AC -
guaranteesgeographical origin of the wine.
– Denominacion de Origen
Calificada(DOCa)
A higher quality grade introduced in 1991 initially for the
wines of Rioja.

36
Spain – Main wine regions
Main regions:
 RiojaRioja
 NavarraNavarra
 PenedesPenedes
 OtherOther

37
Spain – Appellations
Rioja DOCa
• Situated in northern Spain along the
banks of the river of the river Ebro. The
two most important red grapes are
tempranillo and garnacha.
• Reserva wines have had a longer
maturation than the standard riojas and
gran reservas are the finest wines with
the longest maturation periods of all.
Penedes DO
• Most of Spain’s quality sparkling wine is
produced in this region, which lies west-
south-west of Barcelona.
• Also producing a range of red, white and
rosé light wine.

Chapter 8 – Old world countries - France, Italy and Spain

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (20)

Similar to Chapter 8 – Old world countries - France, Italy and Spain

Similar to Chapter 8 – Old world countries - France, Italy and Spain (20)

More from Patrick LIM

More from Patrick LIM (7)

Chapter 8 – Old world countries - France, Italy and Spain