What's Going On in the World of French Wines

Ah, Riesling.  While I love so many grapes, if I were pressed, it would be difficult for me to deny that Riesling is at the top of my list of favorite white grapes.  So versatile, so food-friendly and so, well, delicious! Riesling is grown in a variety of places around the world, but some of my very favorite regions for producing this age-worthy grape are Alsace, Germany, Austria, Washington State and Australia.

Riesling is characterized by high, racy acidity and a pronounced nose that can include aromas of green apples, limes, lemons, white flowers, orange blossoms, peaches, apricots, tropical fruits, and even smoke, slate and minerals.  Riesling is known for being a grape that is very expressive of “terroir” – a French word that refers to the unique combination of soil, climate and vine or roughly, “the taste of a place.”  That’s why you see those last few descriptors of smoke, slate and minerals for Riesling.  Many wine tasters will talk about the minerality of Riesling.  By that, they are trying to describe the pure, fresh flavors of Riesling.  I have always found that Riesling is one of the most poetic grapes – by that I mean that the descriptors that tasters use to try to convey the taste of Riesling can get very flowery and exotic.  I’ve heard everything from sucking on stones to the taste of air after a lightening storm.  But essentially, Riesling is a mouth-watering combination of fruit and acid and almost always as appealing on the nose as it is on the palate.

Riesling is also one of those unique grapes that can run the gamut style-wise.  Riesling can be dry with intense concentration and fairly high alcohol, or it can be sweet and delicate, with a low level of alcohol.  Riesling can also be still, sparkling or with such a high level of sugar as to be classified as a dessert wine.  Riesling often has the reputation of being a sweet wine, but this is truly not always the case.  Many Rieslings do have a discernable level of residual sugar which can help balance their high natural acidity.  But there are also a lot of dry Rieslings available and those from the French region of Alsace are a terrific example of the drier, more full-bodied style.  One other interesting fact about Riesling is that it rarely sees any time in new oak barrels.  Rather than impose aromas and flavors on it, those who make Rieslings tend to prefer to let the grape express its own natural character.

It is a toss-up question in the wine world these days whether the most hated grape is Merlot or Chardonnay. After the film Sideways, those of us who work in the wine industry watched with a bit of amazement at how quick wine drinkers were to embrace Pinot Noir and reject Merlot. I have to say, there is a lot of mediocre Merlot in the world. Merlot is a pretty easy grape to grow and it can be grown in regions that aren’t all that suited to it. All of that can make for Merlot that is pretty average and nondescript. That being said, in its defense, there is also a lot of very drinkable, enjoyable and lovely Merlot being made that shouldn’t be spurned.

And now, it appears that Chardonnay, Merlot’s counterpart in popularity, is starting to fall out of favor. Chardonnay, like Merlot, is also a grape that can grow in less than perfect conditions and still be made into fairly drinkable wine. But Chardonnay is also grown in some of the greatest vineyards in the world and can make exquisite wines. Unfortunately, the popularity of these grapes is also their downfall.

My hope though, is that maybe wine drinkers are starting to realize that not every Chardonnay and Merlot out there is the same. For the longest time, people have referred to these two wines as if all Chardonnay and all Merlot tasted the same. “I’ll have a Merlot” was a common phrase in a restaurant or a bar. The same with Chardonnay. Now, I’m hearing people say “oh, I hate Chardonnay, it’s too heavy.” Funny thing though, the same people who tell me they don’t like Chardonnay are big fans of Chablis – one of the regions famous for producing mineral, elegant Chardonnays.

I think, for us to be fair to Chardonnay and Merlot, we need to realize that these two grapes have been over-planted, but that that doesn’t mean we should give up on them. There are still places where these grapes are grown where they do produce wines of quality and distinctiveness. For instance, many people don’t realize that Chardonnay is the white grape of Burgundy and that Merlot is one of the major grapes used in the wines of Bordeaux. Both of these places are wonderful regions for these grapes and wine drinkers would do well to keep an open mind about Chardonnay and Merlot produced there.

There are a lot of wonderful grapes out there, and I encourage you to try all of them. But don’t turn away from Chardonnay and Merlot just because a movie tells you to – otherwise you’ll be missing out on some beautiful wines.

So, I read a headline on the news section of Decanter.com recently that cracked me up. “Parker: I enjoy cheap wine as much as you do.” The article goes on to say that Robert Parker, who is one of the world’s most influential and powerful wine critics, likes to drink $15 wine just like everyone else. I don’t know about you, but I don’t really consider $15 wine “cheap” – not in this economy, anyway. But it got me to thinking, why, exactly, is this news? There are so many great wines out there from all over the world, many of them priced at $15, why is it any surprise that Parker likes to drink them? We all like to drink them. Just because a wine is inexpensive, doesn’t mean that it isn’t a wine of good quality or a “serious” wine.

Price is a very interesting issue for wine. There are a lot of different things that go into the final price of the wine, everything ranging from the cost of growing the grapes to whether or not it saw any time in oak to the type of packaging (bottle, closure, etc) for the wine. Does price always equal quality? Definitely not. I think there are a lot of expensive wines out there that are not worth the money and a lot of inexpensive wines that are a real bargain.

I’ve always found that one of the things that keep wine drinkers from experimenting with finding good value wines is that figuring out which wines are worth buying and which wines aren’t, is tough. There are so many wines out there – it all becomes very overwhelming. Factor in confusing names and places, and well, it becomes easy to see why people tend to get comfortable with one grape or place and then not venture outside that type.

What’s the solution? Well, it is a mixture of things. The first is that you do need to experiment and try wines that you aren’t familiar with. One of the best ways I have found to do this is to have a group of friends over and have everyone bring a bottle of wine within a set price point, say all wines under $20. If everyone splits the cost, it is a great (and economical) way to try a bunch of new wines. The second thing to do is to find someone whose recommendations appeal to your palate. Maybe you like some of the wines that Robert Parker recommends. Maybe you’ve found that the wines I’ve recommended for the Wines of France Top Picks for Summer fit your tastes. There are a lot of websites out there with recommendations and suggestions that can be useful. Just search around until you find what you like. I promise you, there are a lot of great wines out there (and a lot of them under $15) to be found.

Lately, my husband and I have been trying to teach our 2 yr old son, Peter, about the joys of family dinners. As Peter is usually not so keen on my taking up most of the afternoon to make a full 3-course meal, family dinners have turned into an experiment for me to try and come up with a fast, kid-friendly, yet still adult-friendly meal. And, of course, it has to be something wine-friendly.

This year I decided that it would be a great idea to buy a share in a local farm. We became members of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA for short) program run by a local farm called Timberwood Organics. Each Thursday, Peter and I make a trip over to a local co-op and pick up our box of goodies. So far this spring we’ve eaten a lot of salad greens, kale, bok choi, spinach, strawberries and broccoli. Some of the produce that is included is stuff that I am (I will admit) not really used to cooking. But trying to figure out what to do with all the different veggies and greens is a lot of fun.

The CSA has become an important part of our family dinner nights. I figure it is a great way to introduce Peter (and us too, I guess) to a variety of different foods and flavors. And as he knows the whole routine we have about going to get the box and see what we have each week, he’s been a bit more interested in the food preparation when we get back to our kitchen. Not that this translates into a whole lot of extra time for food preparation – the meals still have to be pretty quick!

As it is still spring, one of the most prominent greens in our CSA box has been kale – and a lot of it. Several different types, in fact! So, I decided to search around for a recipe for kale that would be quick and easy and perfect for family dinner night. After a bit of hunting, I located a sausage and kale pasta dish. Luckily for me, the local farmers market also has a terrific purveyor of sausage, so I happened to have a bunch in the freezer as I tend to keep it on hand because Peter loves it (something that still amazes me).

It was a perfect meal for family night – quick, easy, pretty healthy, tasty and very wine- friendly. The hearty flavor of the kale and the spiciness of the sausage made me decide to reach for the Marc Kreydenweiss Perrières – a wine from my list that I really adore. It is from Costières de Nîmes in the Southern Rhone and is a blend of Carignan (50%), Syrah (25%) and Grenache (25%). It is a wine with a bit of earth, spice and meaty-ness to it – a perfect match with the sausage.

Next week we are going to be getting a bunch of snow peas from the CSA, so I have already starting thinking about what to do with those. If you have any fun (kid-friendly and fast) ideas, be sure to post and let me know.

I read a quote recently in an obituary about Robert Mondavi written by Linda Murphy that really struck me. Murphy quoted from Mondavi’s 1998 book, ‘Robert Mondavi: Harvests of Joy.’ ‘Wine to me is passion. It’s family and friends. It’s warmth of heart and generosity of spirit. Wine is art. It’s culture. It’s the essence of civilization and the Art of Living … When I pour a glass of truly fine wine, when I hold it up to the light and admire its color, when I raise it to my nose and savor its bouquet and essence, I know that wine is, above all else, a blessing, a gift of nature, a joy as pure and elemental as the soil and vines and sunshine from which it springs.’

I thought this was a beautiful way to describe wine – poetic and philosophical, but real at the same time. I’ve often found that this dichotomy – wine as a beverage and wine as a work of art - actually causes some problems for people. We find it hard to believe that wine can be both simple and inexpensive, and also complex and as pricy as a rare jewel. Wine can be the simple beverage that you put on your dinner table to enjoy with your meal (whatever it might be) and it can also be a complex, mysterious thing of real beauty.

And yet, I think that’s what always inspires me most about wine. That it is so multi-dimensional and yet so simple at the same time. That no matter how much you think you know, there is always something new to learn - whether it is about a new place, a new grape, or even just about your own likes and dislikes. I’ve often found that when people find out what I do for a living, their first impulse is to apologize to me and tell me that they like wine, but don’t know anything about it. But I think what Mr. Mondavi was so eloquently trying to tell us is that we don’t have to worry so much about what we know and don’t know, because wine is, just simply, a part of us. Every time we are sharing a bottle of wine with family and friends, we are learning. Every time we think about where wine comes from, we are learning. You can learn a lot about wine, or just a little, but either way, it is there to enjoy and savor.

Hi! Welcome to my blog! I’m so glad you decided to stop by. I have to tell you, I feel a little bit like a nervous teenager on a first date - I’ve never blogged before. When Wines of France told me that they wanted me to start a new Wines of France website with a blog, I was excited, but also a bit apprehensive. There are so many great wine blogs already out there, what would I be able to add that would be new and different?

Well, hopefully you will find me a useful resource for information about French wine and a fun place to stop by and visit. I’ve tried to make this as enjoyable and relaxing a site about wine as possible. I want you to feel comfortable poking around through all of the information about French wine. I’ve got my list of my top picks for Summer, a French Wine 101 classroom and even a virtual tasting room for you to explore.

So, maybe you want to know a little bit about me? I’m Sheri Sauter Morano, a Master of Wine and Spokesperson for Wines of France. I’ve been a wine education for a number of years now and will admit that I really love my job. I’m also a wife and mother, so when I’m not talking, teaching or writing about wine, I get to have a lot of fun chasing after a very busy (and non-sleeping) two year-old named Peter. Originally from New York, I now live in Durham, North Carolina, and yes, I love Duke basketball. I also love to garden and cook so I’ve also set up a section for foodies on the website. Bill (that’s my husband) and I are working hard these days to introduce Peter to as many foods as possible. Luckily for us, he seems to have accepted my rule that you can’t say no until you have tried at least one bite. Of course given that we have entered the lovely “terrible twos”, we’ll see how long that lasts!

I hope you stop by again soon – I’ll be updating the site as frequently as possible and I promise that I will have some fun stuff here that you won’t want to miss. Before you go, you might want to check out the “Ultimate French Wine Lover’s Sweepstakes.” This is the only place you can enter and the prize is out of this world! One lucky winner and a friend will get to spend six days each in Bordeaux and Burgundy helping with the harvest and making wine. I can’t think of a better prize! But you’d better hurry and enter soon - the sweepstakes ends July 13th.

I’ll see you back here soon!

Cheers,
Sheri