What's Going On in the World of French Wines

There are few wine regions that have a more interesting “founding” story than that of Champagne. While there is a great deal of evidence to indicate that the story of the sparkling wine of Champagne being invented by Dom Pérignon, a monk at the Abbey of Hautvillers, is not true, the idea that he was responsible does persist to this day. Legend holds that Dom Pérignon discovered a bottle of wine in which a second fermentation had taken place which had produced carbon dioxide and cried out to his fellow monks, “come quick Brothers, I am drinking the stars!” While we know that this was not what happened, it does much to illustrate the certain “Hollywood” quality …

Recently I had the pleasure of spending some time with Wine Internet Superstar Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV. I have to admit, I really had no idea how the interview was going to go – but when it was all said and done, this interview definitely ranks at the top of my list. I hope you enjoy listening to our chat and be sure to check out what happens at the end of the interview when I challenge Gary to a cork drop game!

To watch the interview, click here or press the play button on the video at the top right corner

While many people are aware that Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are two of the grapes used to make Champagne, few people know that there is a third grape that is typically used in the blend: Pinot Meunier.

Pinot Meunier has a fairly interesting history. Meunier is the French word for miller – a person who grinds grain into flour. The underside of the leaves of this grape can look as if they have been coated with flour, thus the name “Meunier.” You might be wondering if Pinot Meunier is related to Pinot Noir and in fact, Pinot Meunier is a mutation of Pinot Noir, so the two grapes do share some things in common. …