What's Going On in the World of French Wines

When we talk about the most important grape varieties in the wine world, there is no doubt that when it comes to red grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon is considered the King. Few grapes have proven as age-worthy, as consistently reliable and as downright delicious as Cabernet Sauvignon.

Thanks to work in the late 1990s by grape geneticist Dr. Carole Meredith and the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology, we can trace the origins of Cabernet Sauvignon to a chance meeting in a vineyard in Southwest France between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc that occurred sometime during the 17th century (sounds romantic, right?). Although there had been some speculation that Cabernet Sauvignon had more …

There are few grapes that are as complex and fascinating as Pinot Noir. I’ve often heard it said that there are very few winemakers out there who don’t consider it the Holy Grail of winemaking – making good Pinot Noir is a challenge. Unlike Chardonnay, Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir doesn’t seem to accept mediocrity well. It is a grape that is very demanding – some even call it the “Heartbreak Grape.”

What makes Pinot Noir so finicky? Well, for starters, it is a bit of a temperature sensitive grape. It prefers cooler climates and it tends to like limestone soils – two reasons why it does so well in Burgundy. It is also a …

Very few grapes have dominated the wine industry like the white grape known as Chardonnay. Almost no other grape seems to have the same name recognition or awareness. Many consider Chardonnay to be the “King” of the grape world, although in recent years there has been a movement afoot to challenge its global domination – you will find some wine lovers who live by the “ABC” code: anything but Chardonnay. Despite issues of over-planting and the fact that there is a lot of inferior Chardonnay out there on the market, Chardonnay remains a grape that we shouldn’t hesitate to put on a pedestal.

In some ways, Gamay is the Rodney Dangerfield of the grape world – all it wants is a little respect. For centuries, Gamay has struggled to be seen as a serious contender. In 1395 for example, Philip the Bold, duke of Burgundy, issued a decree that outlawed the use of Gamay in Burgundian wine. His reasoning was that Gamay was not suited to producing quality wines and that the vine yielded too many grapes.

Over the last 613 years though, it has become clear that while Gamay might not be suited to Burgundy, it is very much suited to the Beaujolais region, as well as several others. And while Gamay might not produce the world-class age-worthy …