“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of being well-preserved, but to skid sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, still screaming, ‘Whoo what a ride!’ “- Theresa Hollis A favorite weekend adventure at the Roberts’ house is …
A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing and mojito is in your hand.” – Bar Refaeli Labor Day in America signals the end of summer. School starts, public pools close and extended families gather for barbeques. Pool parties …
Day 2 was a fantastic wrap up to the conference! I learned more technically and mastered Speed Blogging for red wines on Day 2. Lunch was fantastic at a local restaurant with Regina Jackson with Corks and Cuvee – My Wine Life and Kerry Boenisch of Dirt Vine Wine. I am really looking forward to future collaborative blogging activities with my fellow conference attendees.
Enjoy the slideshow that I’ve included with this blog! Lodi, California is a beautiful place and I encourage you to put this as destination on your next trip.
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WOW!!! There is no better word to describe Day 1 in beautiful Lodi, CA at the Wine Blogger’s Conference. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Lodi, it is located an hour and a half northeast of San Francisco. Lodi is steeped in agricultural …
“The world looks better through Rosé coloured glasses.” – Sideroad Twenty Colors My recent travels took me to an area of San Jose known as Santana Row. Santana Row is a fun mixed-development complex with shopping, dining, office, apartments and the Vintage Wine Bar. During …
“Give me books, French wine, fruit, fine weather and a little music played out of doors by somebody I do not know.” – John Keats
The region of Bordeaux is best known for its hearty red wines including Cabernets and Merlots that hail from Médoc, Graves and Pomerol. 80 – 90% of the wines produced in Bordeaux are red. Tucked in the southernmost region of Bordeaux is a vast expanse of forested land known as Entre-Deux-Mers. The appellation for this region offers us a different focus with it’s white wines taking the lead in sales and recognition. Today I will highlight an excellent wine for the summer, Château La Rose de Vitrac.
Château La Rose de Vitrac is a blend of Sémillion and Sauvignon Blanc. This white blend has a surprisingly light taste in comparison with other whites from the Bordeaux region.
PositiveVines‘ HelpfulTip: Appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical area that is used to identify where the grapes for a particular wine were grown.
Château La Rose de Vitrac starts with a light melon taste with hints herbs and lemon flavors rounding out the experience. It is a zesty wine that is an excellent value at $8-$9 a bottle. Don’t let the low price make you think that this isn’t a quality wine. This is a great every day drinking wine that you don’t have to break the bank to enjoy. You can find it in a variety of wine and spirits stores. It pairs nicely with fish, fruit and cheeses. Be sure to try this one. It may become a summer favorite!
“It’s a smile, it’s a kiss, it’s a sip of wine… it’s summertime!” –Kenny Chesney With Memorial Day hailing the unofficial start of summer in the U.S., I would like to share a review of a crisp Sauvignon Blanc. Groth’s Sauvignon Bland utilizes Sémillon grape …
“I could probably die happy with a cheeseboard and a glass of French red wine – that’s my idea of a perfect dinner.” – Deidre O’Kane Red wine blends have grown in popularity throughout the U.S. The same enthusiasm is seen in French wines. One that …
“Give me books, French wine, fruit, fine weather and a little music played out of doors by somebody I do not know.” – John Keats
We’ve talked over the past few months about Cabernet Sauvignons, Chardonnays and many other varietal types of wine. The good majority of my blogs have focused on California wineries and vineyards. Today – I’d like to expand your knowledge or wines and wine labeling by discussing French wines.
You may wonder what makes wines from France that much different than those from California or Oregon or even New York state. Many parts of the US, Chile, Span and other countries produce exceptional wines. Besides the legend of French wines, you will notice a difference in the labeling.
French wines are labeled by the production region. Some of the most noteworthy are Champagne, The Rhône and Bordeaux. Two-thirds of the wines produced in France are reds.
France has a set of complex wine laws designed to protect the integrity of the industry. In 1935 the INAO was created to set up a system of ratings and controls. These are known as the AOC (Appellation d’origine contrôlée).
PositiveVines ‘HelpfulTip: AOC translates into controlled designation of origin. AOC is used to regulate production and sales of wine, cheeses, butters and other agricultural products in France.
AOC labeling is complex, so today I’ll give you the highlights contained on each label –
What is important to remember is that you need to read the labels carefully in order to determine the grape varietals included in each bottle. Wine stores stock these wines by the country and whether a bottle is a white or red. In some cases varietal type is included such as Cabernet Sauvignon.
During the next 3 months, I’ll write blogs that feature reasonably priced wines from each of the major wine producing regions of France. I will also further explore the complex wine labeling system to help you identify French wines that you may want to try. My goal is to target bottles that cost less than $25 and with excellent quality. While many of the best French wines are considerably more expensive, my goal is to keep things Positively affordable!
“Wine is sunlight held together by water…” Galileo Gallilei Most areas in the U.S. are starting to heat up with above average temperatures and the arrival of spring on March 20th. Throwing a steak on the grill after work or on the weekend is a …