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Vive la France!

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Vintages Feature Story

It’s nearly impossible to talk about France without mentioning wine, and vice versa. Many characteristics of the wines we love exist thanks to French ingenuity, culture, history, and technological advancements. Join us as we explore the country’s best: Bordeaux’s iconic reds, the floral rosés of Provence, crisp Chablis whites, the famously rich sparklers of Champagne and more. There’s a little something for everyone in France, so raise a glass and cry “santé!”


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Red alert

Countless figures throughout history have enjoyed and romanticized French reds, from Salvador Dalí’s surrealist meditations on the wines of Bordeaux in his book Les Vins de Gala du Divin to Ernest Hemingway stating, “If I had all the money in the world, I would drink Cahors and water.” Though every corner of France makes red wines, those of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Côtes du Rhône are considered the crème de la crème of French quality, beloved by everyone for their exquisite properties that run all along the light-to-heavy spectrum.

Burgundy specializes in the thin-skinned varieties Pinot Noir and Gamay. Burgundian Pinot tends to be floral and earthy, while their Gamay is fruity and easygoing. These are wines designed for roast chicken or mushroom risotto. Bordeaux deftly balances the thick-skinned, heavier grapes of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. The broad-shouldered Bordelais blends offer a nuanced, complex bouquet of aromas thanks to extensive ageing in oak barrels and fare well with steak au poivre or black-bean burgers. Côtes du Rhône focuses on firm, boisterous wines made from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Noted for their spicy, meaty character, these wines pair wonderfully with rack of lamb or eggplant lasagna.



White knights

France is a master class on the importance of origin, which is why they created the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system. Developed in 1924 and put into law in 1935, the AOC system was designed to protect the consumer from fraudulent bottles and assure a level of quality to be expected from the stated region.

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Take Chablis, which is one of the finest Chardonnay-producing regions in the world. Chablisien wines are light, crisp, steely, and laced with fine minerality thanks to the area’s Kimmeridgian soils, which are composed of ancient seashell, limestone, and marl. This makes a nicely chilled glass of Chablis the perfect match for sushi or the traditional pairing of escargots. Or how about Alsace? Famous for its architecture, the region is a mosaic of complex soils and sports both German and French varieties such as Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Blanc. These wines make an excellent accompaniment to a garden salad topped with goat cheese. These familiar grapes are found all over the world, and France shows us it’s their origin, their terroir, that makes them so fascinating, wherever they plant their roots.


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Think pink


Colour in wine is caused by contact with the grape skin. After crushing, the fermenting grape juice will be left with the skins for days to extract colour, flavour, tannins, and other qualities. Rosé is made by shortening the time of skin contact, usually to only 4-12 hours. A good winemaker knows il faut battre le fer tant qu’il est chaud (you must strike while the iron is hot). 

 

Timing is everything in rosé winemaking. Though rosé is made all over the world and can be made from nearly any red grape, the rosés from the South of France are considered the benchmark of quality and are made from a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault and Mourvèdre. Rosé’s elegance is best enjoyed on the beach, preferably with BBQ shrimp skewers or a salade niçoise, which is why the regions of Provence and Languedoc are ideal for making rosé. Bordering the Mediterranean Sea, these regions emulate that vacation-by-the-beach feeling and craft light, delicate rosés to accompany it, offering aromas of grapefruit, watermelon, strawberry, jasmine oil and lavender.



Sparkling personalities

Believe it or not, bubbles in wine were considered a fault in the 17th century. Still wines were the expectation from notable regions like Champagne and Burgundy, but winemakers at the time were determined to harness the power of bubbles to their advantage. Vouloir, c’est pouvoir (where there’s a will, there’s a way), as they might say. 

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After innovative Benedictine monks perfected the méthode champenoise (traditional method), sparkling wine became the most desired wine of the nobility. Many regions around France have since adopted or altered this method to craft their own sparkling wines, called Crémant: Bordeaux crafts lush sparklers made with Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, Burgundy makes fruity wine from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and Alsace creates aromatic bubbly with Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois. French sparkling’s brisk acidity and rich texture are great for celebrations, but what truly makes this beloved wine style so incredible is its flexibility to go with virtually any meal. And we do mean virtually any meal; from baked fish with lemon juice to fried chicken and waffles to salty potato chips, the possibilities with sparkling wine are endless.


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WOMEN IN WINE
Solicantus: Uprooted, uplifted.

Breaking into an industry that has thousands of years of history, dynasties and châteaux is no easy feat. It’s even harder when you’re a woman and a person of colour native to a country that doesn’t specialize in wine.

Despite all that, nothing deterred Namratha Prashanth’s entrepreneurial spirit. Prashanth was always passionate about wine (she had learned about wine and viticulture through her college hospitality program), but life had other plans. She was in the predicament of being married into a staunchly traditionalist, patriarchal household that stunted her growth.

After leaving her situation and moving to Bordeaux, finding work was difficult. She learned all about wine-growing and harvest as an apprentice for Château Siran in the Médoc.

Later, she learned to make wine under the wing of Château Bel-Air La Royère winemaker Corinne Chevrier-Loriaud, who allowed a few of her parcels of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec to be used for Prashanth’s own wine.

The pair created Solicantus: a celebration of terroir, harmony, determination and perseverance.

“Today I have no regrets. Everything has made me stronger as a woman. The reward for me of this work is to empower women.” (Namratha Prashanth, quoted in Forbes, July 13, 2020)

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