Most days here at Harry's we on the wine staff taste wine. Some are good, some bad and our goal is to continue to learn more about wine, its regions, and of course, we are always looking for that next great wine to put on the shelf.
As each of us steps to the tasting table to run through the next line-up we try hard to approach it without preconceived opinions and we appreciate when the representative doesn't muddy the water with his or her own opinion while we are tasting. Typically we don't ask for the price point before we have done our own evaluation of the wine. While we discuss the merits of a given wine with the representative and amongst ourselves the comparison to France and its regions inevitably comes up. "This really tastes Burgundian" or "This wine reminds me of bordeaux". As I thought about it and became more conscious of it I suddenly realized how often it happens, not just once or twice a week but many times each day! Wine articals, co-workers, customers, and almost every rep that comes to the table makes a comparison to some French wine growing region, style or producer.
Why?...
What is the facination with France? Italy makes great wine, so does Spain and the United states! In fact there are many great wine growing regions, so why France?
I thought about it for awhile and here is what I came up with...
First of all, lets just admit it, France makes great wine. Not every year but in the great vintages France makes GREAT wine, incredible wine. I say this a bit reluctantly because I am an avid Italian wine fan and I believe the best wines actually are produced in Italy and not in France but let me stay focused for a minute.
When a comparison is made it is often but not always done in a complimentary way to France, "like a great Burgundy" for example. I think that the reason for that is that France found the balance. Are there great American wines? sure there are alot of them but the ones that are often compared are "American style" wines Big, oaky, fruit driven, low acidity, and high in alcohol. This is a generality of course, not all producers use this style but they are words often associated with American style or "New World" wines. Think about it for a second.... Other "New world" countries are Australia, Argentina, Chile, and New Zealand, (non-european) and they share some of the same generalities. There is one thing France has something in common with all of theses countries...
THEY ALL USE THE SAME GRAPES!
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and a couple others are from Bordeaux including Camenere (known as the lost grape of Bordeaux and now accepted as a flagship grape of Chile). Pinot noir and Chardonnay are from Burgundy. Sauvignon Blanc? Sancere and Bordeaux among other outlying areas, and Syrah? Grenache?... The Rhone Valley.
The big difference is often balance, when we compare Califorinia Chardonnay to White Burgundy the grape is the same but the style is not. California style means oaky, buttery and Burgundian is balanced, less woody and nuanced. When a Salesperson says this his intention is to let you know that the wine is "better" than many others in its category but it works the other way too. I had one rep tell me today the he wasn't a fan of "that vegetal Bordeaux style of Cabernet". It seems to me that if France is the cradle and caretaker of the Grapes we all recognize and drink, then more power to them. Everyone grows the grapes France does and in fact often graft particular vines for use in their own vineyards. France has worked for centuries to perfect the balance in wine and everyone else uses them as a barometer so good for them, they've earned their way and I am happy to congratulate them on their well earned comparisons.
Italy.... Now that is a different story. They use their own indigenious grapes and make world class wines that age forever, but how can anyone compare wines from other areas of the world to theirs? Does anyone else use Nebbiolo? Montepulciano, Dolcetto or Sagrantino? No!
And no one in the world makes more food friendly wines than the Itaians!
Uh oh, I feel a rant coming on, I had better wait until my next blog entry for this one, but in the mean time a tip of the cap to the french for guiding the way.
-Patrick
