French Wine:

Wine is often judged by the country from where they are produced. Any any Winning moment - be it Ferrari or World Cup or an Anniversary, The Champagne has been the ideal way to express happiness. France has been the the hot spot Wine Producer in Europe. Both Australian and French Wines are usually of Premium Value for Wine Lovers.

Though the below mentioned article published in an Indian Newspaper talks about the likely fall in French Wine Production, thees map clearly shows the places in France where specific varieties of Wine are produced. I believe Wine loves would love to know the places where these grapes are harvested and Wines are produced.

In the meantime, it is worth noting that French Wine Production may go down this year (2013). Hence Price may shoot up. Investing in Wine could be a good idea !!!

Wine Tourism in India

Indian wineries, like their Californian counterparts, are investing heavily in setting up the infrastructure to develop the vineyards as tourist destinations.
PUNE: It's not only wine but also wine tourism that is increasingly becoming popular in India. And to cash in on its growing popularity, Indian wineries, like their Californian counterparts, are investing heavily in setting up the infrastructure to develop the vineyards as tourist destinations.

There are two routes of wine tours in Maharashtra for the wine enthusiasts.

Nashik is the main hub of wine tourism with the popular vineyard of Sula Wines. But other wineries too have recently opened up their facilities for tourists.

According to industry sources, Chauteau D'ori, situated in Dindori taluka in Nashik district, will soon be opening up its wine tourism facilities. Vallonne Vineyards, the boutique winery near Igatpuri in Nashik, too has started wine tourism.

The York winery has plans to develop its vineyards into tourist place.

"We have definite plans of developing wine tourism in the future," said Ravi Gurnani, founder of the York winery.

The other route is along the Solapur highway with the Fratelli Wines at Akluj, having an Italian joint venture, recently throwing its four rooms open for wine tourists.

"We have started marketing of wine tourism from last month. Our guest house has four rooms but we can accommodate more people at our hotel in the neighbourhood. Currently, we conduct the tours on weekends," said Arjunsinh Mohite Patil, director, Fratelli Wines. Wine tourists are waiting for the opening up of the facilities of UB Group's Four Seasons winery in Baramati near Pune.

Most of the wineries have modern wine tasting facilities at the vineyards that help in promotion of wines, which still have a smaller consumption base in India.

Avijit Barman, founder, winetourindia.com, who conducts wine tours in Maharashtra and Karnataka, said that unlike the West, where elderly couple go for wine tours, it is the people in their 30s having small children, who are the main category of wine tourists here.

"Interestingly, women comprise 60% of the people who do online booking of wine tours," said Barman.

In Maharashtra, even the smaller wineries have set up accommodation and food facilities. However, wineries in Karnataka do not have these facilities. The Grover Zampa Vineyards at Nandi Hills near Bangalore and the smaller wineries around it are one route while smaller wineries near Mysore are the second route of wine tourism in Karnataka.

Though October to March has been the season of visiting vineyards, the seasonality is gradually waning.

"Barring harsh rains and summers, people enjoy wine tours almost round the year," said Avijit Barman.

Why do Indians prefer sparkling wine than champagne

... by Reshmi R Dasgupta

What do Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela have in common — apart from the obvious? Their choice of bubbly libation after their historic election victories, of course.

It was not champagne but a non-vintage sparkler from South Africa's Western Cape region, called Graham Beck Brut NV.

Naturally, its US sales zoomed soon after.

Last month, Sommelier India decided to launch the Women's Wine Circle in New Delhi with organic Ti AmoProsecco rather than a champagne.

It turned out to be an inspired choice.

The ladies — as is their wont — loved the light lusciousness of the flavour as much as the light lure of the price tag.

And there was no lightheadedness even after several glasses!

When in doubt go for sparkling wine

When it comes to value for money, there is indeed nothing to beat a carefully selected sparkling wine, even if sheer familiarity with names prompts people to veer towards Moet et Chandon or Louis Roederer.

The latter are great choices, but since I believe in the axiom, 'When in doubt, go for sparkling', only grande marques can prove to be an expensive habit! Even the most diehard champagne evangelists (and I do know several!) agree it is better to choose a good sparkling wine than bad champagne, in case the best-known labels are unavailable.

Getting them to admit that there is such a thing as bad champagne at all is tough, but they do exist and cause that inevitable headache or acidity apres coup....

Standard non-vintage marque labels are safe bets

Though standard non-vintage grand marque labels are safe bets, there is sparkle beyond champagne, even in France.

The very existence of cremant or mousseux sparkling wines, in fact, points to the popularity of this style, though production methods may differ.

There is clearly something irresistible about fizzy drinks — alcoholic or otherwise.

Attention to detail

The effervescence of good sparkling wines complements most of the strong flavours we Indians prefer, regardless of cuisine.

That they are served cold only enhances their appeal in our predominantly warm climes.

Perfectly chilled bubbly is a far better idea than ice cubes in tepid white or red wine — an unfortunate 'trend' that has vocal supporters in the west and India.

Being something of a purist, I baulk at the idea of quaffing copious amounts of say, a Salon Le Mesnil or even Dom Perignon, with a slap-up Indian or Chinese meal even if I could afford it.

Their complexities deserve greater attention.

If the idea were to drink something with food from these culinary regions, I would always go for a good sparkling wine.

And there are a whole lot of reasonably priced bubblies out there; enough of them, in fact, to bolster the idea that they are not only for "occasions".

Grapes form backbone of sparkling wines

There's Prosecco, Asti, Franciacorta and red Lambrusco from Italy, Sekt from Germany and Cava from Spain, the last of which I was reintroduced to recently at the Spanish embassy in New Delhi.

The major New World wine producing areas also have their versions, from 'California Champagne' to South Africa's Methode Cap Classique sparklers, besides Australia's fizzies from Tasmania and the Yarra Valley, and South American bubblies.

Interest in them is somewhat academic here in India due to availability, but keep them in mind when travelling abroad.

The charm of going beyond the classic Champenois combination of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with a dash of Pinot Meunier lies in the fact that other grapes form the backbone of sparkling wines, which means a more diverse flavour profile.

Also, the all-important second fermentation for the bubbles is often done in the vats rather than in bottles.

Sweetness test

Prosecco is made from a grape of the same name (also called Glera), Asti from the Moscato Bianco, Sekt from Riesling and other varietals and Spanish Cava from Macabeo, Parellada and Xarello grapes.

Interestingly, Franciacorta from Italy uses the same three grapes as champagne but soil and climate variations ensure a very different sparkling wine! That said, all sparkling wines are graded according to an ascending order of sweetness: Brut Natural, Brut, Extra Dry, Sec, Demi-Sec and Doux.

Natural is the driest — which means no sugar or dosage was added after the yeast sediment was disgorged from the bottle.

Market for sparkling wines in India is minuscule

At the other end of the scale, Doux can have more than 50 gm of residual sugar per litre! Sparkling wine, including champagne, used to be mostly sweet in the early days to mask acidic undertones.

The current reign of the dry 'Brut' bubbly, however, can be ascribed to the preference of the British market for that less sugary style and ultimately the world has followed suit.

At about 94,000 cases, the sparkling wines market in India is still minuscule, and we have our Omar Khayyam, Sula Brut and more.

But what more endorsement of the growing popularity of sparkling wine can there be than the fact that champagne biggie Moet-Hennessy will launch its 'Indian' bubbly Chandon from Nashik this year?

 

“Champagne: A Global History” : by Becky Sue Epstein

Ever wonder why we celebrate New Year’s Eve with champagne? The answer dates back at least 1,500 years. And it involves a mix of history, location and -- not least -- skillful marketing.

In the late fifth century, King Clovis, the reigning monarch of northern France, was fighting to defend his territory. Legend has it that he promised his wife, the Burgundian princess Clotilde, that if he won his next battle, he would convert to Christianity. He won, and in 496 he was baptized in a church in the city of Reims, in the heart of France’s Champagne region.

For centuries afterward, kings of France were crowned in Reims, eventually at a great cathedral built there. Before trains and cars, trekking out to Reims was a major undertaking. So, after a coronation, the royal court would linger in the Champagne region for a while, and partake of the local wines.

In the Middle Ages, the wine world was very different from what it is today. Like other agricultural products, wine was commonly consumed within a year after it was produced. Grapes were harvested and fermented for a few weeks, then exported during the fall and winter, usually shipped in barrels. The wines of Champagne at the time were “still,” not effervescent as champagne is today.

 

Fizzy Wine

As the trade picked up over the centuries, and more and more wine was exported, sometimes new barrels weren’t opened until spring -- when the wine inside would be fizzy. This happened because the yeasts that had been fermenting the wine went dormant when the cold weather arrived in the fall. As the weather warmed, the yeasts “woke up” and started consuming the grape sugars left in the wine. Alcohol is one of the byproducts of yeasts fermenting grape juice. Another is carbon dioxide, the same stuff that carbonates soda. When fermentation occurs in a closed container, the carbon dioxide infuses the liquid and forms sparkling wine.

Although this process was happening in other wine regions, Champagne had several advantages. Its major towns were located on rivers at a time when water was the shipping highway of the world. And the region supplied wine not only to the French court in Paris but also to England and Holland -- coastal areas too far north to grow their own grapes -- where sparkling wine was gaining in popularity.

Enter the famous monk Dom Perignon, at the end of the 17th century. Perignon didn’t actually “invent” champagne, but he improved the quality of his abbey’s vineyards and its wine. As demand for effervescent wine grew, he began packaging the product in bottles, helping to maintain its sparkle. He also figured out how to stopper the bottles with corks, and how to secure the corks with string.

In 1728, King Louis XV, a champagne fan, decreed that only Champagne’s wines could be shipped in bottles; other French wines were to be shipped in barrels. This made it possible for Champagne’s merchants to reliably deliver sparkling wine to their customers. At the time, quite a bit of champagne was consumed at the French court. In addition to being fun, it was considered a light and beneficial beverage.

Seeing a ready market, merchants in Champagne began switching over from wool, cloth and other local commodities to sparkling wine.

It wasn’t easy. Champagne’s complicated production and aging methods, along with variable glass quality, meant that a great deal of wine was often wasted. Many cellar workers also suffered injuries or even death when they were hit by exploding bottles, or slipped on the rivers of champagne created when blocks of stacked bottles shattered in underground aging caverns. The early producers who succeeded probably were more lucky than careful.

They were also relentless marketers. With champagne known to please the courts of France and England, producers began promoting their sparkling wines in the other major cities of Europe -- even going as far as Russia and the U.S.

 

Aspirational Beverage

At first, royal favor made champagne an easy sell to the nobility. But with the rise of industrialization in the 19th century, the nobles were no longer guaranteed to be the wealthiest consumers. Champagne producers dangled their products in front of the newly rich merchant class: an aspirational beverage. Of course, these new customers couldn’t afford to drink champagne every day, but they could afford it on special occasions. Soon they began ordering it for all celebrations. Champagne became de rigueur at festivities from weddings to ship christenings -- to ringing in the New Year.

New Year’s Eve celebrations probably originated millennia ago as religious ceremonies, part of solstice rituals. And associating drink with religious observances has endured as a tradition since pagans made offerings to their gods with a special mead or wine. Over the ensuing centuries, as New Year’s Eve evolved from a religious festivity to a secular one, the concept of a drink fine enough for the gods became intertwined with champagne’s reputation as a celebratory extravagance. And that reputation is what champagne marketers continue to offer. The drink’s status has been maintained for centuries by intentional association with opulence.

Plus, it’s fun. We enjoy seeing the froth of the wine as it fills our glass, and we delight in watching the magically renewing bubbles as we drink. Champagne tingles on the tongue, and its fizz seems to carry aromas and flavors straight to our heads.

Even so, people rarely drink too much champagne. In addition to price considerations, it’s not easy to consume bubbles fast -- except, perhaps, on New Year’s Eve.

(Becky Sue Epstein is the author of “Champagne: A Global History” and an editor at Intermezzo Magazine and the Tasting Panel.To contact the writer of this article: Becky Sue Epstein, email  at Becky@BeckySueEpstein.com)