IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
Department of Apparel, Events & Hospitality Management
HRI 383 Introduction to Wine, Beer & Spirits
Lecture #03
French White Wines by Region
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French wine regions, styles & grapes:
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Wine Regions & Styles Major Grapes
Champagne sparkling wine Pinot Noir
Pinot Meunier
Chardonnay
Alsace mostly white Riesling
Pinot Gris
Gewrztraminer
Burgundy white Chardonnay
red Pinot Noir
Gamay (Beaujolais)
Loire Valley mostly white Sauvignon Blanc
Chenin Blanc
Melon
red
Cabernet Franc
=sun with more heat
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Wine Regions & Styles Major Grapes
Bordeaux white Sauvignon Blanc
Smillon
red Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Franc
Ctes du Rhne mostly red Syrah
Grenache
+11 lesser reds & whites
limited ros & white
Languedoc-Roussillon white Sauvignon Blanc
Chardonnay
red Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon
Provence limited white with red & Syrah
ros blends Grenache
=sun with more heat
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Four major regions of white French table wine:
Alsace
Loire Valley
Bordeaux
Burgundy
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1. Alsace (92% white):
Cooler, more northerly, shorter growing season
Heavily influenced by German wine making:
Similarities are:
Linked by history, climate & topography
Grape varietals grown
Very high % white wines
Named grape variety on label
Not aged in wood
Bottle style & glass color
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Dissimilarities are:
Laws (AOC)
Dryer, crisper, fresher, cleaner & lighter
(i.e. not sweet)
Higher alcohol levels:
French 11-12% vs. Germany 8 - 9%
Grape varietals ~ grown:
Riesling (Johannisberg) ~ 22%
Gewrztraminer ~ 19%
Pinot Blanc ~ 21%
Pinot Gris ~ 15%
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Wine ngociant or wine shipper:
Buy, produce, bottle & market wines
Many small vineyards = more shipper wines
Shipper label Rserve & Rserve Personelle
Carry no legal definition (AOC)
Based only on reputations of shipper name label
Shippers blend & establish vintage years
Alsace wines do not benefit from long aging
They are generally drunk young; 1 to 5 years
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2: Loire Valley (55% white):
Generally white wine
Some ros w/ limited red
Whites almost always dry
Wine lees before fining (filtering)
Little to no aging in wood barrels
Sur lie or bottle aging on lees
Residual dead yeast & other particles
Adds freshness, creaminess,
color & clarity to the wine
Wine from the Muscadet region that has been aged sur lie
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White grape varietals:
Sauvignon Blanc
Chenin Blanc
Melon
Wines vary by sub-regions:
Pouilly-Fum (smoke): Dry full bodied,
concentrated wine made from Sauvignon blanc
Sancerre: Sauvignon blanc with a dry & balanced
body between Muscadet & Pouilly-Fum
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Muscadet: Dry, citrus, very light bodied wine
made from Melon grape
Vouvray: Dry-to-sweet from Chenin Blanc
Anjou: Dry to semi-dry white & ros wines
Loire wines are drunk young; aging based on
body & level of sweetness:
Sancerre: 1-2 years
Muscadet: 2-3 years
Pouilly-Fum: 3-5 years
Vouvray: Sweet +3-5 years
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3. Bordeaux (11% white):
Generally dry but some dessert wines
Some limited wood aging
White grape varietals:
Smillon
Sauvignon Blanc
Muscadelle
- sweet & perfumed
Chteau = vineyard + building to make/store wine
Wines (both white & red) vary by the sub-
regions or areas due to soils & micro-climates
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Graves (Pessac-Lognan):
Dry, full bodied, blends of
Smillon & Sauvignon Blanc
Entre-Deux-Mers:
Dry, crisp, wine made from
Smillon, Sauvignon Blanc
& Muscadelle grapes
Sauternes & Barsac:
Aged, sweet dessert wine;
from late harvested raisinate
Sauvignon blanc & Smillon
grapes infected with Botrytis cinerea or noble rot
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4. Burgundy (% whites vary greatly by area):
Burgundy is a French region, not a color
Dry wines
Generally light in body vs. USA
Grape variety: Chardonnay for all white Burgundies
Light wood aging in the best wine
Adds oak flavor & tannin
Increases body & aging ability
Burgundy is known equally well for
both high quality white & red wine.
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Wine sub-regions or areas:
Chablis: 99% white, light,
dry, green hued, crisp &
minerals, $$-$$$
Cte d Or: Named for their
hills of golden grape vines
Cte de Beaune: 30% white,
best quality & priced, $$$+++
Cte de Nuits: 5% white, $$$++
Cte Chlonnaise: 40% white,
lesser known area, dry, great quality & value, $$$
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Mconnais: 85% white:
Light, dry, pleasant, reliable,
uncomplicated & good
Value, Mcon Blanc, $
to Pouilly-Fuiss, $$-$$$
Beaujolais: <1% white:
known for light, fruity,
low tannin, red wine, $-$$
The picturesque vineyards of Chablis, France
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Classification levels & price:
I. Grand Cru: from a named best vineyard
No village needs to be is listed) $$$+++
II. Premier Cru: vineyard + named best village $$$+
III. Village: only the name of best village $$
IV. Area, sub-region, or region only listed $$-$
V. Country & Color only
i.e. French blanc/white wine
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French Wine Standards:
National set of wine laws established in 1935
Set minimum standards by wine producing area
Include requirements for:
Geographic origin
Grape varietals
Minimum alcohol levels
Vineyard management
Aging
Other winemaking practices
Updated in 1979: Nontraditional grape blending,
region & labeling for export market
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French Wine Standards:
A - Appellation (area)
$$$$ O - d Origin
1/3 C - Contrlle
AOC + VDQS
$$$ V - Vin
1% D - Dlimit
Q - de Qualit
S - Suprieure
Vins de Pays:
$$ Wines made under
1/3 relaxed standards*
$ Vins de Table:
1/3 Frances everyday table or jug
wine which is generally not exported
