Wine in French

“La dégustation” has nothing to do with being disgusted or disgusting!  “La dégustation des vins” is all about wine tasting. If names like Côtes du Rhône, Beaune, Chablis, and Alsace bring a fond smile to your face, then you're in the right place!

It could be said that France traditionally held a monopoly on wine production and appreciation until the second half of the 20th century.  Currently, the French wine industry has to work very hard to compete with other leading edge technologies and successful award winning wine growers from all over the world.

As international wine mentors, all French wine producers are known by a distinct feature: their wines are labeled by their regions, not the type of grape.
 

A Château Margaux, to take a world class wine, is from south-west France and comes straight from a château in the Bordeaux region by the same name.
 

St Emilion is a village near Bordeaux, and is also the home of another “Grand Cru,” “great vintage,” Château Latour. 
 

“Guides gastronomiques,” “culinary guides ,” are enjoyed by “dégustateurs” ( wine tasters) from all over the world, every one of them written by fans of France’s rich legacy in wine.
 

Traditionally, expertise in “ the soil” (“le terroir”) and “ grapes” (“les raisins”) has always been the key to making good wines. However, it’s the name of the wine that underpins the unique philosophy of wine appreciation in France, and it is something that was in place way before branding came into vogue. 

The label continues to evoke and elevate a great wine’s status by specifying whether the wine is château produced and bottled “ mis en bouteille.” It gives the name of the producer’s property,  mentions the vintage year, and whether it has come from a strictly defined growing area, “ appellation contrôlée.”

I hope you enjoyed your lesson - happy wine tasting...

À bientôt!
Marie-Claire Rivière and the Rocket French Team