Within the last decade, the French wine market has been gradually declining. Consumers seem to be more excited about all of the "New Age" wines out there from Chile, Argentina, Australia, California. From the "Old World", Spain has even reinvented itself and has been doing wonders with Tempranillo. People always love the sweet wines from Germany. Italian varietals are still going strong. For some reason, French wines have been lost in the shadows. Some consumers don't buy because they assume good French wine is expensive or the label is confusing.
Here's a tip... all of these varietals you see from the "New World" wines were initially established in France. These winemakers know what they are doing."Shiraz" from Australia is the same thing as Syrah and tastes amazing from the Rhone Valley in France. In fact, if Shiraz is too intense for you, try a French blend from this region. They generally take Syrah and add Grenache to balance the wine out. Syrah can be a very full bodied, jammy wine and the Grenache adds a black cherry component that can soften the wine. Bordeaux blends are generally a combination of Cabernet and Merlot with a few other smaller varietals like Malbec and Petit Verdot. White wines can also be great values and are generally a blend of grapes as well. Loire Valley makes great blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc. I think these wines also have a great balance of citrus and herby flavors. Recently I have had a Colombard and Ugni Blanc blend from Southern Rhone with a nice hint of lemon that pairs perfectly with salmon. All of these wines listed below are perfect food wine. Hosting a dinner party? Red varietals are perfect for end of summer barbecues and when the weather starts to cool off. White varietals are refreshing for a hot day but will pair perfectly with fish year round.
Many winemakers from France have started putting the varietals on the front label to make it easier on consumers. Twist caps are more prevalent in the market and provide a quality control method against spoilage that can be caused from defective corks. French wine truly has become more user friendly and most importantly creates an unbelievable value for the economy we are in.
Wines worth trying that retails at $10 or less: Chateau Teyssier Bordeaux blend, Plume Bleu Rhone blend, Cuvee Jean Paul Rouge and Blanc Rhone blends
Too often consumers think of French wine as the famous -and expensive Bordeaux or Burgundy estates. There are plenty of great values from every region. I think for someone learning about wine, the more restrained style of many French wines offer a great contrast to many New World styles
ReplyDelete... but you pay for quality. New World wines are more competitive than French wines but in my opinion, nothing compares to a good bottle of Bordeaux.
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