Champagne's Unusual Way of Pricing Grapes

                                 Champagne's grape pricing system began in the early 1900's

Did you know that the cost of grapes in the Champagne district is totally dependent upon a quality rating system based upon the village in which they are grown?  Let me explain this fascinating system used in the Champagne appellation to determine how much certain grapes are worth.

Overview of Champagne Region

The Champagne region actually begins about 75 miles east of Paris.  It is quite a large geographic area (90 miles north - south, by 70 miles east - west).  Moreover, the Champagne appellation has 318 different villages that grow grapes for the world’s most coveted bubbly.  Each village has been given a quality rating and the price of the village’s grapes are dependent upon this.

           The mountain of Reims has several villages classified as either Grand Cru or Premier Cru

Quality $ystem

Think of the Champagne vineyard rating like a ladder with 3 rungs.   The top rung composes grapes from the 17 Grand Cru designated villages.   The middle rung includes grapes from the 44 Premier Cru villages.  On the bottom rung are the grapes of the remaining 257 villages.  

Each year the price of grapes is determined by the CIVC (Comite Interprofessioanl de Vins de Champagne), a joint trade association representing both the grape growers and Champagne makers.  Once the annual price is established here’s how the three parts of the ladder are paid:

~  Grand Cru villages are paid 100% of the price

~ Premier Cru villages are paid 90-99% of the price

~ The remaining villages are paid 80-89% of the price

                          Wine-Knows' Champagne, Burgundy & the Rhone trip is sold out

If you’re one of the fortunate participants of this September’s trip, you will actually be hosted by the CIVC trade organization for a private seminar and tasting.  Additionally, you will be visiting Champagne makers with Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards.

Toasting all a healthy 2024! 

 

White & Red Burgundy

Burgundy is a tiny wine district just 200 miles south of Paris.  Producing a mere two or three percent of France’s total wine, this small region is a behemoth among oenophiles.   Indeed, Burgundy has a hugely loyal following among the world’s most serious wine lovers.  And, both the white and the red are at the pinnacle for many wine aficianados.

Chardonnay is the most widely planted grape in Burgundy, accounting for about half of the total grape production.  If it’s a white Burgundian wine, it is Chardonnay (the only exception is a small production of a very simple white wine made from the Aligoté grape which is often used in Burgundy’s sparkling wine production).  White Burgundies are for many the Holy Grail, however, few can afford the astronomical prices.   In an article on The Top 5 Most Expensive White Wines in the World, a walloping four of them were white Burgundies.  They ranged in price from $5,923 to a mere $1,257 a bottle.

White Burgundy has a cult following.   These Chardonnays, unlike many others in the New World, have a complex minerality.   As all of Burgundy was an ancient inland seabed 70 million years ago, the petrified remains of sea creatures in these resulting limestone soils, can greatly influence the wine’s mineral-like nuances.  Moreover, Burgundy’s Chardonnay is very different from the warmer climate Chardonnay of places like California.  White Burgundy is all about austerity with high acidity and subtle citrus and apple flavors and aromas.  Warm climate Chars tend to be more New World in style: malolactic fermentation (to soften the acidity), oak influences of vanilla and butter, along with ripe fruit flavors like pineapple and tropical fruits.

Red Burgundies are no slouch by any means.  Like their white counterparts, they are also made entirely from just one grape.  If it’s a Red Burgundy, it was made from Pinot Noir.  Also, like White Burgundy, Red Burgundy has achieved rock-star status among the world’s connoisseurs.  By the way:  Pinot Noir never appears on any bottle of wine in Burgundy.  That’s because people know that if it’s red and made in Burgundy, it can only be Pinot Noir.  (The same for Chardonnay…you will never see the varietal’s name anywhere on the Burgundian bottle). 

Like White Burgundy, Red Burgundy is more restrained in its style when compared to the New World Pinots.  Burgundian Pinot is about elegance and subtlety.  In contrast, New World Pinots are all about the fruit (which, by the way, is usually fully ripe which accounts for their more fruit-forward flavors and high alcohols.)  Red Burgundies are prized by serious wine-lovers for these differences.

Wine-Knows has just two spots available on its trip to Burgundy this June.  Come learn about both White and Red Burgundies at their birthplace at some of the region’s super-star producers.   http://www.wineknowstravel.com/burgundy-champagne/

Michelin Buys Robert Parker

The giant Michelin Tire empire (who also owns the prestigious Michelin restaurant guides), just announced its purchase of 40% of Robert Parker’s renown Wine Advocate and its website RobertParker.com.   Parker, who founded the publication in 1978, sold it in 2012 to a group of Singapore investors. 

Robert Parker’s reviews and ratings help make or break wineries all over the world, as well as set global wine prices.  An East Coast attorney by trade, Parker left the legal world in 1984 to concentrate full-time on rating wine.  France awarded him the Legion of Honor in 1999 to recognize his unprecedented impact on French wine.  Although he is no longer the Editor of the powerful publication he birthed, Parker is still considered the most powerful wine critic on the globe. 

The marriage of the Wine Advocate and Michelin will surely effect the international culinary scene.  Just how is yet to be known, however, the two have been partnering for the last year to produce gastronomic events in Singapore.

Carmenere---Cabernet’s Ancestor

           Wine Knows had a private dinner at the top of this mountain, birthplace of Purple Angel

I’m in Chile with a group of Wine-Knows.  We’ve been drinking a lot of their Carmenere varietal and I’m falling in love with it all over again.  For those who don’t know Carmenere, it was brought to Chile in the 19^th century by the French.  At the time it was a popular grape planted throughout Bordeaux and was reputed to have produced excellent wines.  But, the phylloxera bug wiped out most all of the vineyards in Europe in the late 1800’s.  Bordeaux replanted with Cabernet and Merlot as the Carmenere grape was difficult to ripen. 

Carmenere was thought to be extinct until it was “discovered” in Chile in the 1990’s by a French team of scientists who visited Chile.   The French researchers were troubled by the appearance and character of the Chilean Merlot grape.  DNA analysis revealed that much of Chile’s Merlot was in fact the “lost” Carmenere grape from Bordeaux.

Genetic research shows that Carmenere is an early ancestor of Cabernet Sauvignon.  It shares many of the flavors of Cabernet:  red fruit, chocolate, tobacco and leather.  On the other hand, Carmenere’s tannins are far softer than Cab Sauvignon, making Carmenere much more approachable when young than Cabernet.

Carmenere means "crimson" in French, so it's no surprise that its color is a deep crimson.  In addition to a less tannic structure, Carmenere also offers another element I particularly enjoy:  spiciness!   Moreover, it also offers herbaceous notes (most often green bell pepper).  Both of these nuances mean that Carmenere pairs well with international dishes such as Mexico’s molé, Middle Eastern lamb prepared with mint, spicy Cuban-style roast pork, as well as Italy’s veal piccata (briny capers, lemon and garlic).  In short, Carmenere is a very versatile food wine.

If you haven’t experienced Carmenere you should.  If you’re ready to splurge, there’s none better than Montes’ Purple Angel which will set you back $60-70, but this is a world-class version of Carmenere by one of Chile’s most revered producers.  Montgras, on the other hand, served Wine-Knows a fabulous price/quality ratio last week (available in the US for about $15).

This “lost” varietal needs to found!  I highly recommend that you pick up several bottles and conduct a Lost Varietal Tasting among fellow wine lovers. 

Are France's New Wine Rules Too Restrictive?

France was the first country in Europe to enact legislation regarding wine.  These regulations, ratified 80 years ago, were meant to protect the French wine industry and consumers from poorly made knock-offs.  Prior to 1935, there was no legal penalty for an Algerian wine masquerading as a Bordeaux, or for that matter, for a cheap Italian sparkling wine being marketed as a French Champagne.  In the latest update to the French wine regulations, however, the pendulum may have swung too far in terms of restrictions.

First, let’s review the new rules.  All wines in France are now classified into one of the following three categories:

• A.O.P. (Appellation d’Orgine Protégée).  This was formally called A.O.C.  This category encompasses wines within a certain demarcated geographical area (wines with a similar terroir).  Within the Bordeaux district, for example, there are 60 AOP’s---each with their unique soil, micro-climate & special geographical characteristics.  Each AOP comes with its own set of rules related to what grapes can be grown, if vines can be irrigated, maximum yields, and a host of detailed laws by which the winemaker must abide.

• I.G.P. (Indication Geographique Protégée).  This category is far less restrictive than the AOP.  It allows producers to think out of the above category’s rule box.  Winemakers can often choose what grapes can be used, and are more free to use procedures that are not allowed in AOP wines. There still, however, are some rules that must be followed.

• Vin de France.  This last classification replaces the former “table wine” category known as Vin de Table.  These typically are quite simple, high yield wines grown with very few rules and sold for a fraction of AOP and IGP’s---most are well under 10 bucks a bottle. 

As the AOP regulation noose is tightening, the Vin de France category is becoming increasingly interesting.  Some winemakers are revolting against the restrictive laws and declassifying their wines from AOP or IGP to Vin de France.  One of the best examples I’ve heard is that of the Michel Rolland, the globe’s most famous wine consultant.  Monsieur Rolland, who is French, is not only the most sought after wine consultant in the world but is a Chateau owner in Bordeaux.  During a terrible rain, Rolland used plastic sheeting between rows to protect his grapes.  The authorities demanded that wines made from these grapes be declassified to Vin de France as plastic sheeting was not found in the rulebook.  Rolland had to legal choice but to oblige.

Other winemakers are becoming appellation drop-outs for different reasons.  A common motive is to be able to use varieties that aren’t permitted.  Global warming has many winemakers concerned---some are opting out in France so that they can plant varietals that are better suited to warmer temperatures.  Others are opting out of the AOP as a means of protecting disappearing indigenous varieties that aren’t allowed by law.

For the savvy wine consumer, this means that there are going to be some serious values available in the Vin de France category.  Not only well crafted, but new innovative wines.  But, the downside is knowing which ones are these value wines from the 95%  of the others that are swill.  Perhaps the French should create a 4^th category called “Liberté” (Liberation).   This one could be for creative winemakers who would like to think outside of France’s restrictive box?