Burgandy, France - Famous For Its Wines by Melinda Carnes
The terroir is a
group of vineyards or vines from the same area which have a common soil and
climate. And nowhere else, other than Burgundy in France, is it held so
fondly.
Burgundy is a region situated in central east France, which
experiences bitter cold winters matched with beautiful warm summers. It is the
home of 1.6 million inhabitants.
Burgundy (Bourgogne) is famous
throughout the world for its wines. Spanning over 31,500 square kilometers (over
12,000 square miles), with a 360 km (225 mi) strip stretching 100km (60 mi)
south of Paris, down from south of Dijon to north of Rho�ne, houses 99 different
wine appellations.
Ranging from the vibrant red Pommard and Corton to the
medium Beaune � to the sparkling whites, the dry Chablis or Chassagne
Montrachet, over 180 million bottles of some of the fines wines are made in this
region.
As an aftermath of the French revolution the vineyards belonging
to the monasteries were broken down to smaller plots � which exist even
today.
The finest quality wine, designated as �Premier Cru� � is
available from 600 of the vineyards in the region while 33 of them is credit to
produce the even more classy �Grand Cru� wines. Among these the most renowned
are Montrachet, Chambertin and Clos Vougeot.
Made from the pinot noir
grapes, the burgundy red wines taste best with Boeuf Bourguignon or pheasant. On
the other hand a Chablis or their sparkling white wines go best with anything
from shrimps to goat cheese Isabel
Marant
.
The famous white wine called Chablis derives its name from a
village of the same name. These are dry whites with an acidity that refreshes.
The special Chardonnay grapes thrive in limestone that has been made richer with
remains of fossils.
As an accompaniment to lamb or grilled chicken, the
best choice is the fruity-flavored, world famous Beaujolais made from the Gamay
grape. These grapes grow in granite limestone post by haiyan113.
The
ever-popular and delicious red is grown in Volnay for the last 8 centuries. The
grapes are Pinot Noir grown across 600 acres which is responsible in producing
1.3 million bottles of this amazing wine which has the flavors of raspberries
and violets.
And then there is Meursault, located close by, famous for
its Premier Cru labels of finest white wines. 2.5 million bottles of the finest
wine, Chardonnay, aged anywhere between 3 to 15 years is grown in just over 1000
acres Isabel Marant etoile
.
Fish in white sauce go extremely well with this fine wine with its almond and
apple flavors.
But what still makes the headlines is the red Pommard with
its tannic and manly flavor, staging a comeback after many years of decline.
From just 780 acres of Pinot Noir grown in limestone and red clay are produced
1.8 million bottles of this wine with the flavors of black cherry and black
currant. Goes excellent with game venison and roasted red meat with Livarot
cheese, these can age from 5 to 15 years.
Whatever your taste buds need,
there is very little chance of returning home disappointed with a
Burgundy.
<