What is your favorite French WINE?
 

There was a great thread on French cheeses that left me with a formidable list of possibilities. Now what is your favorite French wine? I know. I know. It depends on what you are eating, but surely you have a favorite - match it with a food if you will. I confess to relying on the sommelier in restaurants or going by price in Champion but I would love to ask for "a red 'vin de sable' from the Aigues Mortes region" as mentioned by PBProvence in a previour post. (Doesn't it sound great?)
What do you choose for that picnic in the park?

A fine Bordeaux, the best I can afford for any given adventure.

Hi Rob,

I have a great difficulty deciding among Chateau Haut Brion, Chateau Cheval Blanc, Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Chateau Lafitte Rothschild and Chambertin Clos de Beze.








In my dreams. :)

((I))

Whatever is on my table. Something modest for a modest budget.

My favorite French wine in Europe is Chateau Neuf de Pape, but I'll take a Clos de Bois merlot from California anytime when home here in Tallahassee.

I'm keen on provencale roses...
I adore real Chablis
Sancerre is fine.
I love the smooth flavor of a Maconaise white...

Any "house" white wine ... the kind that comes in little clay pitchers or glass carafes by the liter in cafes and casual restaurants.

ira - I was expecting better from you. I've seen your posts and you must have a fav that you'd share.
coccinelle & suze - but what do you pickup from the grocery store? I'm afraid I often go by price - E6 - E10.
SuzieC - Thanks - I'll look for those.
Neo - you're an insider - always a Bordeaux?
dert - I love Chateau Neuf du Pape as well

A good red Burgundy (La Tâche for choice), a Gigondas, a white Montrachet (preferable a Corton-Charlemagne of a good vintage), and in Provence in the warm weather a well chilled rosé from Bandol. For Champagne I'll take just about any hosue.

I'm stuck on Chardonnay in CA. But when going over there, would like to try other wines. Is there some safe varietal that you could recommend?

I will also go for the house wine, but am sure to wander into a store (Monoprix? Package store? special wine shop) to buy a few bottles for our room. Any direction on this?

Also, the finest Bordeaux I can afford? What would one spend for a very nice bottle of in Paris. Thanks.

Ah, there's the problem: wines in France aren't classified by varietels but by regions and vineyards with each region.

You could easily spend 200 Euros for a good bottle of French wine. However, if you settle on, say, a Beaujolais or a Rhône, you will drink quite well if you prefer reds. For whites, try a Muscadet or Sancerre.

At the grocery store I pick up anything that is white, made in the country I'm visiting, that is under 10USD equivalent.

Heavens, sure, just go into a grocery store or corner store. I only drink white (personal preference), pick by the label and the price (not expensive). When I find one I like I remember it and buy it again.

I wouldn't go into a specialty wine shop unless you are comfortable with wines and willing to pay a bit more than I normally do.

Muscadet or Sancerre, as Underhill said are trustworthy in my experience.

I like red Bordeaux and I don't think I've had a bad bottle from St. Emilion or Fronsac yet. :)

SuzieC if you like the Provençale Rosés, you will love the Domaine Tempier, but alas, here very expensive so we usually have it in summer on special dinners and the 4th.

A Loire Rosé such as Cabernet d'Anjou.

Without a doubt, my favorite wine while in Paris was the beaujalais....I have no idea of the vinery....but there was some sort of beaujalais festival going on (saw flyers for it in many restaurants), so I always ordered the cheapest amount of it.

It was heavenly! A bit strong though. I was usually tipsy after just one glass!

Is wine higher in alcohol content in France than in the US?

It seems to me that red wine in France is taking a hammering on world markets because of the improved quality of red wine coming from the New World. As an Australian, that's been my experience on my many visits to France. I have tasted many of the best from Bordeaux, the Rhone Valley and Burgundy, and fell that there is little real difference between these and the best from the USA and Australia in particular. The French are very concerned about this, and may have to address their system of Appelation Controlee, which may well be hindering them at the moment.
However, the wines in France that seem to be quite superior to those from the New World are , first, the sparkling wines from the Champagne region, and, second, the Grand Cru riesling and gerwurtztraminer wines from Alsace. Try a Grand Cru Riesling, or, even better, a Vendange Tardive Riesling, or, better still, a Selection Des Grand Nobles Riesling. They, unlike French red wines, will be miles superior to any white wine from your area, no matter where you live in the world.

Yes, the <i>Appellation Control&eacute;e</i> laws prevent the wineries from experimenting and adapting, as the rest of the world's growers do.

It reminds me of the dearth of feedback in the Soviet economic system that inevitably brought it down.

My favorite white:
St Aubin, Les Murgers des Dents du Chien, 1er Cru. From the Montrachet area. We had it the first time a few years ago at a Brussels restaurant. It's kind of hard to track down, but we did find a dealer who can get it for us, and I'm off to pick up two bottles today!
For every day drinking, my husband likes one of the better Muscadets available in France and Belgium but usually not elsewhere (most of the Muscadets we find in UK shops are not worth bothering with).

However, what I really enjoy these days are the high quality Austrian wines. I enjoy experimenting with wine in Vienna, the restaurateurs are proud of their better Austrian wines and are always eager to show them off to interested customers. And the really good Austrian wines are so hard to find once you leave the country.

Baron de la Doucet.

When traveling in rural France, be sure to ask the locals what they recommend. You will find some hidden gems that way. Never ask for a varietal wine - no sense in specifying chardonnay, for example, if it isn't grown in that region.

Adeben, it is not Grands Nobles but Grains Nobles. :-)
While I'm writing, I'd like to know if the Australians know Gevrey Chambertin. I'm asking that because I had some guests, a wine maker from Barossa Valley who didn't know that wine. We took them to the village and they tasted it, liked it and sent some bottles home. As good frogs we thought EVERYBODY knew Gevrey Chambertin ;-)

Personnally I like the Alsace you mentioned because they are sweet, not dry. (almost like Sauternes which is very sweet). Meursault is not bad.:-)

Underhill gave some good advice. I would add: ANY Bordeaux from the vintage 2000 is likely to be excellent as this was a knock-out year for them. In the US these are getting more and more hard to get. At a wine tasting yesterday, this St. Emilion stood out for the price: Chateau Moulin de la Clide 2000. Among roses which are easy to find in the US, we like Chateau de Pourcieux from near Aix. Personal favorites among French whites are Sancerre and Pouilly Fume (sauvignon blanc) from the Loire, and the white Burgundies (chardonnay).

robjame, I love many French wines (although admittedly I'm not much of a white wine enthusiast. While there are many good wines that compliment foods, that isn't quite how I interpreted your question.
If I had unlimited funds and always had a wide range of great wines to choose from, yes, I'd probably pass up the simple burgundy to have with a quiche if I could have a really great Bordeaux instead. Damn, what the experts say would make the quiche taste better. I'll throw out the quiche and just drink the Bordeaux.
A picnic in the park? Some would like a nice chilled white wine. Not me. I'd much prefer a rich and complex Bordeaux once again.

We had a lovely Rully in Paris, loved it enough to re-order when we returned another night..wrote down the vintner and lost it....anyone recommend a good one???

Beaujalais? mmmm... not in my glass - thanks. I did a tasting on that weekend it was out... I think I prefer Listerine.
A reminder about Muscadet and Sancerres... they are pretty dry!! Some say &quot;puckery&quot;...
As I understand it, Robert Parker has made American wine makers add alcohol to get his attention...he likes &quot;large wines&quot;..
I am under the impression that French wine is a % or two less than American and Aussie wine (New Zealand and Australia make some darn good wines...so does Chile...and...
Italy...and Spain...Germany...and I even drank a white wine made in China...was pretty good too)

&quot;But I wanna go to Miami&quot;..... Oh yea, that's... Whine

Unfortunately Robert Parker's influence extends all over the world, not just in the US. Some makers in France and in Italy also manipulate their wines in order to gain a favorable rating from him, which in turn leads to greater sales. There is a New York Times story on him today if anyone is interested; in the Dining section.

Hi robjame
&gt;ira - I was expecting better from you. ....you must have a fav that you'd share.&lt;

Lordy, Rob, a list of some of the Grand Crus of Bordeaux and Burgundy isn't good enough?

There must be tens of thousands of French wines.

On our last visit we became enamored of ros&eacute;s from Bordeaux, the Languedoc and the Luberon.

Check out my trip report for wines we tried and what we thought of them.
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34676645

((I))

robjame, great idea to post about French wine.

I'm not sure I have a favourite, but we buy a fair amount of red wine from two regions of France--Languedoc and the Rh&ocirc;ne valley. Within the first group, we have truly enjoyed Minervois, Corbi&egrave;res, St-Chinian, and Faug&egrave;res. Every once in a while we can also get a Vin de Pays d'Oc that is as good as the AOCs from that region.

The Rh&ocirc;ne valley includes a lot of well-known (and more expensive) AOCs, such as Chate&acirc;uneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas, but there are a group of &quot;named&quot; villages in the area that fall under the C&ocirc;tes-du-Rh&ocirc;ne Villages AOC. Look for Rasteau, Cairanne, and Sablet, for example; there are another dozen or so that fall into that category.

ekscrunchy, about those Bordeaux from 2000. I still can't believe I did it, but I ordered a mixture of 18 bottles back in early 2001. We'll see what they're like over the next decade or so.

Anselm

I'm pretty lucky. Here in Wilmington is a wine shop called &quot;Moore Brothers&quot;.
They have a shop in Pennsauken NJ too.
&quot;He&quot; sometimes gets wee no name wineries from France that are delicious.
My favorite Rose is Mas de la Dame, and I don't know from whence it comes...
&lt;GRIN&gt;
Also Moore's is not all that expensive. Wine prices are relative.

Hi Heavens

&gt;I'm stuck on Chardonnay in CA. But when going over there, would like to try other wines. Is there some safe varietal that you could recommend?&lt;

Burgundy whites are made from the Chardonnay grape.

You will find them listed as Chablis, Meursault, Montrachet, Pouilly-Fuiss&eacute;, Anjou, Saumur, Macon Village, etc.

There are about 40 villages within the Macon region alone, each with its own appellation.

Of the Chardonnays listed above, some are dry, citrusy and have a mineral, almost salty, finish; others are fruity, aromatic and nearly sweet.

White wines from the Loire region are made from Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc (mostly). Look for Sancerre and Pouilly-Fum&eacute;

The white wines of Bordeaux are blends of S&eacute;millon, Sauvignon, Muscadelle. The most famous are the Sauternes (with an S) of which the most outstanding is the rich, full-bodied, fragrant, fruity, and utterly marvellous Chateau d'Yquem.

Since I can't afford Chateau d'Yquem, I settle for Chateau Monbazillac Sauternes from Bergerac. A very, very good wine at about 1/10 th the price.

As you have guessed by now, there are just too many wines in France to simply pick out a &quot;favorite&quot;.

&gt;I ... am sure to wander into a store (Monoprix? Package store? special wine shop) to buy a few bottles for our room. Any direction on this?&lt;

What do you like? White, pink, red? Full bodied, medium, light? Dry, semi dry, medium, sweet? What kind of snacks will you have? Will you drink this before or after dinner?

All you need do is ask a clerk, &quot;I have some Brie and crackers, what wines do you suggest&quot;?

The Monoprix has a good selection of inexpensive wines. I suggest that you look up the Nicolas wine shops at www.pagesjaunes.fr .

&gt;Also, the finest Bordeaux I can afford? What would one spend for a very nice bottle of in Paris. &lt;

You can get a quite good St. Emilion or other Bordeaux for about 18E.

What's your budget?

Have a nice visit, and don't worry about the wines you buy. They will all be good (usually).

((I))

SuzieC you are so lucky to have Moore Brothers in your backyard! I used to live in the area and sometimes I still bring a few cases of their wine home with me (to FL) when we visit by car. Mas de la Dame was a favorite of mine too.

Right now, I am drinking Corbi&egrave;res Ros&eacute; (Domaine de Fontsainte Gris de Gris) because it's hot here already. Have also been enjoying the Pic St. Loup reds this winter. Will be headed for both areas on Friday!

eeeerrrr... Amy? You're going to the South of France this FRIDAY??

my-o-my... sigh.

Salut!

Anselm. Very savvy of you! It is amazing how scarce they are becoming here in the US. The 2001 is good, too, but nothing like the 2000. From what I have been hearing from France, 2005 is looking very good.

Schnauzer's recommendation is also a favorite of mine, thought pricey here in the US. The less expensive alternative is their second wine, La Doucette, which is easily found in the US. These are Loire whites.

SuzieQ-- while everyone is entitled to their opinion, I seriously doubt that an entire city would hold a sort of festival for something that tastes like listerine..

And I have happened to use said mouthwash, and believe me, it is harsh and burns!

maybe you just had a bad bottle or something.

A Burgundy red &quot;Volnay&quot; is one of my favorites.

As to whites Sancerre or Vouvray are reasonable values.

Birthdaygirlstrip, unfortunately it is generally recognised (even in France) that much of the wine sold under the Beaujolais Nouveau denomination is of rather poor quality (the word vinegar springs to mind!). That doesn't stop people from going out and enjoying the celebrations though (me included), as the whole thing is always a lot of fun (especially in the Beaujolais region, Lyon, etc.).

That said, there are plenty of excellent Beaujolais wines out there, and sometimes even the Beaujolais Nouveau can be pretty good. For example, 2003 was a great year for the Beaujolais Nouveau as the long hot summer meant lots of sweetness in the grapes, which translated into very drinkable wine.

There are lots of Beaujolais that I really enjoy, such as Chiroubles (the 2003 was so good that we bought 80 bottles of it to serve at our wedding last year), Morgon, Moulin &agrave; Vent and Fleurie. They should be served just below room temperature, cooler than you would usually serve red wine.


Although I find it hard to choose a favourite wine, I did have quite an interesting experience last year as my fianc&eacute; and I spent a very long time tasting and pairing up wine + food for our wedding. It was interesting to see which wines really developed when served with the food, and how different flavours/styles complemented or detracted from one another. The wines we chose reflect our tastes in French wine pretty well. As I am Scottish and my husband French, we wanted to pair up French wines with Scottish dishes.

With the first course, which was smoked and confit salmon, we served a white Burgundy (R&eacute;serve Pierre Andr&eacute; 2002). The Chardonnay went well with the richness of the fish. Then we had the Chiroubles 2003 (JP Charvet) with guinea fowl, which was nice as it was full bodied enough to complement the meat without overwhelming it. Then with the cheese course we served an oaked Morgon 2002 (JP Charvet). With dessert (strawberries with meringue and cream) we served ros&eacute; champagne from Heucq &amp; Fils.

As you can imagine, it was a lot of fun :)