Which French vinyards must I try?
 

I live in Geneva and I love French wines, mostly red but white as well. I would love to take long weekends and drive to neighboring France to try the vinyards.

Which ones should I go to?

Wow...that is a VERY broad question. What styles of wine do you like: tannic, high acidity, jammy, etc. Depending on your likes/dislikes, you could boil down the region, then the vineyards.

I like it all! But for the sake of the posting, let's stick to red. It depends on my mood - the dry and the fruity, the heavy and the light... Not crazy about wine that's heavy on the tannins (makes face bright red).

I enjoy a good Cab but mostly I just like a very nice bottle that I get from a good restaurant. I'm terrible about chosing for self in shops (Geneva does not have many good wine stores, they all try to sell Swiss reds which are terrible on the whole).

Please help!

Sorry I don't drink and don't know much about wines in general but I live in the well known Burgundy and most of the most famous wines are between Dijon and Santenay, so maybe you should try those ones in the first place! :-)
On this link, you'll find a few websites about wines and Côte d'Or.
http://82.235.93.13/jacquin/useful_l...ore_videos.htm

coco :-)

The classic Cabernet area in France is Bordeaux, a bit far for a long weekend.

From Geneva your closest "name" French wine area is the Rhone Valley, south of Lyon, home of big Syrahs, Hermitage is the classic name, which you might like if you profess to like pure Cabs (are you from USA or Australia?).

Not much further in travel time is the classic Burgundy wine area, the Cote d'Or, the original home of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, head for Beaune which is in the centre, the Cote de Nuits to the north generally is the red wines, the Cote de Beaune to the south the whites.

And also don't forget that you only a few hours drive from Piedmont in Italy, home of some of Italy's finest reds, the big 3 B's: Barolo, Barbaresco and Barbera. (my home!)

Tough choices! But if you are living in Geneva try them all.

I discovered the Loire Valley wines on a trip a few years back. Since you say you'd love to take long weekends (plural), you could put it on your list after the Burgundies and Cote d'Or. To be honest, I'm not good at "choosing for myself" either, and can't provide a specific vineyard to try... But I can tell you that practically each town in the Loire appears to have its own appellation - I particularly liked the Chinon and Borgeuil.

What a great idea to take weekends to explore French wines! I am immensely jealous of your proximity. Buvez bien! :)

<I am immensely jealous of your proximity.> You can be jealous ggreen, Geneva is only 200km from Dijon ;-)

I too hate you for your proximity ;)

That being said, you have gotten very good advice. In Burgundy, a very solid house for Pinots would be Bouchard. Bouchard's Savigney Le Beaune is a very solid Pinot, especially the 2002.

The cab distinction is very important. Cabs in the state are big...and fruity. Your traditional Cab (generally with a Cab Franc mix, around 10%) will be much different in Bordeaux. They tend to be earthy, with a touch of euculyptus (sp?) or mint at the end. Last night I just had a pretty solid bottle from 1990. Cabs, US made, generally need gamier meets to match the big fruit. In france, they tend to be lighter and go well with just about anything.

Now, I also suggest MERLOTS, again from Bordeaux. Anything from the St. Emillion area is going to be VERY traditional (see earthy and dry). Chateau Haut Beard is a fantastic vineyard. Since 2000, Bordeaux, particularly Merlot, has been fantastic. The 2000 vintage was one of the best since 1982. Some are predicting 2003's to be the best ever, though 2005's are already sold out in regards to "futures", to wine dealers and wholesellers.

BTW, a bonus to visting the Bouchard vineyards....they have some of the better (and affordable whites). Chassagne-Montrachet is a pretty solid white they produce (Chard).

You have got to go to Hermitage...just for giggles. The major house of Hermitage is J.L. CHAVE. Put it this way. In my restuarant, known for its wine list, we charge 50-100% less than our competitors (it is our schtick) and the wine is still nearly unaffordable for most folks.

They do, however, have fantastic SECOND LABELS.

I agree with Sampaguita; if you like big American Cabs...you will love Rhone reds. The Rhone area looks like a pan....with the handle being among the best of the best (St. Cosme, St. Joseph, etc.) Some of the reds can be VERY barn yardy.

Yes, the three "B's" of Piemonte... but let's not forget the big D as well - Dolcetto, especially Dolcetto di Doglani, with its full body which comes from the Barolo valley earth...a wonderful wine.

I have to agree of course with Sampaguita, Piemonte is the ultimate choice for red wines, with a wide variety of whites and also rose (I am thinking here of the famed Scolca winery in Gavi which produces a wonderful table rosato)...whites like Roero Arneis, Moscato Dolce and Secco both, Cortese, Chardonnay, Gavi DOCG (from the Cortese grape)...we are of course spoiled for choice for food and wine in Piemonte, and swissmissy, the better B&B's will provide you with ample information about where to go and how to get to the best wineries. A note: In Piemonte, we have the big guns like Gaja in Barbaresco and Pio Césare but there are hundreds and hundreds of smaller producers, some even without advertising and websites, which produce superior products for a very good price. The Monferrato is loaded. Between Sampaguita's place and my place you will find more wineries and cheese producers and amaretti cookie producers and chocolate producers than you could ever visit.

Diana

>..In my restuarant, known for its wine list, we charge 50-100% less than our competitors ...<

Please send me two cases of your wine at 100% off list price. I'll pay the shipping.

((I))

Geneva is fairly close to Burgundy. I suggest a good wine guide to the Burgundy area, like the Hugh Johnson one would be a useful purchase. My favorie area in Burgundy though I hesitate to mention it is Beaujolais, which combines beauty with small vinter owned wineries and great restaurants. It is unspoiled so don't spread the word.

Sure Ira....not a problem. :)

It is amazing the markup....anywhere from 6-8x on average of costs. Of course the big boys are marked up beyond belief at most places.

We average about 2x the cost. Not bad.

I love you all... Thanks so much for your advice!

Mr/Ms Goosed in the evening - I will try Bouchard's Pinot, Chaves of Hermitage and Chateau Haut Beard. Can I assume that your jelousy of my location means that your restaurant is not near by?

Coco - I love that site, but there is so much information it's difficult to know where to start!

Sampaguita - I am also interested in N Italy, just went to a tasting of Italian wines last night where I had some nice Barolo and Barbaresco! There was also a (white) Verduzza which was splendid! I have another posting asking where to stay in the region(primarily farm houses bet Turin and Genoa).

Bellacqui - Where is The Monferrato?

To all - Do you know of some charming B&B's/Farmhouses to stay that are <100EUR/night?

Thank you for "I love that site" because it is mine. :-d

Please check out www.villasampaguita.com very close to what you are looking for. It is a beautifully renovated farm located very close to the lovely city of Asti, which is in the Monferrato.

The Southern Piemontese wine region is basically divided up into two sub regions. One is the Langhe, which extends through the south central part of Piemonte, and the other is the Monferrato, which extends from the mid-eastern part of Piemonte directly south. Both areas border to the south on Liguria. Each region has its own wine and gastronomic specialities, both areas are pristine and beautiful. The MOnferrato is less discovered by tourism, and is, as such, more desirable to some discerning travelers interested in complete authenticity. Hundreds of lovely mountain top villages dot both regions, hundreds of lovely wineries, small and large, are waiting to be discovered. The border area between the Langhe and the Monferrato is probably some of the most breathtaking scenery in Italy, with mountainous mixed wine/hazelnut culture and gorgeous views.

If you enjoy a great red wine that is lower on tannin you will love Barbera d'Asti DOC.

I have to put a plug in for my own city, which is Acqui Terme---for me it is a treasure and a jewel. I have lived here for three years, renovating my old farm, and the city continues to take my breath away.

Diana

Diana