The Essential Wine Book: An Indispensable Guide to the Wines of the World: An Indispensable Guide to the World of Wines - Softcover

Clarke, Oz

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0684830647 ISBN 13: 9780684830643

Verlag: Fireside, 1609

Inhaltsangabe

Oz Clarke's perennial bestseller The Essential Wine Book is one of the most original and diverting wine volumes ever published. Now this conversational encyclopedia of wine, which provides complete coverage of all wine regions of the world, has been revised, updated, and expanded to reflect the latest changes in the fast-developing world of wine. Clarke's extraordinary wine-tasting talents and eloquence combine in this beautifully illustrated book to produce a resource for every wine lover, whether a newcomer or a longtime aficionado. With his trademark combination of hard facts and breezy practical advice, Clarke outlines what makes each wine work -- what it tastes like, why it's different from its neighbors, and most important, whether or not it is worth seeking out. Each chapter covers a different wine-producing region of the world and includes: * A lively introduction to the region, with useful maps and a full description of grape varieties cultivated and wine styles produced * Evocative descriptions of the taste of the region's wines, explanations of how to read the local wine labels, evaluations of recent vintages, and recommendations for enjoying these wines with food * Vintage ratings and tasting notes, along with useful summaries of the value-for-money and availability of specific wine styles

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Oz Clarke is one of the world's most celebrated wine authorities, distinguished for a unique writing style that renders his books both entertaining and informative. Renowned worldwide for his virtually infallible palate, accessible writing, and down-to-earth wine criticism, he has twice received the prestigious Glenfiddich Wine Writer of the Year Award. His books have gathered countless prizes, including the Glenfiddich Drink Book of the Year Award, the André Simon Wine Book of the Year Award, the James Beard Award, the Wine Guild Premier Award, and most recently a Julia Child Cookbook award. He is also host of the multimedia CD-ROM Oz Clarke's Wine Guide. He lives in London.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Excerpt

Chapter 1

France

Nobody can do it like the French. Many try, none quite manage it. But the fact that all over the world, winemakers have taken the French model and are moving hell and high water to coy it must mean something.

By a mixture of historical chance, geological peculiarity and climatic conditions, France is still the world's greatest wine-making nation. By historical chance it had a series of natural trading partners to the north. France has some of the coldest and some of the hottest vineyards in the world, and consequently, between the two extremes, an array of wine regions where particular grapes can find virtually perfect conditions to ripen. But not to overripen; and this is the secret of France's success.

Wine Regions

France started off by influencing the New World - even now, if you ask many an Australian or Californian winemaker about the models for his wine, he will name a village or two in Bordeaux or Burgundy. But then the New World began to have an influence on France. New wine-making techniques filtered in. The use of new oak barriques, introduced to the New World by Bordeaux and Burgundy, became so fashionable that other French regions have decided that they, too, want that rich, buttery taste in their wines. and most recently the south of France has started producing wines, often under simple Vin de Pays labels, that are every bit as upfront and fruity as their equivalents from South Australia or the Napa Valley. The wine world has got smaller. But still, no matter to which style you turn, France is there. And without ever admitting that she cares what other countries do, she still manages to absorb the best of what she sees.

So let's take a quick look around France's wine regions. In the far north Champagne uses classic grape varieties - Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay - to make lean, barely ripe still wine which is the perfect base for the greatest of sparkling wines. Just to the east, a rainshadow under the Vosges mountains allows Alsace to make intensely perfumed, yet dry wines from such Germanic grapes as Riesling and Gewürztraminer.

Away from the German border, south of Paris, begins one of the most contentious, passionately involving wine regions of the world - Burgundy. The whites, from the Chardonnay grape, range from the frosty, steely chill of Chablis to the power, ripeness and beauty of the Côte d'Or, where there are wines that combine honeyed richness with savoury fragrance in a way that has had two generations of winemakers across the globe wearing their fingers to the bone trying to reproduce them. Also on the Côte d'Or the Pinot Noir does its best to disprove its reputation as one of the two greatest red wine grapes in the world, but in the hands of the top growers makes wines of such haunting, perfumed brilliance that one is almost prepared to forgive the many mediocre bottles.

A short leap south to the Rhône and it is the Syrah's turn. This dark, strong, pungent grape makes the great red wines of Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie, as well as contributing to a host of others. Along France's warm Mediterranean coast, in Provence and Languedoc-Roussillon, the vine grows almost too easily and vast quantities of ordinary red and white wine are made. But the region is undergoing a revolution and there are many exciting, modern wines being made from international varieties led by Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Chardonnay.

On the south-west coast is the Mecca for red wine makers: Bordeaux. Any red wine maker who wishes to be admitted to the international top rank must sooner or later try his hand at Cabernet Sauvignon. The sweet wines of Sauternes, too, are indisputably some of the world's greatest dessert wines. Bordeaux's maritime climate also influences the great rivers of the Dordogne, Lot, Garonne and Tarn and here in the South-West, a colourful ragbag of grape varieties is used to make almost every wine style imaginable.

Finally, turning back north again, the Loire Valley offers a wide range of wines from different grapes. Loire Sauvignons used to set the standard for tangy, fresh whites; now, since New Zealand has shown what she can do, the Loire must share the honours.

The other way in which France has set the pace for the world is in its Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée laws. Except in Germany, these have formed the basis for demarcation systems elsewhere in Europe and in North America and the southern hemisphere.

CLASSIFICATIONS

French wine is divided into four categories. Vin de table or table wine is the most basic level. The regulations governing its production are minimal.

Vin de Pays Literally, 'Country Wine'. This category was created to improve the general level of basic table wine by giving the best of it a regional identity, and in this it has succeeded superbly. There are now almost 100 Vins de Pays. Quality is variable, from the dreadful to the superb, so buy from a reliable retailer. There are limits on yields but regulations are far more relaxed than for VDQS or AC wines. There are three levels: Vins de Pays Régionaux are four areas which between them carve up most of France's vineyards: Vin de Pays du Jardin de la France covers the Loire Valley; Vin de Pays du Comté Tolosan includes the South-West (but not Bordeaux); Vin de Pays des Comtés Rhodaniens applies to the northern Rhône and Savoie; and Vin de Pays d'Oc (a name appearing on a lot of good-value wines these days) is for Provence and the Midi. Vins de Pays Départementaux cover a single departement: Vin de Pays de l'Aude, for example. Vins de Pays de Zone are the most tightly controlled and can apply to areas as small as a single commune. Vin de Pays de l'Uzège, for example, is for wines from the locality of Uzès in the Gard department.

Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS) This is a kind of junior Appellation Contrôlée. There are rules governing yields, grape varieties and the like, but they are less strict than they would be for AC wines. Some wines are VDQS rather than AC because the wrong grapes are grown in the right place; for example, Sauvignon de St-Bris is VDQS because it is made from Sauvignon Blanc in the Burgundy area, where the only white wines accorded AC status are Chardonnay and Aligoté. Others are VDQS because the general standard of the wines is not yet good enough for promotion to full AC status.

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AC) This is the top designation for French wines. The area of each AC is determined by terroir, a French term that covers soil, aspect and climate. Appellation rules then govern the grape varieties allowed, the permitted yields (notoriously elastic, this), the alcohol level of the wines, the methods of pruning and picking, the density of planting and the wine-making. Sometimes bottling in the region of production is mandatory. All AC wines have to be submitted to a tasting panel to make sure they are typical of the appellation - but an AC designation is not in any way a guarantee of quality. It merely guarantees that the wine has been produced in accordance with the rules, which is not the same thing at all. The consumer's best guarantee of quality is the name of the producer on the bottle.

Bordeaux

What a change in recent years. When the first edition of this book appeared in 1985 I wrote, 'Bordeaux is the greatest red wine area in the world.' I could still write that. But if I did I'd be ignoring California and Australia, not to mention the huge improvements in Burgundy. I'd be ignoring, in fact, years of dedicated recent work by red wine makers all over the world. Bordeaux is still the biggest red wine area in the...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Fireside
• Erscheinungsdatum: 1609
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0684830647
• ISBN 13: 9780684830643
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 320
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar