Posts Tagged French wines

If you are a person looking to put your money somewhere other than the bank, then you should consider investing. You’ve heard of investing in stocks, but for many of us that is very uninvolved and quite honestly boring. If you are looking for something a little more hands on, consider investing in fine wines. Wines from France can draw high prices and earn you quite a bit with some dedication. If you think investing in wines might be for you, then please read on.

Before you start purchasing any ol’ bottle of wine you will want to learn everything you can about wine. There are a few ways you can go about this. You can choose to do it on your own. Gather up some books and learn the basics on how vintage wines are made, everything from genetics of the vine to the climate. All of this will be important when choosing your fine wines. You can also employ the expertise of someone called a sommelier, which is a person who purchases high-end wines for restaurants and clubs. Having a sommelier at your beck and call can be handy after you have begun investing as well.

Once you’ve learned everything you can, begin to take serious steps towards investing in fine wines. You will want to start traveling to wineries and investigating them. Different wineries and vineyards will have different reputations and it will be best for you to be familiar with them. This will also help you decide in which region you want to invest. By visiting and educating yourself you should be able to choose with ease. If you are interested in French wines, then it may be complicated to travel to France for just a tasting and a tour of the facility. In this case, an online investigation will have to do on your part.

Just like with every other kind of investment, investing in fine wines requires you to take caution in certain areas. If a wine has a high price tag, it doesn’t necessarily mean it is a vintage quality wine; it may just be popular at the moment. This doesn’t mean it isn’t worth investing in; it just depends on your tastes. Also remember that many new wines are not meant to be aged, and may only last for a year or two. Once you notice all of these things and learn what you can, you will be on your way to a great wine investment!

France has the largest wine production of any country in the world, producing between seven to eight billion bottles every year. You will find wine producing regions in nearly every part of France, each famous for its own style of wine.

The range of wines have undergone some changes resulting in a larger range of cheaper and more expensive wines available. To keep its reputation as the top winemaking country, France has had to adapt and incorporate new manufacturing and transportation technology in its production process.
In the recent past, the French have been very protective of their origins and wine naming conventions, and with good reason, protecting such famous names as Bordeaux, Champagne and Burgundy.

The guidelines used to protect naming origins and winemaking for French regions is known as the  Appellation d’Origine Controlee (AOC) system. The body in charge of the AOE guidelines determines exactly which winemaking practices and grape varieties are allowed to be used in each region.

Another French term that is held close to the heart is “terrior” which is used to indicate the natural growing conditions of the vineyard, such as soil, temperature and slope of the land.

Many of the most famous varieties of grape such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah all originated from the wine growing regions of France. The last few hundred years of exploration and colonization has seen the spread on both number and popularity of these grape varieties across the globe.

Along with the grapes, the colonists brought over the unique French wine making practices in an effort to produce the same style of wines from France.

The long and proud record of French wine has built up a dreamy image in many peoples minds. It has long been a market leader in sales, grape varieties and wine production trends. In the same breath without leaving its age old traditions behind.

Its little wonder why French wine remains in high demand across the world.

Check out any wine shops and there is a fair chance you’ll notice that things have changed a bit on the wine menuover the last five years. Firstly there are new wineries and grape varieties coming out of the woodwork all over this wide, brown land, giving us a greater range to choose from than ever before.

The second is that alongside these new local wines is an expanding range of imports from countries such as New Zealand, France, Italy and Spain. This trend began when the first lip-smackingly good Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand hit our shores 20 years ago and has been growing ever since. With more Australians willing to explore new wine from overseas, wine imports have essentially doubled since last year.

Chief among the nations now sending wines to our shores is the great wine making country of France.Some of the finest wines wines across the globe come from France, as it’s been throughout modern history.

While in the past there have certainly been problems at the lower end of the scale, with many French wines overpriced and inferior to a glass of decent Aussie Shiraz, the last 10 years has seen a great leap forward with quality at all levels higher than it has ever been before.

So when you’re ready to start exploring French wine, here are some tips to get you started. French wines are generally labelled by the region where they have been made rather than the grape variety, but don’t let that put you off because the local laws determine which grapes can be used in certain wines. Eg Red Bordeaux can be produced with a mix of Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and or Petit Verdot.

Also the style of French wines is generally quite different from our own with most French wines slightly drier and often made to be food friendly, so with less overt flavour, alcohol and oak treatment.

Below is an introduction to some great wines of France which you can easily locate from say Dan Murphy’s and Vintage Cellars, as well as the some independent stores.
•    Côtes du Rhone (Grenache-based red wine)
•    Alsatian Riesling
•    Sancerre (Sauvignon Blanc) of Chablis (Chardonnay).