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French Wine Explorers Wine e-Newsletter
www.wine-tours-france.com - June/July 2004

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This month's wine explorations:

Featured wine:  Muscat de Beaumes de Venise (Rhône Valley)

If I had to name a French wine that captures all the sensuality and ambiance of summer in a bottle, it would be Muscat de Beaumes de Venise. This "vin doux naturel" (naturally sweet wine) is the perfect accompaniment to juicy, aromatic summer melon or peach desserts, or first courses like foies gras or melon with country ham, and also makes a lovely apperitif.

The name "Beaumes de Venise" comes from "Baumes", the word in old Provençal dialect that means "grotto" (there are many above the village in the Dentelles de Montmirail mountains), and "Venaissin", the name of the county in which the village is located. Around the charming village of the same name in the Southern Rhône Valley, the delicate muscat à petits grains grape grows in a warm microclimate protected by the Dentelles de Montmiral hills from the bitter Mistral winds from the North. In this special location, the grapes ripen very gradually to perfect maturity.  The village is one of the Côtes du Rhône Villages, and makes fine red and rosé wines in that appellation, but it's really with the sweet wine appellation Muscat de Beaumes de Venise that the village vineyards excel.

Picked at optimal ripeness, the grapes are vinified in vats, to which neutral alcohol is added to stop the fermentation when the degree of alcohol reaches 15%.  This process of fortifying the wine ("muter" in French) leaves at least 100g of residual sugar, producing a rich wine that retains the strong varietal character of the aromatic muscat grape.  The best of these wines have a good deal of acidity that balances the sugary, viscous quality of the wine, and elegant aromas of peach, exotic fruit, melon, white flowers, honey and almond.  Most Muscat de Beaumes de Venise should be drunk young, but the top wines can be cellared under good conditions for up to 5 years, revealing more intense and complex flavors and aromas as time goes by.

Here are three of the absolute best to try at home:

Domaine des Bernardins (my all-time favorite, in a particularly dense and elegant style)
Domaine de Fenouillet (a slightly lighter, refreshing style)
Domaine de Coyaux (a delicate style that Parker calls "superb")

For more information about this remarkable appellation, visit the site:
http://www.beaumes-de-venise.com/an/index2.htm 

Join us for our Cooking & Wine in Provence tour, Sept. 25-Oct. 2 (see special dïscounts, below), and discover the fabulous wines of the Southern Rhône Valley, plus cooking classes (including one with a 2-star chef), with luxury accommodations at a beautiful 18th century chateau! Or let us create a private, customized trip in the Rhône Valley in 2004 or 2005, including a stop in Beaumes de Venise.

Last-minute Dïscounts Now Available on Fall Tours

Join us for one of three great tours this September/Oct., and receive a $200 per person dïscount:

Follow the links for full information, itinerary and details.  September is a great time to travel in France, with great weather and fewer tourists than in summer.  Take advantage of this special opportunity to tour some of France's greatest wine regions!

Red with Meat, White with Fish?  Not any more!

We all know the old saw: red wine with meat, white wine with fish.  But how true is this old adage?  Wine and food matching has evolved greatly since the days when everyone blindly followed this type of "rule".  Today, sommeliers and wine lovers trust their own palates to determine which wine to serve with a certain dish.  They make their decision based on a number of subtle criteria, including:

  • The aromas in the dish:  if you're serving a Provençal stew cooked in Herbes de Provence, you've got those wonderful aromas of thyme, rosemary and sage permeating the dish.  Why not serve a wine with those same aromas, like a spicey, aromatic Côtes du Rhône Village?  With a black forest chocolate cake dripping with cherries, a Port that has those same aromas of chocolate and cherry would be an excellent match.  Matching aromas accentuates those aromas - double the aromas, double the pleasure!  You can also contrast aromas, or layer them.  
  • The tastes of the dish:  the "tastes" in food are similar to those in wine.  There is acidity, roundness (usually associated with fat or greasiness), bitterness, etc.  In a pasta dish in a meaty tomato sauce, for example, you have the fatness of the ground beef or sausage, and the acidity of the tomatoes.  A Chianti works well with Spaghetti Bolognese, because the acidity matches the tomatoes. You can either match tastes, or contrast them: foie gras, which has a certain bitterness to it, finds a good match in Sauternes, because the sweetness counteracts that bitterness.
  • The texture of the dish: foods have a texture, and yes, so does wine, although this is an aspect of wine tasting that is not discussed very much.  It's actually the reason for the old saw about "red with meat".  The tannins in red wine give the wine a certain texture that goes well with the texture, or grain, of meats like beef and lamb.  Some dishes, like blue cheese, for example, have a creamy texture that goes very nicely with fat, rich wines like Port or Sauternes.  This is one area where playing with contrast is not always very successful.  A tannic wine with a creamy dish puts both the wine and the dish in a bad light. 
  • The strength of the dish:  this is where "white with fish" comes from.  Many types of fish have a delicate taste that is overpowered by many red wines.  Also, the texture of tannic red wines is usually too heavy for the smoothness of many types of fish.  However, there are many types of fish that have a strong taste AND a texture (think of pan-roasted tuna steaks in a garlic balsamic vinegar reduction), and would go perfectly well with a red wine with light to medium tannins.  It's definitely important that the wine not overpower the dish, and vice versa.  For this reason, many cheeses (which, even though they have a strong smell, actually have a delicate taste) go better with white wines than with stronger-tasting red wines.

In addition to the guidelines mentioned above (and they really are only guidelines, not rules), there is one foolproof way of judging which wine will go best with which food: tasting them for yourself.  Trust your own palate, try different combinations, and see which you find successful and which fall short.  Over time, you'll get a feel for what works and what you find pleasing, and that's really what's most important!

Learn more about cooking and food and wine matching on our Cooking & Wine in Provence tour, Sept. 25-Oct. 2 (also open to groups).  You'll also learn food and wine matching from Best Sommelier in the World Philippe Faure-Brac at a fabulous 5 wine, 5 course wine tasting dinner on our Paris, Champagne & Loire Valley tour, Sept. 12-18.

Upcoming Wine & Food Events in France - Great Summer Festivals!

  • Aug. 5-30: International Folk Music and Wine Growing Festival, Dijon and Beaune (Burgundy region). Music, dance and wine festival.  For more info: folkloriades@wanadoo.fr, http://www.folkloriades.org, tel: +33 (0)3 80 30 37 95, fax: + 33 (0)3 80 30 23 44.
  • Aug. 7-8: Festival on the Champagne Route, Troyes (Champagne). The wine-growers open their cellars to the public. With your "champagne glass pass", enjoy champagne tastings at the various hospitality points. Exhibitions of paintings, photographs, and crafts..  For more info: apvc@online.fr, http://www.vignoble-champagne.com, + 33 (0)3 25 43 72 72.
  • Aug. 4: Fitou Festival, Fitou (Languedoc):  wine festival in this excellent appellation. For more info: cru-fitou@wanadoo.fr, +33 (0)4 68 40 42 70.

People tend to avoid visiting the vineyards of France in the summer because they think it's going to be hot and crowded.  Not true!  Last year's heat wave was a once-in-a-century fluke.  France has a temperate climate, and except for the extreme south of the country, temperatures in the summer rarely get higher than the 80's, with low humidity.  The French wine regions rarely get crowded - I've never seen more than one other tour bus on the road when we're on tour.  The wineries are open and happy to welcome you.  We'll be happy to design a customized, private tour for you this summer in the region of your choice.

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Contact Us

I'm always available to answer your questions about our wine and culinary programs, our company, and wine in France in general. Don't hesitate to contact me at info@wine-tours-france.com, or toll free at  1-877-261-1500.

Best regards,

Lauriann Greene-Sollin, Sommelier-Conseil
President/Founder

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© 2004 French Wine Explorers. Articles © 2004 Lauriann Greene.  All rights reserved.  WST #601 903 728.