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French Wine Explorers Wine e-Newsletter
www.wine-tours-france.com - November 2004

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This month's wine explorations:

Sauternes - Dessert Wine for the Holidays

As we head toward the holidays, people all over France are stocking up on one of the staples of the holiday table: foie gras.  This delicacy of fatted goose or duck liver needs a noble wine with a similar character and opulence to accompany it.  Sauternes certainly fits the bill, and is probably the wine most often matched with foie gras in France.

The Sauternes appellation covers the villages of Sauternes, Bommes, Fargues, Preignac and Barsac in the southwestern part of the Bordeaux wine region.  The Ciron River , a small offshoot of the Garonne , forms a natural border between the zones of production of the two appellations of this area, Sauternes and Barsac.  In Sauternes, the soil is made of flinty graves, sand and clay mixture or, in certain rare places, chalk or limestone.  In Barsac, the soil is quite different, with more red sand on a limestone base.  The differences in terroir are expressed in the wines: Sauternes wines have great complexity, roundness and a very high sugar content, and Barsac wines tend to be somewhat lighter-bodied, fruitier and fresher.  70% of the surface of Sauternes and Barsac is planted in Semillon.  Wines in Sauternes are a blend of mostly sémillon grapes with some sauvignon blanc and Muscadelle; wines in Barsac are made from 100% sémillon grapes.

The Sauternes-Barsac appellations are known for their unique microclimate.  At the end of the summer, morning fog creeps in from the Ciron, the Garonne and the humid Landaise forest.  This fog dissipates progressively during the day, and the afternoons are hot and sunny.  The repetition of this daily cycle, alternating humid mornings with hot, sunny, dry afternoons, favorises the development of the noble rot, botrytis cineréa.  The botrytis is a fungus that increases the permeability of the skins of the Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes; as the winds blow across the grapes, the water inside the grapes evaporates, concentrating the sugar as well as the acidity.

During the harvest, the affected grapes are hand-picked, one by one. The harvesting takes place from September through as late as November. The grapes are pressed and then put into vats or barrels, where they will go through their fermentation.  The fermentation is stopped before alcohol levels get too high, leaving a great amount of residual sugar.  A long aging period (usually at least 20 months) in oak follows.  The result is a dessert wine ("vin liquoreux") with remarkably complex aromas (a result of the Noble Rot) and a divine sweetness that is, in the best examples, coupled with an acidity that prefectly balances it, leaving the mouth fresh.  A festive wine that accompanies not only foie gras, but also foods like blue cheeses and peach or apricot tarts.

Enjoy the privilege of tasting at the King of Sauternes chateaux (yes, that one!) on our Bordeaux Prestige tours, May 23-28 and Aug. 29-Sept. 3, 2005, or ask us to create a private, customized wine tour for you in the Bordeaux area including great chateaux of Sauternes and Barsac.

Upgraded Best of Bordeaux Tour this September 2005

We're pleased to announce some special upgrades to our Best of Bordeaux tour, Sept. 5-10,  2005.  The program will now include tours and tastings at ALL FIVE First Growth chateaux, plus the king of Sauternes chateaux and the "Super 2nds".  Luxury accommodations will be at the two best hotels in the region, both of them members of the illustrious Relais & Chateaux organization: Chateau Cordeillan Bages in Pauillac (with its 2-star restaurant, the best in the region), and Hostellerie de Plaisance (with its own fabulous 1-star restaurant).

We also have a special treat for this tour: we'll be spending part of the day with one of the most famous wine consultants of our time, Stéphane Derenoncourt, who was recently featured on the cover of the Wine Spectator and consults for over 20 top estates on several continents.  Mr. Derenoncourt will greet us at his own estate for a tasting and a discussion of the winemaking scene in Bordeaux as he sees it, and then accompany us to another of the famous estates for which he consults (TBD, but most likely Clos Fourtet).

We expect this tour to fill up quickly, so be sure to contact us for more information and reservation forms.  See the itinerary and reservation forms on our web site.

Winter in the Vineyards: La Taille (Pruning)

After the harvest, the grape vines go into dormancy for the winter.  This is an important time in the vineyard, a time to take stock of the condition of the vines and the soil after the growing season, and to prepare the vines for the following year's harvest.  Between the months of November and March, la taille (pruning in French) is the main preoccupation of all wine estates in France.

Unlike many operations in the vineyard that are now carried out by machine, the critical part of the pruning can only be done by hand.  Sometimes a machine will be used to "top off" the longest shoots that are standing vertically above the main part of the plant.  But after that, a human being's eyes, head and hands are needed to choose which shoots should be kept and which should be removed, and to determine how far back the remaining shoots should be pruned. 

In the appellations d'origine controlées areas, there are very strict rules that govern this procedure.  The first rule specifies the shape that the vine plant must be pruned into.  Among the most popular shapes are the "goblet" (leaving the vine in the shape of a little freestanding bush, seen frequently in the Rhône Valley and Beaujolais) or the "cordon royat" (branching out to both sides horizontally). The second rule determines how many fruit-bearing shoots one can leave on the trunk, and how many buds can be left on each shoot.

Why is it important to specify pruning techniques to such an extent?  In fact, pruning accomplishes two primary (and important) goals: reducing yields, and preparing the plant for the following year's harvest.  The shape of the plant is adapted to the climate and to the vigor of the plant.  For example, the goblet shape can only be used in hot climates, because the mass of vegetation that it produces impedes the ripening of the grapes (a good technique in hot climates where ripeness is easily achieved, but a bad technique in northern climates where ripeness is hard to achieve).  The shape also can facilitate easier harvesting; the cordon royat, for example, spaces out the fruit on a flat plane, making it more accessible to the picker.  Limiting the number of fruit-bearing shoots, as well as the number of buds per shoot, limts the number of grape bunches per plant.  In winegrowing, the goal is always quality, not quantity: a small number of concentrated, fully ripe grape bunches rather than a large number of diluted, not-quite-ripe bunches.

Pruning, just like grape picking, is back-breaking work.  But unlike grape picking, it is done over a very long period of time.  For an estate with 10 or more acres, pruning can take months.  Most estates hire seasonal workers to help out with the pruning, and they have to be specially trained to do the work, much more so than for grape picking.  At the estate I worked on in the Côtes du Rhône appellation, the owner told me he'd had the same worker from Poland for 3 winters for the pruning, and he felt he was just beginning to really get the hang of it.  It's also dangerous work: the electric sheers used today can cut through a heavy branch as though it were butter (and do the same to your hand if you're not careful). If grape picking is fun work for amateurs, pruning is an activity better left to professionals!

Last Chance for Early Boöking Dïscounts on Selected Tours

December 1st is the deadline for to receive an early booking dïscount of US$200 off per person on our scheduled 2005 tours (except Wine & War and Bordeaux Prestige).  See our schedule of 2005 wine tours here.  Please note: we will NOT be offering last-minute discounts, so be sure to take advantage of this spëcial ôffer!  Spëcial for subscribers to this newsletter:  just tell us you heard about this ôffer in the November Wine e-Newsletter, and we'll extend the dïscount until Dec. 5th.

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Upcoming Wine & Food Events in France: Christmas is coming!

  • Dec. 4-5: Open Weekend in Péssac Léognan, Conseil des Vins de Graves, Podensac.  An occasion to explore the 10 appellation districts, home to 65 wine-growing chàteaux, including 16 Crus Classés de Graves. For more info: Tel: + 33 (0)5 56 27 09 25,  contact@vins-graves.com, http://www.vins-graves.com 
  • Dec. 3-5: Salon des Vins et de la Gastronomie, Cannes, Palais des Congrès: over 60 stands offering Grand Cru and Terroir wines, wine accessories and table arts.  For more info:  marion@md-evenements.com, Tel : +33 (0) 4 92 960 900. 
  • Dec. 18-20:  Little Market for the Big Dinner, St. Rémy de Provence: outdoor market with exhibits, dancing to prepare for the typical Provençale Christmas dinner.  For more info:  http://www.saint-remy-de-provence.com, tel: +33 (0)4 90 92 05 22.
  • Nov. 12-Dec. 25: Marchés de Noël (Christmas Markets), all over France (but particularly in the Northeast):  in towns like Lille, Reims, Strasbourg, Colmar and many small villages in Alsace, you'll find the streets lined with little cabins, each selling traditional foods, wines and crafts for Christmas.  A lovely Christmas tradition in France that often includes signing, dancing and traditional folk celebrations.  Contact the tourism office (Office de Tourisme) of each town for more information.

We're always happy to design a customized, private tour for you in the region of your choice, so you can take advantage of the many wine-related events available throughout the year!

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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. Please feel free to contact me at lgreene@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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FRENCH WINE EXPLORERS
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Tel:  1-877-261-1500
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© 2004 French Wine Explorers. Articles © 2004 Lauriann Greene.  All rights reserved.  WST #601 903 728.