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French Wine Explorers Wine e-Newsletter
www.wine-tours-france.com - August 2005

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This month's wine explorations:

Countdown to Harvest

The beginning of September will see the start of the grape harvest in France, in the Southern Rhone Valley and Provence wine regions.  As the weeks go by, other regions to the west and north will follow suit, with harvest going on through mid- to late-October.  In Tuscany, the harvests will begin in mid-September and go on into the first weeks of October.  The date of harvest can usually be predicted by counting 100 days from the date of the flowering of the vine, so winegrowers have a fairly good idea when they will take place.  Except in very unusual years (like 2003 with its famous heat wave), the harvest takes place at roughly the same time each year, give or take a week or two.

The harvest (les vendanges in French, la vendemmia in Italian) is an exciting time, when the vineyards are bustling with activity and trucks brimming with ripe grapes are brought into the wineries for the beginning of vinification.  But prior to harvest, there is much to do to prepare for this all-important event, the culmination of an entire year of work and anticipation.

In the final months prior to harvest, winegrowers take a number of steps to ensure that the grapes reach optimum ripeness and concentration.  July is the time of the "green harvest," when grape bunches that have less of a chance of ripening well are cut off and left on the ground to allow those that remain to benefit more from the photosynthesis of the plant.  The idea is to have fewer bunches, but more concentration of sugar and flavor in those bunches: quality versus quantity.

In August, excess foliage is often trimmed off, once again to concentrate the plant's efforts on the grapes.  Leaves are thinned to better expose the grapes to the sun (usually on the east side to better benefit from the morning sun), and to allow good ventilation to avoid the development of fungus and rot.

Several weeks before the harvest, the winery must be thoroughly cleaned, to ensure an excellent level of hygiene during the vinification process and eliminate (as much as possible) the presence of bacteria or "bad" yeasts (like brettanomyces) that could produce bad tastes or spoilage of the wine. In places like Bordeaux, Burgundy or Tuscany, large oak vats are used for fermentation and must be thoroughly cleaned, sulfured (to kill bacteria).  They are then filled with water for a time to allow the dry oak to swell (otherwise there could be leaks, since the boards are held together only by the metal rings encircling them).  All equipment must be tested to make sure it's in good working order: temperature control, pumps, crusher/destemmer machines, presses, etc.

In the days leading up to the harvest, grape samples are taken at numerous places in the vineyard and then analyzed to measure sugar and acidity levels and maturity pf polyphenols (skins and pips).  Members of the local winemakers' unions meet to decide when to post the "ban des vendanges" (see Upcoming Wine Events below), the date after which the harvest may commence in their appellation.  Publicly posting this date ensures minimum levels of quality, preventing hasty winegrowers from harvesting grapes that are not yet truly ripe. There is often a party or festival held to celebrate the posting of the harvest bans - these festivities allow the general public to participate in the anticipation and excitement of harvest time.

When sugar and acidity levels are ideal and skins and pips are ripe, the harvest can begin.  Wine estates call in their grape pickers, who are "on call" waiting for the telephone to ring to report for work. The entire staff of the estate swings into action to bring in the grapes at optimum ripeness, before rain or rot can arrive to ruin the crop.  White grapes are immediately pressed, and red ones go into tanks to start maceration and fermentation.  The new vintage is about to be born.

We have three wonderful tours in the weeks leading up to the 2006 harvest: Great Estates of Bordeaux (Sept. 4-9), Wines & Chateaux of the Loire (Sept. 11-15) and Great Estates of Burgundy (also Sept. 11-15).  Or share in the harvest excitement (and try your hand at a little grape picking) on our special Tuscany Harvest Tour, Oct. 1-6.

Announcing The 2006 Season of Wine Tours

We're very pleased to announce our 2006 season of wine tours in France and Italy.  Each year, we strive to bring you the very best in luxury wine touring, showcasing some of the world's finest wine estates.  In 2006, we're proud to present these exciting new opportunities:

  • Bordeaux Prestige I & II: due to the popularity of this tour (a French Wine Explorers exclusive), we've added a second tour.  Both tours include all five First Growth chateaux, Chateau d'Yquem and the best of Saint Emilion and Pomerol, with luxury lodgings at the totally private 2nd Growth Chateau Pichon Longueville Baron in Pauillac.
  • Wines & Chateaux of the Loire: this new tour offers a fabulous combination of wine country touring and visits to some of the most beautiful historic chateaux for which this region is so famous, including Chenonceau and Azay le Rideau. You'll enjoy tastings at the finest estates of Vouvray, Savenières, Chinon and more, with luxury accommodations at two 4-star historic chateau-hotels and sumptuous gastronomic dining at the region's best Michelin-starred restaurants.
  • Tuscany Harvest Tour:  gorgeous Tuscany is even more exciting to visit at harvest time.  Taste at the most prestigious estates of Brunello, Chianti Classico and Vino Nobile, then move on to the Maremma and legendary Super Tuscans like Sassicaia and Ornellaia.  Try your hand at grape picking, watch the grapes coming in to the wineries, and enjoy luxury accommodations at two incredibly beautiful villa-hotels and fabulous dining.

Three more wonderful tours round out the season:  Great Estates of Rhone & Provence, Great Estates of Burgundy, and Burgundy & Champagne Prestige.  As always, these tours offer fabulous touring and tasting opportunities in these fascinating wine regions, with luxury hotels and gastronomic dining.  

Also new in 2006: we've reduced our group sizes to just 12 guests, to ensure an even higher level of personalized service.  And we can now offer you private, customized wine tours in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal or Napa Valley, California.

You can view the entire 2006 schedule here, or contact us and we'll be happy to send it to you by email.  Tours do sell out in advance, so reserve your tour today!

Chenin Blanc, the Loire's Great, Misunderstood Grape Variety

Like an unruly, sensitive and brilliant adolescent, the Chenin Blanc grape needs nurturing and understanding to fully reach its potential.  Vigorous by nature, when cultivated in rich soils and left to its own devices, it tends to yield a lot of fruit and make wines that are, at best, fruity and diluted. Perfect jug wine material.  But with the right conditions, under the watchful eye of a winegrower who stricly limits yields, Chenin Blanc becomes something beautiful and rare.  Certainly worthy of being placed among the greatest white grape varieties on the planet, even though it rarely makes that short list.

Chenin Blanc finds its most noble expression in the mineral soils of the Touraine and Anjou in the Loire Valley, where it is also called "Pineau de la Loire."  This grape variety is particularly sensitive to climate and terroir, producing an unusually wide range of wine styles from totally dry to off-dry, from moderately sweet to opulently sweet, from still to sparkling.  In the calcareous terroir of A.O.C. Vouvray, great estates like Domaine Huet (right) or Clos Naudin produce fabulous Chenin whites in all of these styles, marrying chalky minerality with lively acidity.  In the microclimates of Coteaux de Layon, Quart de Chaume or Bonnezeau, where morning fog encourages the development of the botrytis cinerea fungus (the "noble rot"), Chenin Blanc produces unctuous dessert wines of impressive complexity and finesse. These wines equal the best Alsatian late harvest wines or Sauternes for longevity: the best are capable of aging for 50, 60, even 100 years or longer.

Perhaps the most interesting and unusual Chenin Blanc wines come from the small appellation of Savennières in the Anjou, just southeast of the historic city of Angers.  One of the Loire's most renowned chateaux, Coulée de Serrant, makes outstanding, richly complex wines that reflect the flinty minerality of the appellation's terroir.

This versatile grape variety probably suffers as well from its tendency to produce sweet wines.  The presence of residual sugar tends to remind us of those sweet, diluted wines made while Chenin is showing the less-noble aspect of its character.  But as Noël Pinguet, winemaker at Domaine Huet, told us, "we don't decide to make sweet wines; the climate decides, and each year is different."  Chenin once again shows its sensitive side: one year the grapes reach optimum maturity, the next they never quite get there.  In the best years, winemakers can produce great dessert wines; in lesser years, they'll make more dry and effervescent wines, which benefit from a high level of acidity.

You can explore the different expressions of the temperamental Chenin Blanc grape for yourself on our Wines and Chateaux of the Loire tour, Sept. 11-15, 2006.

Upcoming Wine Events in France

  • Sept. 3 - Ban des Vendanges des Cotes du Rhone, Avignon (Rhone Valley):  harvest festival including tastings, parade of wine brotherhoods and more.  Place de l'Horloge, center of Avignon, all day.
  • Sept. 3 & 4 - Bachannales 2005, Bercy Village, Paris 12th arr.:  enjoy tasting wines and gourmet products from the Southwest of France in a festive atmosphere.  Info:  05 34 41 12 45
  • Sept. 14-18 - Wine & Jazz Festival, Beaune (Burgundy): jazz stars Kenny Barron, Stacy Kent and Phil Woods are among the performers at this festival that also includes wine tastings and exhibits from the greatest appellations of Burgundy.  Info: www.jazzabeaunefestival.com 
  • Sept. 12 - Alsace Wine Tasting Day, Paris 16th arr., Pré Catalan restaurant (Bois de Boulogne), 11:30am to 4:30pm: tastings of great Alsace wines at this famous Parisian restaurant.  Info:  Tél : 01 47 57 67 77, Fax : 01 47 57 30 03, llacroix@vfc.fr. 
  • Sept. 17 - Ban des Vendanges des Costières de Nimes, Nimes (Rhone Valley): harvest festival celebrating the announcement of the date of the harvest, with wine and food tastings and a special parade featuring local traditions.  Info:  Tél : 04 66 36 96 20
  • Sept. 18 - Ban des Vendanges de Saint Emilion, Saint Emilion (Bordeaux):  the beginning of harvest is proclaimed from the top of the Tour du Roy and the festivities begin: a solemn mass, procession of the Jurade (local wine brotherhood), enthronement of new members in the monolithic church, banquet and evening torchlight tour of the town. Info:  http://www.saint-emilion-tourisme.com

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Contact Us!

I'm always available to answer your questions about our wine programs, our company, and wine in France in general. Please feel free 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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© 2005 French Wine Explorers. Articles © 2005 Lauriann Greene.  All rights reserved.  WST #601 903 728.