BOUTIQUE LIQUORS on 2008-05-15T16:40:33Z

Absinthe Art

ernodad.jpg src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Pernodad.jpg" width=303 border=0>




Cheers !!

BOUTIQUE LIQUORS on 2008-05-15T16:26:26Z

Pouring the Perfect Guinness

HOW TO POUR

1. The Glass 2. The Angle

3. The Pour 4. The Settle

5. The Top-up 6. The Presentation

THE PERFECT PINT

45�

1. The Glass

"The bartender takes a dry, clean glass, which should be a 20-ounce tulip pint

glass," Murray says. "The internal aerodynamics of a tulip glass allows the

nitrogen bubbles to flow down the sides of the glass, and the contour 'bump'

in the middle pushes the bubbles back to the center on their way up."

2. The Angle

"The glass should be held at a 45-degree angle under the tap. The tap faucet

should not touch the tulip glass or beer. If you just hold it straight under the

faucet, you'll get a big block of bubbles and a fish eye."

3. The Pour

"Let the beer flow nice and smoothly into the angled glass and fill it up threequarters

of the way."

4. The Settle

"Let it settle. On the way through the faucet, the beer passes through a fivehole

disk restrictor plate at a high speed, creating friction and bringing out

nitrogen bubbles. The bubbles are agitated now -- they can't go back into the

solution, so they flow down the interior sides and back up the middle -- but

they can't escape. So they build this wonderful, creamy head on top. It's like

an architect building a strong foundation."

5. The Top-Up

"Once it settles, you want to fill up the glass and top it off. You allowed it to

settle, you created a domed effect across the top of the pint, and now your

head is looking proud over the glass. That's the perfect vision of the perfect

pint."

6. The Presentation

"You drink with your eyes first. The cosmetic look of the pint is critical to the

Guinness experience. We don't want anybody just putting liquid in a glass. And

finally, drink responsibly."

Good things come to those who wait

?It takes 119.5 seconds to pour the perfect pint?

 

BOUTIQUE LIQUORS on 2008-05-15T16:04:16Z

Sam Adams Utopias

Sam Adams Utopias

Beer is one of those tastes that most people think they can identify. But most have probably never tasted a brew like Utopias. It's made using the basic brewers' arsenal - hops, malt, yeast, water - but at 27 percent alcohol by volume (called ABV in the industry), and with flavors that call to mind a cognac or a fine sherry, this is beer taken to the extremes of flavor and alcohol content.

"Utopias is a reminder of how wonderful the range is of what beer can be," says Jim Koch, founder and owner of Boston Beer Company, which makes Samuel Adams beers.

The silky, brandy-colored drink is a blend of liquids that have been brewed over the last 13 years, then aged in various woods, including bourbon casks. It's finished in sherry and Madeira casks.

"People are mistaking it for a spirit," says Tim Calderara, a writer for the industry paper Yankee Brew News.

Koch chose the name Utopias because he felt the definition of "utopia" - an ideal place or state - reflected what he was trying to accomplish with his brew. It has a complex combination of flavors - vanilla, maple, honey, creamy toffee - and a hot alcohol bite very much like a cognac. (And very welcome in this gelid weather.)

"The cool thing is that it really is made from all the things beer is made from," says Calderara, an organizer of the Beer Summit Winter Jubilee, where Sam Adams will be offering pours of the 2007 Utopias. The event will be held Saturday in The Castle at Park Plaza.

This is the fourth time Samuel Adams has released a vintage of Utopias, and the 2007 vintage has its own glass, specially designed by Georg Riedel of the Riedel glassware company. A sleek snifter sits on a solid half-moon base; the bowl curves out at the top, in order to deposit the liquid at the tip of the tongue, so the taster gets sweetness before the alcohol bite hits the palate. Having a special glass is "part of the idea of bringing dignity and respect to the extreme end of beer," Koch says.

The bottle is specially designed, too - shaped like an old-fashioned brew kettle, it's ceramic with a metallic coating, and looks as if Barbara Eden of "I Dream of Jeannie" could pop out of it at any moment. Calderara says he's seen empty bottles from previous vintages for sale online at breweriana sites for over $100.

Utopias's lineage can be traced to the beginning of the extreme beer movement. Back in the early 1990s, when skateboarders and snowboarders were hurtling the world of sports toward extremes, Koch and company created Triple Bock. At 17.5 percent alcohol by volume, it was the strongest beer ever brewed.

"As we got into the 16 or 17 percent range, something transformative happened," Koch explains. "There were flavors I had never tasted before." He was inspired by the X Games phenomenon and started referring to the brew as extreme beer.

Throughout the late '90s and early '00s, the Dogfish Head brewery in Maryland engaged Samuel Adams in an alcohol-content arms race, making a couple of beers that passed the 17 percent ABV mark. Utopias put Sam Adams on top in the bibulous battle.

Triple Bock begat Millennium (21 percent ABV) in 2000, and Millennium begat the first incarnation of Utopias (24 percent ABV) in 2002. The edition of Utopias released in 2005 weighed in at 25 percent ABV, and the 2007 Utopias exceeds that by 2 percent.

Extreme beer is not just a matter of alcohol content. Brewers have gone in different directions to push the limits of what a beer is. Some have added mass quantities of hops, creating monster beers with International Bittering Unit measurements (the measure of how bitter a beer is) that have broken the 100 mark. An American lager like Budweiser has an IBU of about 12. Other brewers have taken beer to extremes by adding unconventional ingredients, such as heather, or by aging their brews in bourbon and wine barrels.

The release of Utopias, which retails for about $130 per 24-ounce bottle, is an event in the beer world. It routinely sells out ("If we could get more, we could sell more," says Wes Narron, manager of the Wine Gallery in Brookline), but with only 12,000 bottles produced, "Sam Adams isn't going to rise or fall on how much Utopias we sell," says Koch.

He sees it as a labor of love. "We wanted to make something that created a wow moment," Koch says.

BOUTIQUE LIQUORS on 2008-05-15T15:58:50Z

Ouzo History

History of Ouzo

From the ancient years until today the human was using scented herbals, fruits, roots, flowers and seeds, trying to create drinks with alcohol.

So, how did ouzo come to the picture?

The depositions of famous coppersmiths from Armenia and the Pont confirmed the deep knowledge of distillation in all the Byzantine empire. Plus, grapes and figs dominated Minor Asia and Thrace the same time that mastic was produced in Chios and anise appeared in Mytilini and Limnos. All those elements were necessary and enough for the production of raki.

Some professionals called rakintzides produced a drink, a distilled product from grapes raki sharing with anise and scented herbals or mastic, which succeeded, after the period where drinking was not allowed in Turkey, to conquer the well-off class of the Ottoman empire, giving those rakintzides special privileges.

As expected, the quick spreading of that drink challenged the provisional deficiency of alcohol and soon the solution in that productive problem gave the French and Russian clean alcohol. However this ease with which anybody could produce a drink of the kind, just mixing clean alcohol with water, created quality problems. You see, the final product wasn?t distilled, it was simple mixed.For this very reason, a measure was taken in Smirni and Constantinople ports: in every receipt of clean alcohol, a colored substance was added, which meant that the payee had to distill the product before the use.

That was the way ouzo was created, which went about with old name of raki in many Greek areas. Its name became from the alteration of customs term ?giouzo?, which means ?for use? and it?s believed that it becomes from the Italian expression OUZO MASSALIA which means ?for use in Massalia?, where the first changes directed.

That inscription could be found on parcels with raki which traveled to areas out of the borders of the Ottoman empire. With the destroy of Minor Asia, rakintzides came to Greece and distilling companies grew up rapidly, especially in Mytilini. The emulation between refugees and local distillers resulted in a great development in production and, of course, consumption of ouzo.

Today we?ve come back in the old good times, where the distilling vessel and the unlimited possibilities of Greece are accompanied with knowledge and experience.

 

BOUTIQUE LIQUORS on 2008-05-15T15:51:05Z

Limoncello

Limoncello

New liquor with a classic taste

Sweet and soothing, potent and relaxing, limoncello is a strong, bright yellow after-dinner liqueur that hails from southern Italy, along the Amalfi Coast and the islands of Capri and Ischia. The ripe full-flavored lemons, found all along the Mediterranean are ideal for crafting this potent nectar. The resulting liqueur is very strong, very sweet, and very satisfying.

History

Limoncello is a fairly recent invention. It originated on the isle of Capri in the late 19th century. An innkeeper there, Vincenza Canale, treated her patrons to her homemade liqueur as a complimentary, after-dinner "digestivo." Word traveled among travelers about her delightful lemon liqueur and eventually the family began bottling it commercially. Today, the family's company, Limoncello di Capri, is one of the leading limoncello manufacturers and is still run by the grandchildren of Signora Canale.

 How Limoncello is Made

Limoncello is made using a combination of ground lemon rinds washed in water, grain alcohol, water, and sugar. The best limoncello comes from the big, ripe lemons of the Mediterranean, but any variety of lemons may be used. The mixture is made using approximately 15 lemons to two bottles of grain alcohol. Vodka may be substituted for the grain alcohol, if desired. Added to this combination are roughly four cups of sugar and five cups of water. After creating a syrup with the sugar and water, you combine the lemons and the syrup in a large glass jar and pour the alcohol over the top. Limoncello then steeps, or distills, for at least 80 days. Variations of this recipe include adding vanilla bean and substituting oranges for lemons.

Serving Limoncello

Limoncello is traditionally served after dinner or with the dessert course. This potent liqueur is most appropriately served chilled in slender cordial glasses. One sips limoncello slowly, not all at one time as a shot. This liqueur is delicious when paired with Italian desserts, such as Tiramisu, a pear tarte, or almost any chocolate concoction. Limoncello may also be served drizzled over ice cream. In the United States, limoncello is also increasingly used in cocktails, usually paired with vodka or Champagne. Store your bottle of limoncello in the freezer when not in use.

Finding Limoncello in North America

Limoncello is becoming a bar standard in major New York, Toronto, and west coast Italian restaurants. In other areas, you can usually find at least one brand of limoncello in liquor stores and occasionally at restaurants. Many Americans, particularly Italian-Americans, distill their own batches of limoncello, usually from an old family recipe.

Major manufacturers of limoncello include Limoncello di Capri, Caravella Limoncello, Limoncello di Ischia, and Toschi.

BOUTIQUE LIQUORS on 2008-05-15T15:48:08Z

LIQUEURS IN ITALY

LIQUORS - LIQUEURS IN ITALY

LIQUOR - LIQUEURS IN ITALY

First I had to decide how to spell it ! If liquor or liqueur since I have seen the use of both. Since Liqueur is usually considered a sweet liquor and liquor is a more general term for this italian products considering all the amari (bitter staff) I decided to go for liquor.
The first liquors were invented across Europe in convents and monasteries during the middle ages, but it was not until the 16th and 17th centuries that their fame and the actual products reached the palaces of the nobility. The recipes for these liquors were kept secret for centuries. Indeed, even nowadays the composition and preparation of many of the best known liquors are carefully guarded secrets.

liquors are alcoholic beverages obtained most commonly by the maceration and infusion in ethyl alcohol or brandy of plants, aromatic herbs, fruits, roots, rind of citrus fruits, etcetera. The difference between maceration and infusion is that in the first case the alcohol or brandy is cold, whilst in the second it is heated. One important ingredient in the preparation of liquors, or "liquori" as they are known in Italian is sugar (or caramel or honey, according to the different recipes). The addition of this sweetening ingredient determines the difference between liquori and amari, the latter literally meaning bitter in Italian. Amari are in fact a type of liqueur obtained with the same procedures mentioned above, but with a much lower percentage of sugar or other sweetener.

Main categories of Italian liquors

Some Italian liquors have a dominant sweet taste and aroma. For those who only like sweet liquors ( like Kalua ), then the types of liqueurs that would satisfy their taste would include Frangelico, Amaretto di Saronno, Sambuca and similar. Many years ago sweet liquors were all I could drink. Now my taste has changed or as some might say "matured", and my Frangelico bottle is well over 10 years old!

For those who like semi-sweet liquors, Limoncello is an obvious choice. It is made from lemon juice, sugar and lemon skin as well as alcohol. Since its main component is lemon, this liqueur has a slightly sour taste as well. This liqueur originates in the main lemon producing areas of Italy, but it is now very popular throughout the country. Aside from many kinds of commercially produced Limoncello, there are also the "home-made" versions that are prepared using traditional recipes. For these, the housewife and other persons preparing the liqueur, purchase lemons that are guaranteed free of having been treated with pesticides or other chemicals.

Other semisweet liquors include Campari, Cynar and Strega. Cynar is an artichoke-based liquor that is said to have beneficial effects in relieving stress. In fact, up until some time ago a TV spot showed a relaxed gentleman sipping Cynar in the middle of raging traffic. That ad has been dropped because there is nothing that can be effective against current day traffic in the big cities of Italy. Strega is also quite popular. Nowadays it is not often consumed on its own, but instead it is used in cocktails.

Campari is a bright red, semi-bitter cordial,that has become very popular in Italy because of its versatility. It has also acquired a sophisticated aura, in part because of very aggressive and expensive advertising campaigns. Campari can be served with grapefruit or orange juice. As a long drink, particularly pleasant in summer months, it can be mixed with soda or tonic water and ice (with a lemon peel). More robust beverages are Campari on the rocks, or Campari mixed with white wine. The latter is a drink that is widely consumed in the central and northern parts of Italy, as an aperitif, sometimes with a bit of soda water added to lower the alcoholic gradation, sometimes with a slice of orange or lemon, but most often as not just Campari and white wine without any of the frills.

I like these bitter-sweet liquors, but if you think (honestly) that your taste is not so advanced, stick to an after-dinner Limoncello and similar.

Some Italian liquors are decidedly bitter. Although they include some sweetening components, their main characteristic is the bitterness that is often derived from particular mixtures of herbs. These liquors, many of which are the products of secret recipes developed in medieval convents, are reputedly beneficial for health if consumed in small quantities after dinner. So, if for example you like Radicchio - an Italian salad which has definitely a bitter base, if you like rughetta ( arugola ) / olives / anchovies and not only Coca Cola with French fries you might end up liking Italian Amari (Bitter)

There are several degree of bitterness however. Amari like Amaro Averna, Amaro Lucano, China Martini, Rabarbaro Zucca, and Centerbe are bitter-sweet. Amari like Fernet Branca and Petrus are really bitter! In America many things are too sweet for my taste. Sweet is considered good and bitter is (usually) bad. If you are adventuresome in matters of food and beverages, you may try one of these liquors, but it is doubtful that you will actually enjoy it. Only after many years does one cultivate a taste for the bitter liquors, but once you do develop the taste for them you will never tire of them. Instead, if you like whisky / Cognac and similar, you should try Stock 84, a well-known traditional brandy. Another distilled liqueur that has gained great popularity not only in Italy but in many part of the world is "Grappa". Grappa is made from grape skin. Some of the most famous labels are Grappa Nardini, Bocchino, Giulia, and Gandolini

BOUTIQUE LIQUORS on 2008-05-15T15:44:59Z

Famous Italian Liquors

MOST FAMOUS LIQUORS IN ITALY

Popular italian liquors

List of Major Liquors & Liqueurs
Best known liquors in Italy

-Amaro Fernet Branca is made of the infusion of numerous ingredients, obtained from different parts of the world. After the infusion takes place, Fernet rests in wood barrels for at least a year. The name of this liqueur, according to many, originated from the Milanese dialect "fer net", clean iron, with reference to a piece of iron which was dipped into the infusion. In fact it is in Milan that Fernet acquired its fame, thanks to producer Bernardino Branca who, more than 150 years, ago began a business which continues to be the market leader. Fernet is best consumed soon after a meal, to help digestion, but can also be used as an addition, or "correction" to espresso coffee. An interesting, and true, anecdote about the first imports of Fernet into the USA is as follows: When the inspectors from the BATF first tested Fernet they classified it under "medicinal beverages" for which a much lower import duty was charged than for alcoholic beverages. Only several years later was it determined that Fernet was an after-dinner liquer and hence commanding a higher import duty.
-Amaretto : Usually a sweet liquor based on Almond ( Amaretto di Saronno is one of the most famous ). This liquoris now prepared using an almond essence, whereas it used to be made by the maceration of apricot seeds. It has an amber colour and a typical almond scent. It can be used after a meal, as a digestive, or as an ingredient in cakes and cocktails
-Anisette/Anice

: Clear Italian cordial liqueur made from anis seed and tasting like black licorice, very similar to Sambuca but with less alcohol, commonly used in desserts.
-Apertivo - Aperitivi : Aperol, Biancosarti, Martini Bianco. These are all aperitif wines and liqueurs that are consumed prior to the meal, along with various snacks. In Italy the aperitif is viewed as a moment of cordial companionship prior to the family meal.
-Campari - A red, bitter cordial that can be served in many ways, including with grapefruit juice or with vodka or Tonic Water and ice. Campari fans drink it undiluted, on the rocks or mixed either with mineral water or, for a more aggressive beverage, with white sparkling wine.
-Centerba - Amaro very strong ( alcohol percentage ). This amaro has a very bitter taste that somewhat masks the high alcoholic content. It is based on an infusion of many herbs (centerba means 100 herbs), and the bottle is presented in an attractive straw basket.
-Cynar : This liqueur is made from artichokes - It is bitter-sweet and mixes well with Tonic water and Ice
-Frangelico - Hazelnut liquer/cordial, a nice after-dinner cordial and/or with espresso or coffee extra sweet.
-Godiva - Chocolate liqueur, also available in white chocolate flavor, This liqueur is popular in Italy despite the fact that its origins stem from Belgium.
-Grappa - Fermented from the peels, seed and stems of grapes. Grappa perfectly clear in color and of high alcoholic gradation. Aside from the standard grappa, the liqueur is also flavored in a variety of ways, with pears, apples, prunes, and various types of grapes and berries or herbs. This beverage is very popular in northern Italy, and has gradually gained recognition in many other countries, particularly in the US. It is normally consumed as an after dinner digestive drink.
-Limoncello - It is obtained by the maceration of the rind of lemons in alcohol. One of the most famous areas for purchasing this liqueur is the coast of Sorrento. Here lemons are almost as big as grapefruits! And their scent fills the air mixing with the scent of the sea. Interestingly, limoncello at its best offers mixtures of lemon, lime and marine scents. Nowadays limoncello is made in most parts of Italy, but the Sorrento version remains the most fascinating example.
-Maraschino is produced with cherries and is used especially to prepare cocktails or fruit salads and desserts.
-Martini - Italian brand of both sweet and dry Vermouth, from which the ever popular Martini Cocktail has derived
-Marsala : Italy has many types of "Port-like" wines or "vino liquoroso", including Marsala. In the case of Marsala there is a wide range of qualities, from very cheap varieties that should be more appropiately called "Marsala imitations" to some really excellent wines ready to compete with best Port wines. Marsala wine is divided in dry, semi-dry and sweet categories, and can be aged from 1 to more than 10 years.
-Mellone - Melon liqueur resembling the taste of cantelope or melon.
-Mezzaluna - One of the smoothest Vodkas around, triple distilled/filtered. -Mirto - A typical produce of the island of Sardinia, where myrtle thrives together with other plants like juniper and arbutus (strawberry-tree) which form the Mediterranean scrub. Myrtle berries, dark in colour, are left to macerate in alcohol. Mirto has a garnet red colour, and scents of myrtle, sage and other aromatic herbs as well as cocoa.
-Nocino - Similar to Amaretto - This liqueur is made with green walnuts, together with the husks, which are crushed and placed in infusion in alcohol, spices (cinnamon and cloves for instance) and sugar. This process lasts between 40 and 60 days. Traditionally, the green walnuts are gathered on the night of the 21st of June, midsummer's night and Saint John's, and like for many other liqueurs, this one, originally made in Emilia, was said to be used as a medicine. Nowadays it is commonly agreed that in small quantities, it helps digestion
-Sambuca - The most popular brand of Sambuca and the most renown is Sambuca Molinari, but Sambuca Romana works fine too. Sambuca is made with star anise and white elder flowers. It is served as digestive, or, with the addition of water, as a long (and refreshing) drink. If you order this in a restaurant, you will typically see 3 coffee beans floating in it, (called Sambuca con la mosca - Sambuca with the fly) signifying health, happiness and prosperity. "Three" is very often symbolic for many reasons, but also because odd numbers are considered luckier than even ones.
-Strega - Literally meaning "witch" in Italian, this is a yellow bitter-sweet liquer cordial with a unique taste.
-Vin Santo : Port like wine from Tuscany. Typically consumed as an after dinner sweet drink, with the "dunking" of crisp almond biscuits. This wine is best consumed in cool winter months.

BOUTIQUE LIQUORS on 2008-05-15T15:41:04Z

Grappa History

History of Grappa

Grappa: Italy's Elixir

Grappa is a uniquely Italian drink. Traditionally, made from pomace, the discarded grape seeds, stalks, and stems that are a by-product of the winemaking process, Grappa has been around since the Middle Ages. For generations, Italians have sipped this "firewater" after meals and even added a little to their morning espresso, to "correct" it. Once considered an acquired taste, popular only in Italy, Grappa, today, is making itself known around the world. Distilleries from Australia to Oregon, as well as Italy, are trying their hand at making Grappa, with surprisingly good results.

History of Grappa

Grappa was originally made in Bassano del Grappa, a town of around 40,000 residents in Italy's northern Veneto region. It is from this town that Grappa gets its name. Grappa started as a by-product of the Italian winemaking trade, a rough drink made with what was available, potent enough to get the farmers through the cold winter months. It was good at warming you up, but not particularly tasty, similar to the grain alcohols of the Midwestern United States. Grappa, largely, remained a drink of the poor workmen and farmers until the 1960s.

Making Grappa

Similar to France's brandies and Cognac, and Portugal's Sherry, Grappa is a distilled beverage. That means the mixture of grape pieces and alcohol is heated gently, allowing much of the mixture to evaporate, and leaving a potent concentration. Today's Grappa is about 40 to 45 percent alcohol. That's 80 to 90 proof. After distillation, Grappa is usually stored in glass bottles for about six months before it is distributed. The flavor profile of Grappa depends on the grape varietal used, and, generally, Grappa is potent and dry. Occasionally, a producer will add a little syrup to sweeten the lot. This sweeter Grappa is particularly popular in the American market.

Today's Grappa

The character of Grappa changed in the 1960s, thanks, largely to the efforts of one woman - Giannola Nonino. Her Nonino distillery, in Percoto Italy, has been producing Grappa since 1897. In the early 1970s, she began making Grappa from a single grape, as opposed to the customary mélange of grape leftovers. She sought to make a quality drink, one to rival the great eaux-de-vie of France. It was an uphill battle. She sold very little of her first, 1973, production. Undaunted, she offered her Grappa free to journalists, restaurateurs, and asked that it be served at important commercial and government dinners. She poured the drink herself and told her story as she filled the glasses. Slowly, in this way, the charismatic Ms. Nonino created a following.

The Nonino Distillery's first single grape Grappa was crafted from the Picolit grape. Today, over a dozen different grapes are used for single grape Grappas, called "monovitigno" Grappas, a term Ms. Nonino coined herself. In 1984, the same Nonino distillery gained government approval and began producing a higher quality Grappa made from whole fruit. They began with grapes and in the following years, produced products using cherries, pear, apricot, peach, and raspberry, among other fruits. Seeking a way to show off their new products, Nonino is also responsible for the stylish glass bottles in which Grappa today is sold, a dramatic change from the old medicinal-style bottles.

Grappa's popularity has spread all around the globe. Once unknown outside of Italy, today Grappa is being produced all over the world, from Oregon to South Africa. These outposts use the indigenous grapes of their regions, such as Oregon's Pinot Noir, creating unique and tasty variations on the Italian theme.

Buying Grappa

Like wine, Grappa comes in all varieties and qualities, with the flavor based on the grape or fruit used. Grappa is available in wine stores and premium liqueur retailers throughout the United States. Expect to pay from $10 for a simple bottle to over $100 per bottle for a single fruit variety. Although you will often see the decorative Grappa bottles lined up behind bars and at restaurants, Grappas are actually best stored in a cool, dark place. Out of light and heat, they can last several years, though they will lose some of their fragrance as they age.

Drinking Grappa

Traditionally, Grappa is served chilled in small glasses and served after the meal, as the Italians believe that it aids digestion. Correctly, Grappa should be swirled gently in the glass and then brought to your nose, before tasting. It is then tasted in small sips. In Italy, Grappa is also added to espresso to make a "Café Corretto," a popular after-dinner concoction. In the United States, you'll find Grappa at higher-end Italian restaurants and retailers. If you've never tried Grappa, you're in for a treat. It's a fiery, but tasty beverage, just the thing for a cold winter's night.

BOUTIQUE LIQUORS on 2008-05-15T15:37:12Z

Champagne Houses

Champagne Houses

Champagne Ayala

Chateau d'Ay, 2, boulevard du Nord, 51160 Ay

Tel: +33 (0) 3 26 55 15 44 / Fax: +33 (0) 3 26 51 09 04

Small independent producer.

Madame Lily Bollinger is quoted as saying of Bollinger champagne:

"I drink it when I'm happy and when I'm sad.

Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone - when I have company, I consider it obligatory.

I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and drink it when I am.

Otherwise I never touch it - unless I'm thirsty."

Champagne Canard-Duch�ne

12 rue du Temple, 51100 Reims

Tel: +33 (0) 3 26 61 11 60.

Ranked 3rd most popular Champagne brand in France, the world's largest champagne market. Tours by appointment only.

Home page in English, French and German.

Champagne Castellane

Tel: +33 (0) 3 26 51 19 19 / Fax: +33 (0) 3 26 54 24 81

Labelled with the famous red St. Andr� cross.

Home page gives information about the de Castellane tower in the heart of Epernay, the museum on champagne production and the butterfly garden. Also includes on-line ordering facility. In English and French.

Champagne Charles Heidsieck

4, boulevard Henry Vasnier, 51100 Reims

Tel: +33 (0) 3 26 84 43 50 / Fax: +33 (0) 3 26 84 43 90

Produced a celebratory bottle for the 700th anniversary of the Grimaldi family of Monaco in 1997. Also produces the "Champagne Charlie" variety, so-called because of its founder's nickname on arriving in USA. Tours by appointment only.

Home page in English and French.

Champagne Edouard Brun

Home page gives information about the product range and special offers. In English and French.

Champagne Gosset

69, rue J. Blondeau, BP7, 51160 Ay

Tel: +33 (0) 3 26 56 99 56 / Fax: +33 (0) 3 26 51 55 88

Home page in English and French.

Champagne Hamm

One of the younger champagne houses, founded in 1910.

Home page in English and French.

Champagne Jacquart

Reims

Home page in English and French.

Champagne Krug

5, rue Coquebert, 51100 Reims

Tel: +33 (0) 3 26 84 44 20 / Fax: +33 (0) 3 26 84 44 29

Used by Maxim's restaurant in Paris to celebrate their 80th birthday. One of the oldest champagne houses, founded in 1729. Still uses traditional methods and each barrel is made by hand.

Tours by appointment, on weekdays only.

Champagne Lanson

12, Boulevard Lundy, 51056 Reims

Tel: +33 (0) 3 26 78 50 50 / Fax: +33 (0) 3 26 78 50 99

Founded in 1760. Tours by appointment, on weekdays only.

Home page in English, French and German.

Champagne Laurent Perrier

1???, 51150 Tours-sur-Marne

Tel: +33 (0) 3 26 58 91 22 / Fax: +33 (0) 3 26 58 77 29

Tours by appointment only in English, French, German and Spanish.

Champagne Leclerc Briant

67, rue Chaude Ruelle, 51204 Epernay

Tel: +33 (0) 3 26 54 45 33 / Fax: +33 (0) 3 26 54 49 59

Home page includes information for importers and about vineyards, wine-making, cuv�es and the cellars. In English and French.

Champagne Louis Roederer

21, boulevard Lundy, 51100 Reims

Tel: +33 (0) 3 26 40 42 11 / Fax: +33 (0) 3 26 61 40 35

Tours by appointment and recommendation only.

Moet Chandon

Epernay

Founded by Claude Moet in 1743. Site includes the Trianon mansion, built for Napoleon Bonaparte and his entourage for their champagne buying visits.

Home page in English, includes a guide to champagne vocabulary, serving hints and wedding toasts.

Champagne GH Mumm & Cie

34 rue du Champs de Mars, 51100 Reims

Tel: +33 (0) 3 26 49 59 70 / Fax: +33 (0) 3 26 49 59 01

Founded in 1827 by a family of German wine merchants.

Paying tours in English, French, German, Italian & Spanish. Includes a free tasting.

Champagne Perrier Jouet

Epernay

Tel: ?? / Fax: +33 (0) 3 26 ??

Producers of the famous prestige cuv�e, the "Belle Epoque".

Champagne Piper Heidsieck

51, boulevard Henry Vasnier, 51100 Reims

Tel: +33 (0) 3 26 84 43 44 / Fax: +33 (0) 3 26 84 43 49

The official champagne of the Cannes Film Festival.

Homepage in English and French. Slow site due to loading of graphics.

Champagne Pommery

5, place du G�n�ral Gouraud, 51100 Reims

Tel: +33 (0) 3 26 61 62 55 / Fax: +33 (0) 3 26 61 62 96

Shop open daily. Guided paying tours in English, French and German by appointment.

Champagne Ruinart

4, rue des Cray�res, 51100 Reims

Tel: +33 (0) 3 26 77 51 54 / Fax: +33 (0) 3 26 82 88 43

One of the oldest champagne houses, founded in 1729. Tours on weekdays, by appointment only.

Champagne Taittinger

9, place Saint Nicaise, 51100 Reims

Tel: +33 (0) 3 26 85 84 35 / Fax: +33 (0) 3 26 50 14 30

Paying tours in English, French and German.

Home page in English and French, includes details of their advertising campaign.

Champagne Tribaut Schloesser

Founded by the Tribault family who learned their trade from Dom P�rignon.

Home page in English and French.

Champagne Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin

1, place des Droits de l'Homme, 51100 Reims

Tel: +33 (0) 3 56 89 54 41 / Fax: +33 (0) 3 26 40 60 17

Founded in 1772 by Philippe Cliquot, who passed on control to his son, Fran�ois. On the son's death, the reins were taken over by the veuve(widow), Nicole Cliquot. Official champagne of the Danish, Swedish and English courts. Drank at the celebration of the Queen's silver jubilee in 1977. Tours by appointment only.

Home page in English and French.

Champagne Michel Weynand

Rue du cimeti�re, 51130 Vertus

Tel: +33 (0) 26 52 25 74 / Fax: +33 (0) 26 52 10 88

Homepage in English, French, German, Japanese and Russian.

BOUTIQUE LIQUORS on 2008-05-15T15:29:45Z

Champagne Region Maps

 

Maps of the Champagne Region

France's northernmost A.O.C. wine-producing region is divided into four major districts, and the famous Champagne houses are easily visited because they are mainly in the towns of Reims and Epernay. Each district has a signposted wine route that laces together quaint villages via tractor-wide roads. The Montagne de Reims route starts in Reims and travels 75 kilometers south to Epernay. The 52-kilometer Marne Valley route starts in Epernay and goes west to Vincelles. The C�te des Blancs / C�teaux de S�zannais route covers 108 kilometers from Epernay, south to Villenauxe-la-Grande. Finally, there is the C�tes des Bar in the South East corner of the region, between Troyes and Chaumont.

Champagne region, 1696

BOUTIQUE LIQUORS on 2008-05-15T15:25:45Z

Various Champagne Styles

 

Champagne Styles

There are many factors that influence the flavour of Champagne; grape variety, vineyard, vintage, blend, pressing (first, second or third?) but one of the other ways is in the content of the liqueur d'expedition which is used to top-up the bottles after they have been disgorged and the sediment removed.

This liquid contains varying amounts of sugar syrup and some reserve wine. The amount of sugar in this mixture determines the style of the Champagne:

Extra Brut

This is an uncommon style these days, resulting in a very dry wine. The sugar content or dosage is from 0-6 grammmes of sugar per litre. Only Laurent-Perrier's recently introduced Ultra Brut is widely available in this style.

Brut

Most Champagnes come into this category. The sugar content is from 0-15 grammes per litre. In exceptional harvests the grapes have enough natural sugar to be a "Brut" style without any dosage. An example is Ann�e de la Com�te 1986 from Raymond Boulard.

Extra-Sec

Very unusual style 12-20 grammes of sugar per litre.

Sec

Very unusual 17-35 grammes of sugar per litre.

Demi-Sec

This style is ideal with desserts and foie gras. Most houses do a Demi-Sec. The sugar content is between 35-50 g. per l. Mercier have recently introduced a Demi-Sec Ros� which is very unusual, but very good.

Doux

This style is intensely sweet at over 50 grammes of sugar per litre, and extremely rare. The early Champagnes, particularly those favoured in Russia (which was a major Champagne market until the revolution in 1917!) were of this style.

BOUTIQUE LIQUORS on 2008-05-15T15:18:52Z

Champagne Styles

Champagne Types

Non Vintage (N.V.)

Blended from wines of several years to achieve a constant "style de maison" House style. This blend will depend on the art and history behind the house and its Chef du Caves. Many NV Champagnes are a blend of thirty or forty different wines.

A non-vintage Champagne cannot be sold until it is 15 months old, although most reputable houses will age the wine in their cellars for longer periods. An NV wine will often improve in the bottle after purchase, if it is kept in the right conditions, ideally a cellar, but failing that, in a cool dark place. As the bottle ages the Champagne will become softer on the palate, richer in taste. However, it is not recommended to keep Champagne longer than it was originally cellared by the maker.

Vintage

Vintage Champagne is a blend of wines from a particular year, when the quality of the harvest was sufficient to declare a "Vintage". Obviously, not every year is a vintage year, but the vintage is left to the individual houses themselves to declare. Therefore, some houses declare a vintage Champagne in a year where others did not feel the quality justified it.

Vintage Champagne must be 39 months old before it is sold, i.e. 3 years after the 1st January following the harvest around September. Again, many Marques will age their wines for longer than this legal minimum.

Ros�

Ros� Champagne can be made in one of two ways: First by maceration of black grapes during pressing, so that the colour leeches out from the skins (the juice from black grapes is white) or by adding a small proportion of the red wine form the Champagne region (often Bouzy Rouge) to give the wine a rose tint. The former method (de saign�e) is more expensive and difficult to control, but many would say produces the better Champagne. An excellent Ros� is Laurent-Perrier, produced de saign�e.

Prestige Cuv�es

Most Champagne houses produce a special bottle in a vintage year and these are normally deemed to be "Prestige or Deluxe cuv�es". Probably the most famous of these is Mo�t's Cuv�e Dom P�rignon. In fact Mo�t invented the Cuv�e Prestige with D.P. in 1921.

Prestige cuv�es represent the pinnacle of a house's achievement and can be a vintage or occasionally a blend of vintages. They cost around three times more than a Non-Vintage, and around double the price of a Vintage.

Why are they so expensive? Well, the grapes will have been hand picked (like all Champagne grapes) but they will have come from the top-producing vineyards, and more or less hand selected. Then they will be very carefully pressed, the resulting wines carefully blended and bottled in a specially shaped bottle. The Champagne is left to mature for five to seven years, after which the bottles will be riddled by hand prior to disgorgement. Then, there is often a pretty box. Clearly, these wines are a premium product, crafted with the utmost care to produce a premium wine, but I suspect they carry a premium profit margin! But then why does a Rolex watch cost a hundred times more than a Swatch, when the Swatch tells time better? (I've got both - the Rolex won't work the ski-lift either!)

I have tasted a number of prestige cuv�es over the years, usually at someone else's expense, including Perrier-Jou�t Belle Epoque (Flower Bottle) 1989, Lanson Noble Cuv�e 1988, Mumm Grand Cordon 1990, Laurent-Perrier Grand Si�cle 1990,  Mo�t & Chandon Dom Perignon 1985, 1990, and other years, various vintages of Taittinger Comte de Champagne Blanc de Blancs yet none really stick in my mind. (I remember the names because I collect the bottles!)

I coveted a bottle of Krug 1982 for years which I had been hoarding for a special occasion or an excuse to drink it. When the time came (a voyage on the QE2), it was an anti-climax. Perhaps I had been expecting too much, but I recall a similar feeling when I drank a Ch�teau Latour for the first time.

There are those who simply must drink Champagne at �90 a bottle, but there are many wines around virtually as good for less than a third of the price!

BOUTIQUE LIQUORS on 2008-04-14T15:19:25Z

Master Sommelier Lessons

Master Sommelier



1. How does someone become a Master Sommelier?

A candidate must past three levels of examinations. The first level is the Introductory Sommelier Course. Next are the Certified Sommelier Exam, Advanced Sommelier Course, and lastly, the Master Sommelier Diploma exams. When a candidate has successfully passed all three levels, he or she earns the Master Sommelier diploma and can be referred to as a Master Sommelier.

2. What is the difference between a Master Sommelier and a Master of Wine?

The Master Sommelier diploma is the highest distinction a professional can attain in fine wine and beverage service. Testing is focused on the areas needed for superior beverage department management, which include Tasting, Theory, Practical and Dining Room Application, and also encompasses spirits, beers, cigars as well as global wine knowledge.

The Master of Wine program is designed to measure knowledge in a more academic form than the Master Sommelier. The Master of Wine program is popular among négociants, writers, winemakers, and other members of the trade. It is not focused on beverage department management and service, nor does the curriculum include spirits, beer and cigars in the same way as the Master Sommelier program. The Court class is much more hands on and practical whereas the MW program is more theory.

3. What are the benefits of having a Master Sommelier diploma?

The Master Sommelier diploma distinguishes a service professional worthy of the title, and is known throughout the hospitality business worldwide. It guarantees to a potential employer that a candidate is among the most qualified in the industry, with outstanding tasting and evaluation skills, wine knowledge and outstanding abilities in service and beverage department management.

4. How many Master Sommeliers are there? How many are women?

There are 87 professionals who hold the title Master Sommelier in North America. Of the North American Master Sommeliers, 73 are men and 14 are women. There are a total of 158 Master Sommeliers worldwide.

5. What is the Introductory Course? How should I prepare for it?

The Introductory Sommelier Course content includes a fast-paced review of the world's wine producing regions, elements of wine service, and several tasting exercises. The Introductory Sommelier Course is a mandatory step in the three stages of testing, and is highly recommended to give a flavor for the programs comprehensiveness. An Introductory Course syllabus can be found on the website.

At the end of the second (and final) day of the course, a multiple-choice exam is given. All subjects for-which candidates are to be examined on are covered during the two days, although students should arrive with a working knowledge of wine. The pass rate for this class is about 95%. Students are not tested/graded on tasting at this point. Unlike the more rigorous Advanced and Masters levels, this course is meant to be less intense. Whether or not someone chooses to pursue the MS diploma, this class provides excellent education and training.

The level of skill needed to pass the MS Advanced Course rises dramatically. Outside preparation, study, and tasting is essential at this level. A suggested reading list is available for anyone wishing to receive it.

BOUTIQUE LIQUORS on 2008-04-14T15:14:27Z

Master Sommelier

Master Sommelier

BOUTIQUE LIQUORS on 2008-04-14T17:46:03Z

Storing opened Wine Bottles

Storing Opened Wine Bottles

Many regular wine drinkers find that just half a bottle of wine is satisfactory for an evenings drinking, and this level of intake does no harm to an otherwise healthy liver. In the absence of a companion to finish the bottle, drinking in moderation means dealing with the preservation of left over wine. It seems quite reasonable that we should keep the wine for the following day, but will the wine last this long? How should we keep it fresh, in the condition in which the winemaker intended it to be enjoyed?

Pulling the cork on a bottle of wine is a crucial moment in time. It is a point of no-return, as once cork has been separated from bottle, the wine is exposed to oxygen in the air, which has the potential to cause great harm. How the wine holds up as it released from its captivity depends on a number of factors, but the age of the wine is without doubt one of the most important. A young wine, say a classed growth claret of just five years of age, will benefit from exposure to the air at first. Decanting the wine into a suitable container helps to soften the tannins, and allows the bouquet to develop. Very old wines, however, are much more fragile, and may rapidly collapse, losing much of their character and bouquet within just minutes or hours of being opened.

Consequently, it seems silly to expect an old and venerable wine to survive from one day to the next. But for younger, sturdier wines which, for most of us at least, comprise the vast majority of our drinking, there are methods which may be employed to preserve the wine so that it may be enjoyed the following day.

The Refrigerator

Like all foodstuffs, wine can be preserved by placing it in the refrigerator. Chemical reactions are much less rapid at lower temperatures, and hence the process of oxidation that will eventually make the wine undrinkable occurs much more slowly than it otherwise would. Lowering the temperature of the wine also inhibits the action of acetic bacteria, which threaten to spoil the wine by converting it into vinegar. I think placing the left over wine in the refrigerator is one of the most important steps in preserving it for the following day. There are, however, techniques which go further towards preserving the wine by attempting to lessen the effect of oxygen more directly.

Decanting

Shoving the cork back in a half empty bottle of wine and refrigerating goes some way to slowing its degradation. It may be better, however, to decant the wine first from the full bottle (750ml capacity) into a spare half-bottle (375ml capacity), recork it and then refrigerate it. This practice lessens the amount of oxygen in contact with the wine, there being just a small amount between the top of the wine and the cork. Some wine lovers regard this practice to be ineffectual, arguing that the contact between oxygen and wine resulting from the act of pouring it into the smaller bottle outweighs any benefit gained from the smaller volume of air in the half bottle. There?s no evidence either way, but my personal experience suggests that there is a difference, and so I usually decant.

Vacuuming

Going one step further towards removing the wine from contact with oxygen involves the use of a vacuum device. A specially designed rubber bung is inserted into the neck of the bottle, and a simple pump used to extract the air. This results in a partial vacuum at best, as it?s quite impossible for such a simple piece of equipment to achieve anything better. I imagine this is a commonly used technique, as the necessary equipment is quite inexpensive and can be found in most supermarkets. It?s not one, however, that I recommend. My experience suggests that storing a wine using a vacuum device has a detrimental effect on the wine. When comparing wines decanted to a half bottle and stored in this way with those decanted and simply recorked, those that had been vacuumed had less aroma on the nose, and seemed flat and dull.

I think there may be two reasons for this. Firstly, when using the hand pump it?s quite common to see a steady stream of bubbles rising up to the surface of the wine. This is dissolved gas, most probably carbon dioxide, coming out of solution under the reduced pressure. Such a change in the composition of the wine may quite feasibly result in a duller, less interesting wine. Secondly, I hypothesise that it may not be just carbon dioxide that is lost. Many of the interesting aromas on the nose of a wine are volatile compounds, and it may be that storing the wine under partial vacuum causes these to evaporate and be lost from the wine also.

Nitrogen

For the serious wine lover, a quick squirt from a cylinder of compressed nitrogen can be employed to protect the wine from oxidation. This seems like the ideal solution, with no reason to suggest loss of volatile compounds, and minimal contact with oxygen as the nitrogen gas settles over the wine. Unfortunately there are mixed reports, with some suggesting that the nitrogen may have a detrimental effect, particularly on the less robust, older wines. It?s also just one more piece of kit to clutter up the kitchen cupboards. I wouldn?t put anyone off trying it, but I don?t personally recommend it.

An Exception

One exception to the above is sparkling wine. To try and decant such a wine would be foolish, and would probably result in the loss of more fizz than would be lost as a result of leaving the wine in a half empty bottle. The use of nitrogen is probably unnecessary, as a layer of carbon dioxide from the bubbles protects the wine from oxygen. This is probably why many drinkers report little change in the character of the wine, when simply recorked and refrigerated, or even when stored in an open bottle. Many wine lovers use a pressure cap, myself included, and judging by the amount of pressure behind the cap when released I?m sure it goes some way to preserving the amount of fizz. It?s not often I use one, though. Somehow I never seem to have any difficulty finding someone to help me polish off a bottle of Champagne.

Conclusion

With a little care the vast majority of wines can be stored safely to be finished the following day.  I would not recommend trying to keep wine any longer than this, as the above measures serve only to delay the inevitable deterioration of the wine, not to prevent it. My personal practice is to treat all still wines the same, red or white, including fortified wines such as Port. I decide beforehand how much of the wine I am going to drink that evening, and usually this is half a bottle. Immediately upon opening the wine I pour half into a 375ml bottle, seal with the cork and refrigerate. The next day I remove Port and red wines from the fridge a few hours before I wish to drink them in order that they may gently come back up to a suitable temperature. White wines generally remain in the fridge, although some come out for a short while first. Through experimentation I have found this simple practice to be the most effective method of keeping the wine well.

BOUTIQUE LIQUORS on 2008-04-14T17:49:33Z

Wine Vine Pruning

Vine Training

The variety of methods for training vines are many and varied. The method employed is of far more importance than you may think - it is not simply a job of keeping the vines from dangling on the ground. Many dozens of different training techniques have been developed, some of which have been in use for centuries, such as gobelet, and some for just decades, such as Scott Henry and Smart Dyson. The different methods assist in controlling vigorous vines that produce too much foliage and not enough fruit, may increase exposure of the foliage to light, improve air movement through the leaf canopy and thus reduce the risk of rot, and they may facilitate mechanisation of pruning or harvesting. Many of these concerns are part of canopy management, a relatively new term which refers to how the architecture of the leaf canopy may be manipulated in order to beneficially alter the microclimate around the vine.

Pruning Techniques

Before I discuss some of the methods employed, it is useful to consider the two main pruning techniques that are used by the vignerons. This is because many of the methods are simply variations on a theme, for example the development of a cane pruning technique, eg. the Scott Henry system into a spur pruning technique, the Smart Dyson.

Spur pruning

There are two fruiting canes (this years growth) originating from each spur (a cane shortened, usually to two nodes, although it may be between one and four nodes, in the previous years pruning). The cane furthest away from the cordon is completely removed, the one nearest is shortened to two nodes to produce next years spur, which will generate the two new fruiting canes. There are a number of spurs along the cordon, providing sufficient quantity of fruit.

Cane pruning:

Here the vine has a two year old cane which generates many more fruiting canes during the growing season, and a spur giving origin to two canes. At pruning the two year old cane, and consequently much of this years growth, are completely removed. Of the two canes originating from the spur, the one closest to the cordon is pruned to leave a replacement two node spur, whereas the cane further away is left intact, although shortened. This is next years two year old cane.

Gobelet

Literally translating as 'goblet', this ancient method of vine training involves no wires or other system of support, and results in a goblet shaped growth. The trunk of the vine is kept short at about 0.5m, and it is crowned by a knarled lump of old wood, which is the result of years of spur pruning the few branches at the head of the trunk. Vines trained in this manner, referred to as 'head training', essentially resemble a small bush or shrub, and they may be described by some as 'bush vines'. They are best suited to warm, dry climates, without fertile soil. This is because there is an increased risk of rot in humid environments, as the bushy architecture of the vine inhibits evaporation of water from the fruit and foliage. In fertile soil the foliage may be so prolific as to dangle on to the ground, and this is also undesirable. Consequently they are often found in warm, long-established (nutrient-depleted) vineyards of the Old World, such as the southern parts of Burgundy, the Rh�ne Valley, Provence and Languedoc.

Guyot

Named after Dr Jules Guyot, a 19th century French scientist, this system is essentially cane pruning, as described above. In Single Guyot, each vine has one cane preserved each year, for the generation of next years many fruiting canes, and one spur, which is for the generation of the replacement cane. In Double Guyot, which is a system widely used in Bordeaux, each vine has two canes and two spurs, the canes being trained in opposite directions along wires.

Cordon training

With this method the vines have a short trunk, about 0.5m, similar to the gobelet style. Instead of head training, however, a permanent branch, or 'cordon', is trained along a wire on one side of the vine. The cordon, which is never pruned away, bears a number of spurs (how many often depends on appellation laws in France) which are subject to spur pruning. The cordons may be one (unilateral cordon) or two (bilateral cordon) in number. The bilateral cordon is the most commonly encountered, but the unilateral method is becoming increasingly popular as a relatively easy method of vine training. A significant advantage of cordon training is its suitability to mechanical pruning, as the spurs are all at a very similar height along the cordon. The unilateral method is also sometimes referred to as Cordon de Royat, named after theFrenchagricultural school Royat.

Vertical Trellis

With this long established system, the fruiting canes are trained upwards from the trunk, and it is thus also known as vertical shoot positioning or simply VSP. The canes are supported by securing them to a number of trellis wires running the length of the row of vines. The canes may be trimmed off at the top, and consequently the row takes on a hedge-like appearance. It may be spur or cane pruned. This system may be seen in Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne, using a short trunk with close planting to increase vine stress. In Alsace, Germany and the New World it is employed using a higher trunk.

Geneva double curtain

This method was developed in the 1960's by Professor Nelson Shaulis, of Pennsylvania, who developed it whilst working at the Geneva Agricultural Experiment Station in New York. It is also referred to simply as GDC. The concept aims to improve grape quality by reducing shade within a dense canopy, by dividing the mass of foliage into two. The trunk is grown high, about 1.5m. From this two permanent cordons grow, each one trained out to run along a supporting wire, approximately 1.3m apart. Along the cordon are the spurs that produce the fruiting canes, which hang down towards the ground. Hence the canopy has been divided into two 'curtains', improving exposure to light, quality of fruit and yield. It is particularly useful for vines of high vigour. The method has been more widely used in the New World than the Old, the latter being subject to strict regulations regarding yields.

Lyre

A development of the Geneva double curtain, the Lyre system was the work of Dr Alain Carbonneau, Professor of Viticulture at Montpellier. It came about in the 1980's, and its principle advantages are improvement to the canopy microclimate resulting in less shading of foliage and fruit. Like the GDC, the trunk is divided into two cordons, although at a lesser height, perhaps 1.0m. At this level the cordons are grown along the two parallel wires, but the fruiting canes are grown upward, rather than allowed to dangle down, producing a lyre shape when the row of vines is viewed end-on. Unlike the GDC, it is preferred for medium vigour vines. Although an obvious candidate for spur pruning, it may also be cane pruned.

Scott Henry

This system for vine training is essentially a variation on the Double Guyot system. It was developed by Oregon winemaker, and retired aerospace engineer, Scott Henry, and thus eponymously named. His aim was to improve fruit quality and yield from over-vigorous vines, which would otherwise produce masses of foliage rather than bunches of grapes. From the cordon four canes emerge, two running away from the trunk in each direction, trained along wires. The fruiting canes of the upper cane are trained upwards, whereas those of the lower cane are allowed to fall downwards. It is, like the Guyot systems, subject to cane pruning, although there is a similar training method for spur pruning (see the Smart Dyson method). The single, high curtain of vine is particularly amenable to mechanical harvesting, and this, together with the benefits concerning yield and quality, has led to the Scott Henry method being widely adopted throughout the New World.

Smart Dyson

Essentially very similar to the Scott Henry system, this system uses cordon training, with two cordons either side of the trunk. Each cordon bears a number of spurs, which produce the fruiting canes. As always, the cordons are permanent, and the system is subject to spur pruning. This method is also very suitable for mechanical harvesting, but, like other methods of cordon training, it also has the advantage of being suitable for mechanical pruning, and consequently has gained favour in the New World. It is named after the developers, Richard Smart and John Dyson.

Conclusion

To conclude, I must stress that this is merely an overview of the most common methods of vine training, particularly those used in France and the New World. There are dozens of other techniques that may be employed, including some that are seen in specific European regions such as Italy (the tendone system) and Germany (the halbbogen and doppelbogen systems). To cover them all, however, would hardly be feasible, especially as many of these systems are falling out of use where wine grapes are concerned, as vignerons switch to more modern methods. This is particularly true of those who have land suitable for mechanisation, such as many Italian vineyards. In the steep, sometimes precipitous vineyardsalong the Mosel and Rhine, however, there is less incentive for change.

BOUTIQUE LIQUORS on 2008-04-14T15:03:30Z

Wine Bottle Shapes

Wine Bottle Shapes

A little bottle knowledge can give you a bit of a clue as to what the contents might be, even without reading the label. Most drinkers are familiar with the tall, slender Germanic bottles, but many other wine regions also have a preference for a particular bottle shape. Here I give a brief run through of the common bottle shapes you might find.

Bottle Shapes

Bordeaux: (first from left) Straight sides and tall shoulders, with dark green glass for the dry red wines of the region, lighter green for the dry whites and, for the sweet whites, clear glass. This bottle shape is widely used in the New World by winemakers bottling Bordeaux varieties, but it is also widely used in Italy and many other countries.

Burgundy: (second from left) Here gently sloping shoulders suggests a wine from Burgundy, with both red and white wines in similar green glass. These are sturdy, heavy bottles, with a slightly fatter girth than other wine bottles - although you may only notice this if stacking them. This shape is also widely used throughout the New World for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Rhone: (third from left) Similar in style to the Burgundy, but not so fat. In addition, some may bear a coat of arms on the neck, particularly Ch�teauneuf du Pape. The traditional C�tes du Rh�ne bottle is similar in shape, but with more angular sloping shoulders. New World Shiraz may have a similar bottle, but often this is not the case.

Champagne: (fourth from left) This bottle design is born out of necessity as much as style. Thick glass, gently sloping shoulders and a deep punt (the indentation on the underside) are necessary as the pressure inside the bottle is 80-90psi (three times the pressure inside an average car tyre). Likewise, New World fizz producers use the same design.

Mosel and Alsace: (fifth from left) A slender bottle, narrower than other styles, also much taller, with a very gentle slope to the shoulders. Green glass suggests either the Mosel in Germany, or Alsace in France. The wine contained may still be of a wide variety of styles, however, ranging from dry and off-dry, through to lusciously sweet dessert wines. Read the label!

Rhine: (sixth from left) Wine from the Rhine ('Hock') spends its life in a bottle similar in shape to the Mosel/Alsace bottle. The main distinguishing feature is the glass, which is traditionally coloured brown. The traditional wine glasses of the Mosel and the Rhine reflect this, having green and brown stems respectively. Once again, however, the style of wine can vary, and a little label knowledge is required.

Fortified wines: (seventh from left) Many fortified wines, such as Port, Madeira and Sherry, are transported in quite sturdy bottles like this. The vintage Port bottle may have quite a bulge in the neck, supposedly to help capture the sediment as the aged wine is decanted. Many of these wines, especially if for drinking young, would be sealed with a cork stopper rather than a long cork.

No hard and fast rules: (eighth from left) This is true particularly when considering the wines of non-classic regions or the New World. Although winemakers may bottle in styles similar to the region that gives them inspiration, there is no requirement to do so. In fact, even with classic regions, almost anything goes, as this wacky bottle of Pere Anselme Ch�teauneuf-du-Pape shows

BOUTIQUE LIQUORS on 2008-04-14T17:53:41Z

Decanting Wine

Decanting Wine

Who actually owns a decanter nowadays? People who live in stately homes, or perhaps the proprietors of antique and curiosity shops? No, not at all. Anyone who wants the best from their wine should own one. Decanting wines is not just for show, and even in this modern age of industrial, fined and filtered wines, some will still benefit from spending some time in a decanter.

Why Does a Wine Need Decanting?

In times gone by, before so many wines were routinely fined and filtered to a crystal clear state, it was quite common for wines poured from both barrel and bottle to contain a considerable degree of solid matter. In order to avoid bringing an unsightly looking wine to the table, it was quite the norm to decant the wine into a suitably resplendent receptacle. The need for such a receptacle led to the development of the many and varied elegant decanterswhich are available today.

Most wines on the shelves today, however, have no real need for decanting. The winemaking process ensures the wine is thoroughly clarified (even if it may mean stripping the wine of some of its flavour) before it is bottled, by a process of fining (passing egg whites, bentonite clay or other unsavoury substances through the fine to collect solid matter) and mechanical filtration. Although these wines are often best served from the bottle (after all, you've paid for the label), many others still benefit from decanting.

Wines which have aged in bottle, typically red wines rather than white, will generally throw a sediment by perhaps ten years of age or more. Not only is this sediment displeasing to the eye, it can also be quite unpleasant in the mouth. More than any other wines, these are the ones that deserve decanting. Young wines also benefit from decanting, although the aim is not to take the wine off its sediment (there is rarely any such sediment in young wines), but rather to aerate the wine. The action of decanting itself, and the large surface area in contact with the air in the decanter, alters the wine, softening its youthful bite and encouraging the development of the more complex aromas that normally develop with years in bottle. For this reason even inexpensive wines plucked from the shelves of the local supermarket can benefit from decanting, if a first taste reveals a tannic, grippy, youthful structure.

Decanting Wine: How to do it

Assuming that we are decanting a wine in order to remove it from its sediment, there is a simple procedure to follow. If decanting a wine simply to aerate it and perhaps liven it up a little, this procedure doesn't really matter. Simply pour the wine into any suitable receptacle with minimal fuss.

First, take the wine from where it has been stored, hopefully lying on its side in a suitably cool, dark environment. If you suspect a considerable amount of sediment, as may occur with older wines, it's advisable to stand the bottle upright for a day or so prior to decanting, thus allowing the sediment to fall to the bottom of the bottle. When the time comes to decant the wine, assemble the few things which you will need. These are corkscrew and bottle (obviously), together with a suitable receptacle, which does not have to be anything fancy, a simple carafe such as the one shown here will do, together with a suitable source of light. I use a small candle, as shown here, but a small torch or anything similar will do.

Firstly, remove the entire capsule from around the neck of the bottle, using a knife or other implement. It's important to remove the whole capsule, and not just the top, as you need to have a clear view into the neck of the bottle whilst decanting. This is so that you can observe the wine coming through the neck for sediment. To enhance your view of the wine in the neck, position the light source shining through the neck from behind. Once done, you are ready to pour.

Hold the receptacle in one hand and the bottle in the other, and with a smooth and steady action, pour the wine into the decanter. Don't rush when decanting, rather use a gentle, steady movement, to avoid disturbing the sediment in the wine. Keep the neck of the bottle over the light source, so that you can observe for an arrowhead of sediment moving into the neck of the bottle. This is your cue to stop pouring.

If you've done it all correctly, this should be the end result. A full carafe or decanter of clear wine, with just half a glass or so of sediment-laden wine remaining. This remaining portion makes a great addition to the gravy, should you be decanting the wine as an accompaniment to a roast dinner. Don't fret too much if you haven't achieved a crystal clear pour, as a small amount of very fine sediment is not a great concern - as long as the large, unpalatable pieces have been removed.

BOUTIQUE LIQUORS on 2008-04-14T15:02:18Z

The History of the Corkscrew

The History of the Corkscrew




 
   

Early wine was stored first in terracotta amphoras and later in wooden barrels. Wine was never aged; it was briefly stored or transported and served before it had a chance to spoil. Wine glasses and decanters first appeared in Venice around the 12th century, used only for serving the wine.

Glass-blowing technology improved and in the early 18th century glass wine bottles with small bottlenecks made airtight wine storage possible. Wine could now be safely aged.

The English were the first to seal wine bottles, using cork imported from Spain or Portugal. Cork comes from the wood of the Quercus Suber or cork tree, a species of Oak native to Spain. Obviously, corkscrews were invented as an easy way of removing the cork from a bottle.

However, wine bottles were not the first bottles to be corked. Bottle tops and cans did not become common until after W.W.II. Before that time and before wine was ever corked, all kinds of substances were often stored in corked containers: beer, medicine, cosmetics and food. Many of these corked items required small corkscrews.

Who invented the first corkscrew? Corkscrew historian Ron McLean from the "The Virtual Corkscrew Museum" had this to say:

"It is unknown when and who made the first corkscrew. The first corkscrews were derived from a gun worme, a tool with a single or double spiral end fitting used to clean musket barrels or to extract an unspent charge from the barrel. By the early 17th century corkscrews for removing corks were made by blacksmiths as using a cork to stopper a bottle was well established."

Corkscrew inventors were inspired by a tool called the bulletscrew or gun worm, a device that extracted stuck bullets from rifles. McLean lists the following corkscrew patents gathered from his research as being firsts in several respective countries.

England: Patent No 2061 granted to Samuel Henshall, Princes Street, Parish of Christchurch, Middlesex, on August 24, 1795.

France: Patent No. 3571 granted to Francois Rever on February 23, 1828.

U. S. A.: Patent No. 27,615 (see above) granted to M.L. Byrn of New York, N.Y. for a corkscrew on March 27, 1860. However, a much earlier patent No. 15,325 (see below) was granted on July 15, 1856 to George Blanchard of New York, N.Y. for a metallic tube nutmeg grater as the handle of a corkscrew. The patent illustration shows the tubular nutmeg grater as the handle of a wire helix corkscrew with the patent description mentioning the corkscrew connection three times.

Germany: Patent No 16 granted to Benjamin Loew of Tilsit on July 3, 1877.

Canada: Patent No.16,163 granted to William Addison of Hamilton, Ontario on January 23, 1883.

The patent drawing above illustrates a nutmeg grater and corkscrew combination tool.
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Waiter's Corkscrew - Single Lever Corkscrews

German Carl Wienke invented a single lever waiter's type corkscrew called the 'Butler's Friend'. Wienke was granted a German patent (Lever Corkscrew Patent DRP 20815) on May 26, 1882. He was granted a British patent (Improvement in Lever Corkscrews No. 2,022) on April 20, 1883 and a French patent (No. 155314) on May 7, 1883.

The patent drawing on the right illustrates Wienke's American patent (No. 283,731) granted on August 21, 1883. Wienke's corkscrew design is still in common use today. The corkscrew was nicknamed the 'Waiter's Friend' or 'Butler's Friend' because it could easily remove and easily replace a cork.

Double Winged Lever Corkscrews

The double winged lever design is another common corkscrew design found in households today. The first double lever can be traced to H.S. Heeley, who was granted a British patent (No. 6,006) on April 23, 1888. Heeley's corkscrew was called the A1 Heeley Double Lever; it used pivoting links to "gain an improvement in mechanical advantage to pull a cork".

The first double winged lever patented in North America was created by the Italian designer, Dominick Rosati (see illustration below). Rosati was granted a U.S. patent (No. 1,753,026) on April 1, 1930 and a Canadian patent (No. 306,030) on November 25, 1930.

The Walker Bell

The Walker Bell corkscrew was patented in 1893 by Edwin Walker, an American designer. A simple self-pulling corkscrew that incorporated a bell shape, the Walker Bell was often used for promotional messages. The bell shape rested on the bottle top and as the corkscrew was turned the cork was pulled inside the bell. Edwin Walker's first bells were manufactured by E.S.M. Co. of Erie, Pennsylvania in the early 1890's. Walker also patented a method for making corkscrews in 1912.

The patent drawings to the left and below illustrates a Walker design for a combination corkscrew/bottle opener. (U.S. Pat No. 647775 - granted on April 17, 1900)

BOUTIQUE LIQUORS on 2008-04-14T14:46:27Z

Laguiole Corkscrew History

			Guy Vialis, Thiers, and the History of Chateau Laguiole Corkscrews
			HISTORY OF THIERS Like Sheffield in England, and Solingen in Germany, Thiers (Ti-YARE) is THE cutlery capital of France. Located in Southeast France, on the banks of the Durolle River, Thiers has been a center of cutlery manufacture since the Twelfth Century. By the 1300s, Thiers was exporting knives to Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. Once Columbus discovered America at the end of the Fifteenth Century, trade expanded rapidly. At that time, one quarter of the population of Thiers was engaged in knifemaking. Trade continued to flourish, and, by the middle of the nineteenth century, Thiers was trading with Britain and importing steel from England and Germany. Today, 75% of France's cutlery production is located in Thiers. GUY VIALIS and CHATEAU LAGUIOLE CORKSCREWS In the 1980's, Guy Vialis brought his dual passions as wine waiter and knife collector together, developing a waiter's corkscrew that was at once elegant and powerful. A descendent of a very old family of wine growers, Guy grew up under the influence of his grandfather, a wine grower who himself was a collector of local knives. Guy Vialis' creation is the renowned Chateau Laguiole corkscrew, whose curved line is recognizable among all others, and whose smoothness and excellent feel in hand provides a good and faithful companion for correctly serving "our friend" - the Wine! ith handles crafted from a variety of horns and woods. Chateau Laguiole - the "basic" line, with two, squared off bolsters and standard handles Chateau Laguiole Grand Cru - with two stylish, slanted bolsters that add strength to the folding mechanism. Chateau Laguiole "Master Sommelier" - honors Master Sommelier's of the world, including the winners of the "World's Best Sommelier" taste-offs, held every 3 years. Each winner is invited to Chateau Laguiole's workshops to select their "signature" corkscrew handle and leather case. Some of these have 2 bolsters; others are "Barehead", meaning a corkscrew that does not have a rear bolster.For certain corkscrews in the Master Sommelier series, each Foil Cutter blade is laser engraved with a unique serial number, identifying the corkscrew in this individual way. ALL Chateau Laguiole corkscrews incorporate the stamped "bee" symbol and graceful curving decoration on the spine, handles crafted from a variety of horns and woods, and each comes with its own leather snap case for storage and transport.

BOUTIQUE LIQUORS on 2008-04-10T18:22:57Z

Bordeaux

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Red Bordeaux (or "Claret" as the British have always known it) can be the epitome of fine wines. The best wines exhibit a wonderful complexity of aromas and flavours, great elegance and refinement and an ability to age gracefully - some for a hundred years.

Like all of France, quality wine production in Bordeaux is governed by a set of regulations known as "Appellation Contr�l�e", often abbreviated to "AC". An AC covers a certain geographical district and governs production of wine within the district. The whole of the Bordeaux region is covered by a couple of catch-all, generic ACs: AC Bordeaux and AC Bordeaux Sup�rieur (the latter is higher in alcohol, but not necessarily better). An enormous quantity of inexpensive, "everyday" wine is made under these ACs. Though this is not the "great" Claret that all the fuss is about, it can provide very attractive, reliable drinking.

There are also many smaller, named areas, each entitled to its own AC: AC Fronsac, or AC Pomerol for example. These more specific ACs are usually superior to generic Bordeaux and have stricter regulations.

To the west of the river Gironde, the vineyards of the M�doc and Graves are based on gravelly soil and are planted mainly with Cabernet Sauvignon vines. To the east lie Pomerol and St-Emilion, two smaller areas of predominantly clay soil, planted with a higher proportion of Merlot. Hence we have "left bank" and "right bank" wines. The wines from each area can have quite a different character because of the different soils and predominant grape variety. This also means that one is usually more successful than the other in any given year.

Bordeaux Grapes
No matter where they are from, almost all red Bordeaux is blended wine: made from two or more grapes. Red wine grape varieties allowed in Bordeaux, in order of importance, are:

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot.

Bordeaux also produces considerable quantities of white wine. Grape varieties permitted are:

S�millon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle.

Classic Regions - The M�doc

The M�doc is home to most of the great, classic Clarets. You will find wines labelled AC M�doc that are usually one step above basic Bordeaux, but the very best wines of the M�doc come from even more tightly defined ACs within the M�doc. The best of these individual ACs include:

AC Margaux, AC St-Julien, AC Pauillac and AC St-Est�phe.

This region is dominated by large wine-making estates, known as ch�teaux. Whilst many of these do indeed have a ch�teau as their HQ, others have nothing more than the vineyards and a collection of ordinary working buildings. Unlike many producers from other parts of the world, each ch�teau tends to produce only one "grand vin" which carries its name. Some of them also make a white wine, and many make a second wine, from vats not considered good enough for the "grand vin".

Each of the top ACs of the M�doc has its own character:

Margaux is home to the most perfumed, elegant and "feminine" wines

Pauillac three 1ers Crus. Classic, powerful yet elegant wines

St-Julien the epitome of Claret: savoury, well-balanced and refined

St-Est�phe wines are structured, tannic, long-lasting, "masculine" wines.

In 1855 M�doc wines were classified. From the many thousands of wines produced in the area, just sixty were thought worthy of classification. These sixty were sorted into five ranks or, in French, "Crus" (meaning "growths"), i.e. "Premier Cru" (first growth), "Deuxi�me Cru" (second growth) and so on.

There are only five top ranking, Premier Cru wines: Ch�teau Lafite-Rothschild Ch�teau Latour Ch�teau Margaux Ch�teau Haut-Brion (actually in Graves) Ch�teau Mouton-Rothschild.

All classed growth wines command very high prices and sadly many of these, particularly the Premiers Crus, are bought by investors as often as by wine lovers. Who knows if they will ever be drunk?

To this day the classification remains more-or-less unchanged and many of the original classified ch�teaux are still producing some of the world's greatest wines. Of course strong arguments could be made for promotions and relegations within the classification. A group of wines known as the "super seconds" are generally acknowledged to be Premiers Crus in all but name, and a few of the original ch�teaux have either gone or have lost their reputation. However, apart from some obvious anomalies, it is remarkable how the bulk of the classification holds up, even after 150 years.

The M�doc Crus Bourgeois

Just below these classed growth superstars of Bordeaux are a host of wines known as the "Crus Bourgeois". Many fine wines can be found within this classification - some are worthy of classed growth status, yet are available at a fraction of the price. I have found properties such as Chasse-Spleen, Meyney, Coufran and d'Angludet to be consistently good.

Graves

Graves lies to the south of the city of Bordeaux. This region produces both red and dry white wines on the very gravelly soils after which the region is named. The red winestend to express a soft, earthy quality. Like the M�doc this region was also classified, but not until 1959. Only a couple of dozen ch�teaux are entitled to the words "Grand Cru" on their label.

The best vineyard sites of the Graves are clustered in the North of the region. That is where almost all the Grands Crus are situated. In 1987, this area was given a brand new AC of its very own: Pessac-L�ognan. Wines bearing these words on their label should be of higher quality than most Graves.

The undoubted super-star of the area is Ch�teau Haut-Brion. As noted earlier, this property was actually declared a Premier Cru in the 1855 classification of the M�doc due to its exceptional quality. Uniquely, it is allowed to have both classifications on its label: M�doc Premier Cru and Graves Grand Cru.

St-Emilion

Although the area is quite large, the properties here tend to be much smaller and less grand, and the wines (exclusively red) are very different. The soil is clay and limestone rather than gravel, and the dominant grape variety is not Cabernet Sauvignon, but the the softer Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The wines tend to be approachable at a younger age and to have a warm-blooded fruitiness.

It is an area that requires a little bit of caution because of its classification system. St-Emilion wines are divided into 5 classifications. In ascending order, these are:

St-Emilion

St-Emilion Grand Cru

St-Emilion Grand Cru Class�

St-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Class� "B"

St-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Class� "A".

Obviously this could be rather confusing as you stand in front of the wine-merchants' shelves! To add to the confusion, unlike the 1855 classification of the M�doc, St-Emilion's system is revised every 10 years or so, with promotions and demotions as necessary. The next is due in 2006.

Pomerol

Pomerol is by far the smallest of the great regions. It has 2 basic constituents that determine the character of its wines: the soil is thick, heavy clay and one grape variety dominates: Merlot. Pomerol winesare extremely soft, seductive and full of spice and vivid fruit. The production tends to be tiny in the area, so the wines are generally expensive. Indeed, Pomerol is home to some of the world's most expensive wines such as Ch�teaux P�trus and Le Pin, the latter producing little more than 500 cases each year. You will rarely see these wines in shops as they are snapped up years in advance of production. Look for more reasonably priced wines such as Petit-Village, Le Bon Pasteur and Clos Ren�. The wines of Pomerol have never been classified.

Sauternes and Barsac

The Bordeaux area also produces world class white wines, though invariably in tiny quantities. The most famous of these are the sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac, including the almost legendary Ch�teau d'Yquem. These luscious wines (also classified in 1855) are created by a particular and unpredictable fungus, called botrytis. Botrytis rots the grapes, leaving them high in sugar and glycerine which leads to their eventual silky, honeyed sweetness.

The best dry white wines come from the Graves area. Though often of tremendous quality, these tend to be scarce and the famous names are very expensive.

The minor regions

From the inexpensive, soft, fruity and delicious wines of the Premi�res C�tes de Blaye in the north of the Bordeaux region, to the moderately-priced structured, tannic and impressive clarets of Fronsac or Lalande de Pomerol, the "lesser" red wines of Bordeaux are not to be despised. Whilst the finesse and breeding of the top classed growths might be missing, the red wines of the region are generally very reliable and well made.

The dry whites of the region, from areas like Entre-Deux-Mers or simple AC Bordeaux can produce refreshing, zippy, occasionally slightly tart wines for drinking young. Areas around Sauternes, like Sainte-Croix-du-Mont or Loupiac which lie just across the Gironde, also produce sweet, sometimes botrytis affected wines that can be very good and are moderately priced.

Ros� is also produced in the Bordeaux region, often from the Cabernet Sauvignon. It can be delicious stuff with bright, supple fruit and refreshing acidity.

BOUTIQUE LIQUORS on 2008-04-10T18:09:09Z

Burgundy Wine

Burgundy

The fine wines of Burgundy and Bordeaux could not be further apart in terms of what "makes them tick". Whilst Bordeaux is dominated by large estates each producing a classic red wine, Burgundy is composed of thousands of small-scale growers, often with only tiny parcels of land, who may make a range of a dozen or more different wines, both red and white. In Bordeaux, almost all wine is labelled Mis en Bouteille au Ch�teau which means the whole process, from growing the grapes to bottling the wine, is carried out by the Ch�teau. Whilst there are many similar producers in Burgundy (usually referred to as "domaines" rather than "ch�teaux"), a very significant part of the production comes from n�gociants: merchants who may own no vineyards, but who buy grapes and finished wines for blending and bottling under their own label.

Geography and climate

The Burgundy region lies a couple of hundred miles east and north of Bordeaux. It covers a large area, the vineyards running in a long, thin line from Auxerre in the north to Lyon in the south. The climate is continental, with cold winters, hot summers but plenty of rain. It is easiest to think of Burgundy in terms of its distinct regions. Running from north to south, these are:

Chablis by far the most northerly of Burgundy's regions, known exclusively for dry white wines. The C�te de Nuits home of the great red Burgundies. Some white is produced too, but the reds are the region's glory. The C�te de Beaune known for both red and white wines, but the greatest white Burgundies (other than Chablis) are from here. The C�te Chalonnaise generally regarded as a lesser district. It still produces some extremely fine wines, both red and white. The M�connais the southern limit of Burgundy. Wines tend to be cheaper and made for drinking young but can be excellent value.

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