We stock an interesting selection of wines and Champagnes from France. We have categorised them here as: Bordeaux Wines; Burgundy Wines; Rhone Wines; Loire Wines; Champagnes; Languedoc Wines; Alsace Wines; Southern France Wines.
Amongst these you will find some very reasonable botttles and also top quality wines using the Charonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, Syrah and Grenache grape varieties.
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. Chardonay is believed to have originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but Chardonay is now grown wherever wine is produced: from Chardonay in England to Chardonay in New Zealand.
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. Cabernet Sauvignon is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates. Cabernet Sauvignon grows in Canada's Okanagan Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon grows in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon became internationally recognized through its prominence in Bordeaux wines where Cabernet Sauvignon is often blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
Merlot is a red wine grape that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, "merlot", a diminutive of merle, the blackbird (Turdus merula), probably from the color of the Merlot grape. Merlot-based wines usually have medium body with hints of berry, plum, and currant. Merlot's softness and "fleshiness", combined with Merlot's earlier ripening, makes Merlot a popular grape for blending with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, which tends to be higher in tannin than Merlot.
Syrah or Shiraz is a dark-skinned grape grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce powerful red wines. Whether sold as Syrah or Shiraz, these wines enjoy great popularity.
Syrah is used as a varietal and is also blended. Following several years of strong planting, Syrah was estimated in 2004 to be the world's 7th most grown grape.
DNA profiling in 1999 found Syrah to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche. It should not be confused with Petite Sirah, a synonym for Durif, a cross of Syrah with Peloursin dating from 1880.
Grenache (pronounced gren-ash) (Grenache in Spanish is Garnacha. Grenache in Catalan is Garnatxa). Grenache is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. Grenache ripens late, so needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain. Grenache grows well in the south of France. Grenache also gorws well in California's San Joaquin Valley. Grenache is generally spicy, berry-flavored and soft on the palate. Grenache usually has a relatively high alcohol content, but it needs careful control of yields for best results. Grenache tends to lack acid, tannin and color. Grenache is usually blended with other varieties such as Syrah, Carignan and Cinsaut. Grenache is the dominant variety in most Southern Rhône wines, especially in Châteauneuf-du-Pape where Grenache is typically over 80% of the blend.
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