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to its own set of regulations). The producer’s name, region, grape variety and vintage will probably also feature (2012 is the first year that “vin de France” wines, previously categorised as “vin de table”, will be able to put variety & vintage on the label). There may be mention of memberships (perhaps the well respected “Vignerons Independants”), organic information and perhaps a bar code.
You might also find a helpful (or not) description, some tasting notes (bear in mind that these were not made using your taste buds!) and perhaps a guide to food accompaniment (you can, if you wish, choose to ignore this bit and drink it with your own choice of food or none at all!).
Misleading Bits
Vintage, variety, alcohol content and quantity are all allowed a certain percentage of variation (yes, even the vintage, although to be fair, it must be predominantly the year stated, but I bet that there are some people reading this, who thought that purchasing a vintage labelled wine meant that they would not be getting a blend).
There are a lot of terms that are often thought of as synonymous with quality. “Blanc de blancs” for example, all this actually means is that it is a white wine made from white grapes! “Chateau”
is another
misunderstood term – it does not guarantee quality and there doesn’t even have to be an actual castle, even if there is a picture of it on the bottle! “Grand vin”, this only means that it is the main wine produced for that vintage. And any of the following words: tradition, special, reserve, selection, cuvee, superior – none of which have any specific definition in terms of quality or production method!
What’s Missing?
You won’t find an ingredients list, it’s not just missing it’s forbidden by law! Odd really, when you consider how strict the regulations are for all other food and beverage products!
French Wines
French wines often don’t list the grape variety, expecting the consumer to have enough knowledge to understand which varieties are grown in which regions – New World trends combined with EU standardisations have (fortunately for those of us without an encyclopaedic memory) started a trend towards more producers starting to name the variety.
Collecting Wine Labels
Collecting wine labels is becoming increasingly popular. Some collectors are keeping a tasting record, but many are collecting as works of art. The variety available is huge: traditional, contemporary, original art, humorous, novelty, and risqué – the list is endless. Some labels are highly sought after collectors’ items with a price tag to match, changing hands for small fortunes in fierce bidding wars. We regularly receive requests for labels from all over the world.
So, if this has left you standing confused in the wine aisle at the supermarket, my advice would be to go and visit some wine producers (if you’re reading this, there will undoubtedly be some very close to you), ask anything you want to know and try the wines before you buy. Cheers!
You are welcome to visit us for tastings and sales. If we are at the property, we are open (between 9.30am and 9.30pm). However, as we are working across 10 hectares of land and often at markets, please call ahead if you want to be certain of a reception!
Domaine des Sangliers – Les Sarrades – 46700 – Puy-l’Eveque
Kim-Louis & Lisa Stanton 05 65 31 61 25 - 06 04 03 34 12 -
info@domaine-des-sangliers.com www.organicfrenchblackwine.com
The next edition will be available in June. Contact us -
info@quercylocal.com
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