Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Contents
Preface
11
12
15
16
18
Revolutions in wine
20
22
24
26
30
32
36
40
44
47
48
50
52
The harvest
54
58
Fermentation
60
62
64
68
70
74
76
80
Making a barrel
82
84
Bottling
86
Closures
88
90
93
Appellation systems
94
100
104
110
116
119
120
122
124
126
128
130
133
134
Creating a cellar
136
138
140
142
144
146
148
153
Wine styles
154
3 Legendary wines
162
3 Recent vintages
164
168
174
182
185
Serving temperature
186
188
3 Corkscrews
190
192
Glasses
194
196
Wine in a restaurant
198
200
203
204
Appearance
206
210
3 Aroma families
214
Taste
216
220
222
3 Describing wine
228
236
238
World of wine
240
FRANCE
243
Bordeaux
244
250
252
3 Chteau Latour
258
3 Chteau dYquem
264
Burgundy
272
280
3 Romane-Conti
288
Champagne
296
302
304
308
312
316
322
326
Southwest France
334
336
Languedoc-Roussillon
340
342
346
348
ITALY
353
Italy
354
360
368
SPAIN
375
Spain
376
380
384
PORTUGAL
391
Portugal
392
396
GERMANY
401
Germany
402
406
413
421
426
430
433
434
440
444
CHILE
451
Chile
452
454
457
458
462
SOUTH AFRICA
465
South Africa
466
468
AUSTRALIA
471
Australia
472
476
NEW ZEALAND
483
New Zealand
484
486
489
490
REFERENCES
492
Glossary
494
Index
504
524
Acknowledgments
527
Picture acknowledgments
528
preface
ine is an invitation to go on a journey. This book bears witness to that trip. The road
begins with discovery of the extraordinary diversity of grape varieties and terroirs
that exist all over the world. It then introduces you to the people involved and the
work they accomplish in countless vineyards and wine cellars. Finally, it takes you into the world
of wine tasting and reveals the incredible variety of wines on every continent.
I am dedicated to learning about the wines of the world. I have spent a good part of my life in
this pursuit, and I continue to study the development of the many, diverse vineyards with immense
curiosity. Driven by a quest for new terroirs and grape varieties, I have visited several regions and
on every occasion have learned a great deal, both on a cultural and a personal level. Today, I am
aware that every continent displays a desire, even an obsession, to produce the finest wines.
There is no doubt that the traditional vineyards of Europe, represented in particular by France,
but also by Italy and Spain, still occupy a leading position as a result of their history, culture,
traditions, and scale. However, many of us have yet to discover the fascinating diversity of vineyards
in Central and Eastern Europe. Some countries in the Middle East also show good potential, with
the emergence of small, ambitious wineries. And what about all the New World wines that arrived
on the shelves of our supermarkets and our wine shops starting 25 years ago, transforming the
economic landscape of wine production? There are beautiful estates to explore, whether in Chile
or California, and each embarked on the hunt for new terroirs suitable for producing ever more
concentrated, balanced wines. Lastly, we watch with interest as India and China develop significant
wine projects. The fact that Asia is as interested in producing wine as it is tea represents a real
sea change. But wine inspires aspirations everywhere. New countries are introducing viticulture,
and a huge variety of wines are out there for us to investigate. This book will help you discover the
diversity and richness of wines produced throughout the world. I also hope it will inspire you to
rediscover familiar wines as well as to explore those with unexpected aromas and flavors.
Olivier Poussier
Worlds leading sommelier
THE BASICS OF
SUCCESSFUL TASTING
Tasting a wine brings experiences that can be described concretelythe color, the aromas,
the flavors, and the texture all speak to our senses. Most often, though, the enthusiastic
amateur lacks an adequate vocabulary to describe these sensations. He or she is unable to
decode the different elements making up the wine; in other words, how to taste.
base
205
What is blind
tasting?
This is a completely objective
method of tasting wines without
knowing their identity. The bottle
is covered with paper or some
kind of sleevewhatever the
tasters level of expertise, there
is always the danger of being
influenced by the label. A wine
with a great reputation will
always raise expectations and
the reverse can also be true. In
blind tasting, the intrinsic quality
of the wine is left to speak for
itself, and this experience may
lead to some surprises.
Appropriate physical
conditions
A taster should be fresh and rested, and in
good health. Discomfort from fatigue will
affect judgment, and colds in particular are
a considerable handicap to taking in the
aromas and flavors of the wine. The technically best time for
wine tasting is in the morning, when the senses are sharpest
and concentration is at a maximum. But wine lovers generally
prefer to get together at the beginning of an evening before
dinner, when the agenda is about friends and fun. Tasting after
a meal should be avoided; the senses are saturated and the
bodys systems are committed to digestion.
Before tasting, wine lovers should refrain from drinking
coffee or smoking cigarettes, since this will spoil the palate.
By the same token, breada neutral foodstuffis preferable
to cheese or salty crackers to cleanse the palate between the
wines that are particularly tannic or acidic.
APPEARANCE
The first contact with a wine is visualthe eye perceives the color and depth of color
that the wine offers as soon as it is served. To the attentive taster, wine begins to tell its
story while it is still in the glass. Looking at what is known in French as the wines robe
(dress)its hue, brilliance, surface, and its legsallows a taster to uncover many
valuable clues as the wine reveals its origins, its age, its personality, and indeed its quality.
207
208
209
The legs
WHAT EXACTLY ARE LEGS? By placing the glass up to light
Tastevin
211
Olfactory flaws
The most common faults in wine
are those resulting from its
production methods. Poor
hygiene in the winery can leave
a taint of mold or mildew. A wine
that has not been oxygenated
will have a reduced, closed
nose; on the other hand, too much
oxygen is harmful to wine and
results in an oxidized odor.
Inappropriate addition of sulfur
can also have a detrimental
effect. In too great a quantity,
sulfur has an acrid and
penetrating smell. When poorly
integrated, it has a rotten egg
odor known as mercaptan. A
fault in the wines aroma may
also be caused by an external
factor such as a bad cork or
certain wood treatment products
used in the framework of the
barrels or the storage pallets,
which can leave a corky smell.
213
red wine that has been laid down and reached its peak will
have more complex aromas. If this is not the case, the wine
will suffer from an imbalance and disharmony that tasting will
only confirm (see pp.2168). To sum up, tasters will note the
complexity or simplicity of the bouquet offered by the wine,
its rusticity or sophistication, its coherence or dissonance,
its youth or its maturity. They use terms such as elegant,
vigorous, or distinguished, or, in the opposite case, banal,
ordinary, simple, lacking harmony, undistinguished.
214
Aroma families
This table outlines the various aroma families (floral, herbaceous, fruit, mineral, etc.) by color and by category (primary aromas:
i.e. stemming from each grape variety; secondary, resulting from fermentation; tertiary, from maturation and ageing).
Aroma family
Aroma family
White wines
Floral group
Floral group
Primary aromas
Tertiary aromas
Fruit group
Primary aromas
Secondary aromas
Bananas, licorice.
Tertiary aromas
Cooked fruits,
fruit liqueurs.
Herbaceous group
Primary aromas
Tertiary aromas
Fruit group
Primary aromas
Secondary aromas
Pineapple.
Tertiary aromas
Primary aromas
Herbaceous group
Tertiary aromas
Primary aromas
Tertiary aromas
Rare or non-existent.
Mineral group
Primary aromas
Mineral group
Spice group
Primary aromas
Primary aromas
Secondary aromas
Cloves, licorice.
Spice group
Primary aromas
White pepper.
Secondary aromas
Secondary aromas
Chemical group
Secondary aromas
Chemical group
Musk group
Tertiary aromas
Balsamic group
Secondary aromas
Rare or non-existent.
Balsamic group
Tertiary aromas
Musk group
Tertiary aromas
Toasted group
Secondary aromas
Toasted group
Secondary aromas