A Blanc de Noirs (literally, “White from Blacks”) Champagne is a sparkling white wine (elaborated through the Traditional Method also called “Méthode Champenoise”) produced in the Champagne region of France from black grapes only (Pinot Noir and/or Meunier) …(read more)…
A Blanc de Blancs (literally, “White from Whites”) Champagne is a sparkling white wine (elaborated through the Traditional Method also called “Méthode Champenoise”) produced in the Champagne region of France …(read more)…
A vintage champagne is only produced in good years (according to an old Champagne saying, the years when the vines have received their hundred days of sunshine). Vintage champagnes used to represent the highest quality offered by Champagne houses …(read more)…
A crucial player in every vineyard is the “Maître de Chai”. The maître de Chai is a French term to designate the cellar master who is in charge of all tasks related to winemaking in the cellar… (read more)…
499 Free Flashcards divided in 10 Decks to help you to prepare for the D2: Wine Business of the DipWSET
It used to be usual to pour a little wine over the dish where the soup had been served in several regions of southern and central France… (read more)…
The French word “Chai” refers to the ground-floor room where the winemaking processes are carried out (the word “cellier” is also used or, in certain French provinces, the word “cuverie”)… (read more)…
The French wine from the Bordeaux region’s Montbazillac appellation, which the Dutch loved, was known as “Madère du Périgord” and was the subject of a significant commerce with them beginning in the 14th century. The Edict of Nantes’ revocation, which led to the exodus of more than 40,000 Protestants from Read more…
One of the nightmares that plague the winegrower’s nights is “white frost” (called “Gelée Blanche” in French). The vineyards located at the northernmost limit of vine production are the most prone to it (many of the best wines in the world are made at this limit). The threat in French Read more…
The name “Gelée Noire” (French for “Black Frost”) refers to the midwinter frost. Despite the mounds, the cold can occasionally be so severe that the vine itself can burst and the buds freeze. This is how the Bordeaux vineyard, the Saint-Emilion vineyard, and especially the Pomerol vineyard all experienced serious Read more…