| Q:
Where does the word claret originate from? |
A:
Claret is a British word used to infer red Bordeaux. It comes from the French word clairet, meaning a light coloured red wine from Bordeaux. Modern Bordeaux wine is anything but light in colour or body. The term, though, has stuck in Great Britain and it's former colonies.
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| Q:
I seem to see the term Sauternes applied to all sorts of wine from Bordeaux. What gives? |
A:
You are correct in the fact that the term is often used to refer to sweet wines from all over Bordeaux. In fact there are only 5 communes in Bordeaux that actually produce it: Sauternes,Barsac and the lesser known and lower quality are from Bommes, Fargues,and Preignac.
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| Q:
Why is the website developing so slowly and why only French wines? |
A:
It takes along time to create a good site. Not unlike the time it takes to age a good wine. The reason we feature only French wines is the fact that all the people who work on the site are passionate about French wines. Most of us believe that no other wine producing country can produce so many different types of wines with a complexity that is unrivaled anywhere.
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| Q:
Do second wines from Bordeaux classified growths represent good value in your opinion? |
A:
Yes, a good example is Reserve De La Comtesse. It is the second wine of Chateau Pichon Lalande. As much as $100 can separate the two wines. Hard to believe when they are vinified on the same property by the same winemaker to the same standards. Only the belief by the winemaker that one barrel does not meet the standard for the classified growth and it is used to make the second wine. In fact some growths actually produce a third wine
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| Q:
What are the advantages of buying an unknown Champagne versus a well known brand. |
A:
First off, any Champagne is worth buying and drinking. A small grower's Champagne will most likely be a wine produced by a family from the grapes they actually grow and thus is a product blended from a much smaller base of wines. This blending process happens before the wine undergoes the secondary fermentation that creates the bubbles. Fewer wines in the blend usually means the final product will have more terroir in it's taste.
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| Q:
Why are the wines from St Estephe considered the least desirable of Haut Medoc. |
A:
I not aware that they were considered such. However many experts believe that they have a reputation for longevity and toughness. It is a fact in the 1855 classification only 5 wines from this commune were ranked. More of the chateau are using higher percentages of merlot in their blend and the wines seem less tannic. In our view lesser know or wines percieved as less in demand usually mean less costly.
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| Q:
I saw the name Puisseguin on a bottle of St Emilion? |
A:
It is a different appellation than St. Emilion. It is referred to as a St Emilion satellite. The appellation is Puisseguin-St Emilion. It should be cheaper and good value.
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| Q:
What is the meaning of remontage in winemaking? |
A:
It is a technique for aerating red wine during the fermentation. It prevents the cap (layer of grape solids that floats on the wine surface) from drying out. The cap can prevent the amount of oxygen available to the yeasts and can affect the amount of alcohol produced. The cap must be broken up and submerged from time to time to allow the extraction of phenolics that are responsible for color, tanins and ageing. The process is done frequently in open or closed vats and involves pumping the wine from the bottom of the vat to the top onto the cap. This pumping over can be done manually or automatically.
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