French Wine Producing Regions

Three of the best known wine growing regions in France include Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Champagne.  The Burgundy area produces various wines from the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varieties.  The Bordeaux area features the “noble” vine, the Cabernet Sauvignon.  The best sparkling wines in the world are produced in the Champagne region.  Other wine growing regions in France include Loire Valley, Savole, Rhone Valley, Alsace and the Midi and Provence Regions near Montpellier, France.  These other regions produce a wide variety of different full-bodied reds, whites, aperitif and dessert wines and popular roses.

Les Coteaux De St Christol Winery

As we drove into the entrance to Les Coteaux, it was obvious that most of the acreage of the farm was cultivated in grapes.  Most of the vines we saw were mature and laden with grapes moving towards harvest.  Harvest of these grapes would not occur until late August or early September.  Most of the vineyards in the same area also had acres and acres of grape vines stretching as far as the eye could see.  One farm had started some new vines that had been lost in a wild fire in 2010.  It was clear from looking at the landscape why France is the leading wine producer in the world.  I was surprise to find out that Luxembourg actually drinks more wine per-capita than France.

As we approached the winery, warehouse and retail shops, I was impressed with the simplicity and neatness of the lay out.  Grapes were harvested here, processed into various types of wines, boxed wine was warehoused and shipped from here and retail sales were also conducted.  The store had a neat but comprehensive display of all the wines that Les Coteaux De St Christol Winery offered.

We shopped and selected some of the ones we wanted to taste before buying.  A cheerful young lady assisted us by carefully pouring into fresh glasses the portion of wine needed to make a decision about its taste.  A black vat was located nearby for us to pour off the unwanted taste tests.  Of course, when we found one we liked, we drank the whole sample.  The best part of visiting a winery like this for me was the rural French hospitality that was coupled with a simple wine tasting experience that I soon won’t forget.  We ended up buying several bottles and I am happy to say they made it back to the States without breaking.

Wine Touring

Touring the wine regions in France provided me many fond memories.  The vineyards we visited were beautiful to behold and included a back drop of historical structures that date back hundreds and hundreds of years.  If you get a chance to tour a French vineyard, you will enjoy the wine tasting, the country style hospitality and at the same time soak up the historical significance of this area of Europe.  For example, several vineyards in the area where we were staying were bisected by an old Roman aqueduct built around 92 A.D.

I failed to mention that the winery we visited had recently won an award for some of its offerings.  I intend to follow up with more details on our trip to France.  In the meantime, buy the wine you like best, store and serve it at its optimum temperature and enjoy immensely.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers

FRENCH WINE GROWING HISTORY

Cultivation of wine in France has been an enduring enterprise since thousands of years before Christ.  Romans occupying the area around 90 AD produced a surplus of wine that forced Emperor Domitian to order half of the vineyards uprooted.  Viticulture in France during the Middle Ages (400 to 1200 AD) was primarily kept alive by various monasteries located in the country.  During the period of English rule (middle 1100 to middle 1400 AD) of the Bordeaux region of France, much of the wine produced there was shipped to England.  Wine growing in Europe and France was set back in the mid to late 1800s because of disease and insect problems.  In the 1930s, France led a movement to ensure the authenticity of wine related to where it was produced.  Today, France is still producing some of the best wines in the world.

FRENCH WINE PRODUCTION

France is the leading wine producer in the world.  Rankings based on 2002 wine production totals, put France number one followed by Italy, Spain, United States and Australia, respectively.  In 2002, France produced 5,199,930 metric tons, which was nearly 17 percent more than Italy.  Other countries that are top ten producers of wine in ranking order are Argentina, China, Germany, South Africa and Portugal.  However, France is not the per-capita wine consumption leader, but is second to Luxembourg.  The other top three consumers of wine are Italy, Portugal and Croatia.  The United States doesn’t even make the top thirty per-capita consumers.

FRENCH WINE GROWING REGIONS

My spouse and I have traveled through California many times on my way to see family in Monterey.  We have traveled the “101” up the coast from Los Angeles and have used I-5 as well.  Everywhere you go in this part of California you will see grapes grown.  California can brag that it produces about 90 percent of the total wine production in the U.S.  Many say that if California were a country it would be the fourth largest wine producer in the world behind only France, Spain and Italy.

California Wine Growing Regions

You cannot tour California’s entire wine country in a short period; it is wide spread and with too many different wineries.   It must be broken down into logical visitation stops and with a clear base camp of operations from which to travel.  Generally, the eleven wine growing regions in California are located in the coastal counties from Mendocino County in the north to Santa Barbara County in the south.  Other wine production can be found near Lodi and in the Sierra Nevada Foothills.

Paso Robles Base Camp 

One of our favorite “base camps” on the “101” route is the town of Paso Robles about 30 miles south of San Luis Obispo.  Paso Robles was aptly named in the 1800’s because of the huge oak trees that characterize the area.  Franciscan Friars, in the late 1700’s, planted the first grape vines in the area.  Grape vines became a common addition to the grounds of early Spanish Missions that were built in the area.  As in most areas, Prohibition set the local wine industry back, but new generations of wine growers have steadily increased vineyard plantings and wine production since the late 1960’s.  There are now over 200 wineries currently operational in the area around Paso Robles.  The wine production future of the area in terms of both quantity and quality is definitely on the rise.

Paso Robles Wine Types

Key leading grape varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Zinfandel.  Paso Robles enjoys a long grape-growing season due to the cool nights, warm days and late season rains.  The grapes grown in this area are held on the vine typically longer than other California grape growing areas; resulting in fully mature fruit.  Soils in the area are typically high pH and are primarily derived from bedrock materials like weathered granite, volcanic rocks and various ages of marine sedimentary rocks.  Other wine growing areas outside the central coast are geologically different and most often are characterized by fertile valleys with deep loam soils.

Paso Robles Wine Tours

Touring the wine country using Paso Robles as your home base is relatively easy.  A day trip could be made by heading east of town on State Route 46F.  Another trip could be planned by heading south on Highway 101 to State Route 46E.  There are literally vineyards everywhere you go.  The Paso Robles American Viticultural Area (AVA) comprises 614 thousand acres with more than 26 thousand acres in grape vines.  This AVA lies on the inland side of the Santa Lucia coastal range with its western border just 6 miles from the Pacific Ocean.  Touring wineries in the area will keep you busy but the beauty of the landscape around you will keep you smiling.

Visiting Paso Robles will definitely result in your adding some new wines to your favorites.  As I always say, buy the wine you like, store wine properly in a wine cooler, serve it at the proper temperature and enjoy it immensely.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers, September 2010

American Wine Production

Wine production in the United States has been going on for well over 400 years.  Every state in the union has some wine production actively occurring.  The states of California and Washington are the undisputed leaders in American wine production.  California can brag that 90 percent of all wine consumed in the country is produced in that state.  As it turns out, the U.S. is the fourth leading wine producer in the world with France, Italy and Spain taking the top three ranking spots.

I reviewed several sources to discover who the top U.S. wine producers are.  All the sources I found had the same top four listed, but there were some differences in the “Top Ten” list after that.  Near as I could tell, the lists represented data compiled during different years, which may be the primary factor that caused the lists to vary.  Based on 2004 information, the top producer of wine in the country produces 300 percent more that the second producer on the list.  The next two top producers produce over 200 percent more than the fifth highest wine producer does.

Largest U.S. Wine Producer  

The largest producer of wine in the U.S. is E. & J. Gallo. In 2010, this privately owned wine company is celebrating its 77^th birthday.  This company has annual revenues of $1.7 billion, employs around 5000 people, has an annual American sales volume of 66 million cases and sells wine in more than 90 countries.  The company founded by the Gallo brothers still has many second and third generation family members with roles in the business (source: Wine Business Monthly, Review of the Industry: The Top 30 U.S. Wine Company Profiles, February 15, 2008). 

Second Place Wine Producer

Constellation Brands is the second leading producer of wine in the U.S.  Annual American sales volume is 59 million cases with another 53 million cases sold on the world market outside the U.S.  The strength of Constellation Brands is its widely diversified portfolio of wineries and brands.  In the United States, Constellation Brands employs about 3,200 people of which 500 previously worked for Beam Wine Estates of Jim Beam Whiskey fame.  This company is the leading seller of wine in Canada and lays claim to be the biggest producer of “premium wines” in the U.S. 

The Rest of the Top Five Wine Producers

The number three producer, The Wine Group is a San Francisco based company that has an annual sales volume of 44 million cases.  It once was a part of The Coca-Cola Company.  Bronco Wine Company is the number four wine producer with a U.S. sales volume of 20 million cases.  Foster’s Wine Estates with a U.S. sales volume of 20 million cases holds the fifth position. 

While it is interesting to understand who the top wine producers are, there are great numbers of lesser companies that produce great wines.  It still boils down in the end to what wine suits your palette.  As I always say, buy the wine you like, store it properly in a wine cooler, serve it at the proper temperature and enjoy it immensely. 

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers, July 2010