We recently introduced one of their newest blends to our humble home. It is called Red4 and hails from their HuerHuero vineyard in Paso Robles, CA. It is a primary blend of Petite Syrah and Syrah. To be honest, we don’t come across Petite Sirah/Syrah blends very often which is a pity, because this particular wine is a gem.

The Bordeaux region of France is the second largest wine growing area in the world with almost 300K acres under vine. Over 90% of the wine produced is red and typically consists of a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cab Franc, as well as Petite Verdot and Malbec on occasion. Remember, this is just a quick reference. This topic is deep and you could spend a lifetime emersed and still not know everything there is to know about French wine. But, this should be helpful. I will dig deep into each sub-region in later articles.

The French still wine regions are comprised primarily of six regions; Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Loire, Provence and the Rhone Valley. These regions are known for particular grape varietals with regional district definitions created and maintained by the A.O.C. or Appellation d’Origine Controlee.

The state of California was first introduced to grape vines in the 18th century by the Spanish, who planted vineyards with each mission they established. The wine was used for religious sacraments as well as for daily life. The vine cuttings used came from Mexico and were the descendant of the “common black grape” (as it was known) brought to the New World by Hernán Cortés in 1520….

The world of wine labeling is confusing. It’s not that there isn’t enough information on labels, it’s just that each country – and often each wine region within a country – has its own system for presenting important information on the label. Let’s look at a few examples from around the world of wine: This label is a typical French label. with all the information you need to establish the quality level and origins of the wine…

Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (A.O.C)
Established in 1935, the A.O.C. defines and enforces the standards that tie a product to a specific geographic area. Although the A.O.C. has authority over numerous products (cheese, produce, etc.), it is its role in the production of French wine that is of the greatest interest.
As of late 2007, every major [...]

Wines identified by grape are called ‘varietals’ and is most commonly used in the United States, Australia, South America and South Africa. The following brief summary will focus on the major varietals sorted by body starting with light-bodied white examples…