Members Only
Events
Event: Speaker in the House! (er, I mean Legal Beans…)
Date: Wednesday, October 4, 2006
Location: Legal Beans, 86 Garden St (Newark & Garden), Hoboken, NJ
Time: 7:00 PM
We have a special guest joining us for our Oct WV meeting. Our Oct theme is Red Burgundy (Bourgogne Rouge in French) so be sure get your bottle, and come ready for an education by special guest speaker and Master Sommelier, Michael Walsh, as he guides us through the wonderful wines produced from the Burgundy region.
The Burgundy region of France is a land of mythical proportions. There are tales both ancient and modern, of kings, conquerors, and commoners who have been lured to and seduced by the wines of Burgundy. Its vineyards are fickle and diverse, but when the elements come together, there is nothing quite so alluring as a great Burgundian red or white.
Our Oct theme is Red Burgundy (Bourgogne Rouge in French) and for the great red wines of Burgundy, one need know of only one varietal — Pinot Noir. In fact, one of the few facts about Burgundy that is easiest to grasp is the grapes used as Burgundy wines are generally made from Pinot Noir (red) or Chardonnay (white). You see, Burgundy is a vastly confusing region and trying to make heads or tales of it is has been truly exasperating for me! It’s the simplest, yet most confusing, of the world’s wine regions. Simple insofar as only the two aforementioned grapes (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay) are used for making these fine wines; confusing because the area’s vineyards, some only yards apart, can produce wines that taste completely different from one another.
There are only five distinct areas in France that have the right to call their product Burgundy. From north to south they are: Chablis, Côte d’Or (divided into Côte de Nuits in the south and Cotes de Beaune in the north), Côte Chalonaise, Maconnais and Beaujolais. Burgundy wine classifications are geographically focused as immense attention is paid to the land (what the French call terrior) where a wine’s grapes are grown. The Burgundy wine classifications, in descending order of quality are: Grand Crus, Premier Crus, Village, and finally Bourgogne.
Although Burgundy wines have an expensive reputation, price is an extremely unreliable guide to the quality contained in the bottle. When buying your Burgundy, be sure to examine the label and look for wines from the better regions, or from well-ranked vineyards. While this is not a guarantee of quality, your chances will be significantly better. Oh, and steer clear of wine that is simply labeled as “AOC Bourgogne” as it’s generally not very interesting and probably not worth pursuing.
One last thing: The wines from Côte de Beaune tend to be lighter than the Côte de Nuits (both from the Chablis, Côte d’Or region). If you aren’t fond of the extreme earthiness characteristic of the heavier burgundies, you should def look for something from this area. Also, they tend to be more affordable as well – always a bonus!
Rules
Wine: Red Burgundy
Year: Any
Region: Burgundy, France
Bottle Price: $25 range
Challenge: Come prepared with a question or two about Burgundy wines (or any other wine from France) to ask Michael.
