| "Then you’d better start swimming or you’ll sink like a stone, for the times, they are a changing.” Yes, the times are changing in many respects. Oh, honestly, this is not a big one in the overall big picture. However, to many wine lovers this evolving change is long overdue. There are style differences between American and European wines; there are also other big differences, one in particular. When looking at a label, the American version will tell you what grape the wine is made from and the French version will tell you the region where the grapes are grown. It is one of those “centuries-old traditions” in wine that in the U.S. we luckily headed off at the pass and said “no.” After centuries of winemaking in France, they have determined that certain kinds of grapes grow best only in certain regions. Great. Then they went a step further. The government then basically made it illegal to grow any grapes in that region other than the chosen variety. (When I say “basically,” I mean that you can grow those “other” grapes, but have to label it as plonk. Oh, and “plonk” is not a good label to have.) In the U.S., when you pick up a “Chardonnay,” you know that the wine is made with at least 75 percent of that grape. If you pick up a white Bordeaux, what kind of grape makes the wine? Well, you won’t get a Chardonnay from Bordeaux because the only white grapes allowed are Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. If it is a white Burgundy, it is a Chardonnay. No Sauvignon Blanc allowed. The same thing goes if it is a French Chablis. (Different than a Burgundy, but the same grape.) A few more examples: In Bordeaux, the red grapes basically can only be Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. You can’t tell that on the label. In Burgundy, the red grape of choice is Pinot Noir. The Rhone region features many, including By Joel Gilbertson - Bob Dylan Grenache and Syrah on the red side and Viognier and Rousanne on the white side. After years of many people standing in wine shops and scratching their heads while looking at wine labels, things are finally changing a bit, and I think “we” are winning. Many of the Italian wines now show the grape variety and, shucks, even the French are slowly labeling some wines by the grapes that made them, rather than just the region. Change is slow but, in the wine business, as in many others, “The times they are a changing.” So, take a look at a French label, scratch your head, contemplate–and taste away! 24 thecitymag.com
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