The most popular French red wines are those produced in Burgundy and Bordeaux. They can be of varying degrees of luxury, which determines their taste and price category.
Manufacturing technology of French wines
Wine is the oldest alcoholic beverage, known for 7 millennia. French wines are a kind of quality standard and a guarantor of great taste. The technology by which the wines are made is well known - the drink is obtained by alcoholic fermentation of grape juice. The characteristics of a wine largely depend on the grape variety, its place of growth, sugar content and, of course, aging.
Noble French wines must be aged in special barrels for at least 4 years, after which they are bottled. However, wine that is too old loses its taste, and some wines are best drunk young.
The main French red wines are wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy. The popularity of these varieties is justified - they have a noble taste and aroma, and also have healing properties. Bordeaux is the highest quality wine recognized all over the world. Burgundy wines are considered the best in France and are distinguished by their intense ruby color. Semi-sweet red wine contains 9-14% alcohol and 30-80 g of sugar. This wine is weaker than fortified, but sweeter than dry.
How to choose a French semi-sweet red wine
According to French law, a bottle of quality French semi-sweet wine must be labeled with the vintage year and must contain at least 85% of the wine produced in that year. Also, the label indicates the color of the drink, its type, name of the variety, trade mark, features of this type, location of the vineyard, and in the case of limited sales, the number of the bottle.
The cost of wine directly depends on its elite. So, there are table wines designed for not very demanding consumers. Sometimes table wines are made from a mixture of different crops. These wines are not labeled with the vintage or place of production. Vin de pays are wines that meet certain quality standards. The grapes for its production are harvested in one of 130 regions of France, and the name of the wine is the same as the name of the area. These wines are subject to mandatory testing before being sold. Fine wines are of the highest quality. They are produced strictly in a certain area, undergo mandatory tasting, and meet the most stringent requirements.
The pride of French winemaking are wines of the highest category - the rules of production and technology are enshrined in law. These wines are subject to quality control by a special organization and are produced only in a specific place from grapes grown in a special vineyard.
