Currently going over the entirety of France in my Viticulture and Enology program in North Carolina and your videos are truly a lifesaver! They really help all the crazy amounts of info in the textbook stick in place :) Thank you so much!
Thank you! I'm glad they're helpful. Sounds like an interesting program; I'm definitely curious to know more about what's being grown out in NC. Cheers!
Thanks and thanks for watching! I'm working on getting every region covered. I think I only have SW France, Provence/Greater Rhône, Savoie/Bugey and Corsica left. With any luck, those will all be done by later summer. Cheers!
Normally I go to the Alsace or Burgundy regions to buy wine. However I have always had a soft spot for wines from the Rhone and hopefully will make my way down to that part of France this spring.
all of your courses are very professional and helpful for me, it attracts me to study more and more about Wine! Thank you!If you are leading an Europe wine tour, I will definitely join you.
Wow, I love how you start out with the "logic" issue. Many times I hear people comment on how things "don't make sense," but often it's because they are coming from an egocentric perspective, thinking Bout their own world view. I am excited to get to know the Côtes Rhône better!!
Congrats again for this great cast, thank you to make it so easy to learn about wine. :) Quick note though, I don't mean to be the typical French correcting English speaker pronunciation, but even though it is not logical at all, we pronounce the "s" in Cornas. ;)
Thank you and don't worry, you aren't the first person to mention it -- that said, and now that I have you here, I could use some clarification. I've been told by others that the "s" is vocalized in Cornas, Gigondas and Vacqueyras in the Rhone as well as in Julienas and Chenas in Beaujolais, but my understanding is that this is a regional pronunciation (something about being South of Lyon) and that French speakers from elsewhere in France would NOT naturally pronounce the "s" in all of those names (much the way that, for example, Americans outside of the American South pronounce many Southern place names differently than locals would). Is this correct? For what it's worth, Louis-Antoine Luyt, who is Burgundian, I think, in his video on the Crus of Beaujolais (link below) switches between the two, sometimes pronouncing the "s" in Chenas and Julienas and sometimes not. Any clarification you can give would be appreciated. Cheers! Link: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Sw9FJBOX7BE.html
That is a very good point.... I think it's really up to anyone to pronounce the final "s" at the end of the words, same way some will pronounce the "s" at the end of "ananas" (pineapple) and some won't. I initially come from Paris, so theoretically I shouldn't pronounce the "s" although I do. Nonetheless, I've heard people pronouncing the "s" in Chenas and Julienas quite a lot (and I used to live in Lyon) so let's say that it is tolerated but I've never heard anyone dodging the final "s" in Vacqueyras, Gigondas, Cornas (and I live in Avignon now). I personally pronounce the "s" in all these appellations. I think it is more aesthetic... I wish I could help you more, but the French language is very often odd and inexplicable. I will investigate though and if something come up, I'll let you know.
I just thought about a theory but I could be wrong. The French the people speak in the South of France is known to be very singing, and they tend to pronounce and even sometime accentuate some letter we don't pronounce elsewhere (the "s" for example). The South of France has common borders with Italy and Spain, both countries where you literally pronounce all the letters in the words. As we had several waves of immigration from Italy and Spain throughout the last centuries, I would say that they may have had an influence on the language and pronunciation.
Hi, thank for everything you made. Could you give me some advice about some good wine book? I want to know more about wine like you but I dont know where I can study by myself. Thank
Another Great cast, thank you so much! I have done some tasting of wine in Northern Rhone, the last couple of weeks, as I will host a dinner where I am doing by best to find a wine that pairs well with game meat, in this case Reindeer. I have found a great producer (mostly known for it's great Hermitage) in Saint Joseph, J.L Chave. They produce a great 100% Syrah, Offerus 2012, that seem to be a great match and also is affordable. From my understanding the reason why Syrah fits well to the Gamey meat is that they share the earthiness and smokey notes, but I would very much appreciate a tip or two if you have any. Continue with your great casts, we are all learning a lot!
Hello. I think Syrah is lovely with game. In fact, one of my first pairings, many years ago, was between Syrah and a wild elk that had been hunted by one of my students. Delicious. I don't know the producer you mentioned, but I'll add him to my list of ones to look out for. I love Syrah from the Norther Rhône. It feels very pure to me, though, of course, only in the hands of a competent producer. Thanks for taking the time to watch these casts and to write in. Cheers!
@@TheUnknownWinecaster I love Syrah with game, my first game pairing was elk with a Northern Rhone Syrah, perfection. Domain JL Chave is highly reputable, and the Saint Josephs have a nice price point.
Great! Thanks ! Question: I’m drinking and Lermitage 2015 right now.. but it’s description says it contains 40% Mourvèdre 40%syrah 20 % Grenache.. I’ve been researching about it I’m just curious.. could you give me a little info why it contains this other grapes?
Hi. Great question. What you're drinking, I'm pretty sure, is a Côtes du Rhône Clos de l'Ermitage which is not an Hermitage (which would be in the Northern Rhône), but Clos de l'Ermitage is a named vineyard near Avignon in the Southern Rhône and part of the regular Côtes du Rhône Appellation, so it follows the blending rules for the CdR. Your bottle should say both Côtes du Rhône and Clos de l'Ermitage on it. Let me know if it doesn't, because then I'll really be curious. Hope that helps and thanks for the question. Cheers!
at bout 3m in, am i looking at the map upside down or is the narration of left and right bank villages off from the narration. either way, awesome video, as always!
ThisSheetB4RealYo Hello! The designation of the banks is determined conventionally according to what would be the right or left of you if you were traveling down the river in the direction of its natural flow. The Rhône flows from North to South, so if you were going with the flow you’d be headed South and Côte-Rôtie and such would be on your right (so, Right Bank) and Hermitage and C-H would be on your left (Left Bank). In Bordeaux things get flipped because the rivers there flow in a different direction. Hope that helped, and thanks for the question. Cheers!
I have seen California wines use the Terms Hermitage and Meritage. Is their use then a violation of AOC, even when they try and claim "we pronounce it differently?
