A Wine Mosaic Tasting

When most of us think of wine, we think of the international varietals: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet. But there are over 6000 varieties of vitis vinifera grapes in the world. Native to the Mediterranean region, approximately 1500 of these grapes are used to make wine, with about 1000 of them being indigenous varietals. The other 500 are comprised of crossbred hybrids. Most wine drinkers will only be exposed to about 20 or 30 of these different varietals in their wine drinking lifetime. In fact, these 30 key varieties account for approximately 70% of the world wide wine production.

For those wine nerds out there among us there is Wine Mosaic. Founded in 2012, it is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving Vinodiversity. Continue reading

A Cru Bourgeois Visit

The past month has been crazy. I’ve officially finished all of my classes to complete my degree. Now all that’s left is exams and to write my thesis. But after a year and a half living in this city I have learned nothing more than great wine can be found anywhere. Bordeaux is the traditional worldwide home of fine wine and none are more celebrated than the Classified Growths. But these estates are only a tiny drop in the bucket.

The 1855 Bordeaux Classification was ordered by Napoleon to help promote Bordeaux wine during the World Exposition held in Paris. But the classification only included a small portion of the Bordeaux estates. Among those Medoc estates not included in the Classification you can still find amazing wine. Today many of these estates have their own assurance of quality with the label of ‘Cru Bourgeois.’ I have personally found many of these wines to be of high quality and are a great value.

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So despite my crazy schedule, I managed to find a little time to take advantage of an invitation to visit Chateau Rollan de By. Continue reading

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Planning on Visiting Bordeaux? Winerist has a few great lists to help you plan your trip