Wine lovers: French Varietals?

Question

I filled out a job application for a bartending position in a wine bar. One of the questions on the little quiz that they gave out was "name five Bordeaux varietals". My understanding of a varietal wine is one which is named after the primary variety of grape with which it was made, and the French do not name thier wines like this. Boreauxs are almost always named "chateau ________" or something else to denote the domain and vinyard. Can anyone clarify?

How many useless responses from teenagers who are trying to be cute is THIS one going to get!?!?!

Answer 1

You are correct.

The person who asked the question should have asked 'Name five Bordeaux VARIETIES'

Varietal was used in the manner you describe. That is, a wine made from only (or mostly) from one variety and that variety is named on the label. Unfortunately this useful word has quickly been debased and is frequently used instead of variety.

It is interesting the question asked for 5 varieties. I wonder if the questioner was thinking only of red Bordeaux (which can be made from five varieties) because, of course, more varieties are used in Bordeaux -- in particular Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon for the dry whites and luscious sweet wines.

Best of luck - hope you get the job

(later edit -- I'm just laughing at the cut and paste job above that shows St Emilion as not part of Bordeaux and implies the British call Sauternes 'claret' -- Claret is red Bordeaux and that includes St Emilion :)

Answer 2

Many, if not most, wine drinkers are highly confused with naming conventions of wines. There are really two types of wine names: "old world" and "new world."

In the "old world" of Europe, wines are traditionally named after the place they are grown. For instance, Bordeaux is a town in France, and the surround vineyards are called... you guessed it, Bordeaux.

In the "new world" of the Americas and Australia, wines are typically named after the major varietal in the wine. For instance, a Chardonnay is going to be made from the Chardonnay grape varietal.

The interesting thing about "old world" wine regions is that they wil only grow certain wine grapes. Red wines from Bordeaux will be made with either some or all of the following varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc.

Hope that clarifies.

Answer 3

Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Franc
Petit Verdot
Merlot
Malbec

French wines are named for their "appelation". That is, the region of France in which they are produced. Each region is know for specific varietals. Its a little complicated, but I think this page explains Bordeaux nicely: http://www.epicurious.com/drinking/wine_dictionary/entry?id=5587 This one explains the French appelation system: http://www.epicurious.com/drinking/wine_dictionary/entry?id=5367 And Wiki for a general overview of French wine, including links to articles about each region http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_wine

The regions are:

Alsace
Beaujolais
Bergerac
Bordeaux known in British English as Claret, includes Medoc, Graves and Sauternes
Bourgogne or Burgundy including Chablis, Cote d'Or and Maconnais
Jura
Loire Valley, including Muscadet, Vouvray and Sancerre
Rhone Valley including Cotes du Rhone, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Crozes-Hermitage AOC
Languedoc wine region Coteaux du Languedoc | Minervois | Corbiéres
Roussillon
Saint Emilion

Hope this helps!!

Oh...found one more...this is the "Official" French Wines page...I'm sure its FULL of great info! http://www.wines-france.com/Default.aspx

Answer 4

you should get a wine book and a highlighter.
and a "rockstar" energy drink.