France? California? You Be The Judge!

A quick lesson in French grapes that may just considerably broaden your wine acumen so here goes. Many of the wines we know from around the world are made from the same grape varieties as those in (old world) France. "Old World" is pretty much any country that's been producing wines for over a century or so (France, Italy, Spain). Old-world wines are typically identified by region, as opposed to new-world wines, which are often identified by the type of grape. So, if you learn the major regions of France and the grapes that grow there (and to a lesser extent the weather and soil types), you'll know a lot about much of the wine around the world, since again they are growing and making wine out of many of the same grapes (Italy being a notable exception) in similar weather and soils.

With that in mind, this week were featuring wines made from grapes that originated in the Rhone Valley (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, etc). Some of our favorite wines come from these grapes (GSM anyone?) and are grown the world over, notably in the US in Santa Ynez and Paso Robles. So stop by for a flight, and brush up on your wineucation.