French Wine List

Imagine yourself sitting in an upscale restaurant with one of your best customers and then handed a wine list thicker than a college textbook. You want to choose the "perfect" wine to impress your customers, but everything looks like what is written in a foreign language. After only a few minutes, the server asks you if you have made your choice, if you decide to order the most familiar thing in the menu. Not sure of your choice will be to coordinate with your meal, and it costs more than your boss can tolerate for a client dinner. When the bottle arrives, you broke out in a cold sweat and are ready to take a big gulp! The good news is that understanding the three main ways of wine lists are organized is the first step to prevent this from happening to you.

There are three main types of wine lists - those organized by grape variety, by geography (or if it is made), and the flavor profile (progressive). Keep in mind that some lists a mixture of several of these methods. Let us examine each of these three types of wine lists:

By Varietal. Organised by the main grape used to produce wine, such definitive list appeals to our conscience culture variety. It can still be organized by country or state. Thinking about the first grape vines and the second origin is an American trend. Many European countries are now trying to focus more on the vines, despite regulations that prohibit wine best rated their inclusion on the label. Sections for popular varieties, such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Black, Cabernet Sauvignon, are generally listed as well as a variety of "other" for white and red. These sections lesser known varieties can often be more interesting, and that is where many bargains can be found!

By geography. The wine list is organized by country of origin and often specific subcategories, such as regions or state, which is the traditional type of wine. If you like French wines, this type of list, it is easy. Flip to the French section, then look at what the regions and wine are offered. The variety used (or not) is shown next to wines in this type of list. This is not a problem for most wines of the United States since the wine is usually marked by variety, for example, Chardonnay or Pinot Black. The European wine industry, however, tends to focus on the region where it is produced and assumes that we know what the grapes are grown. Although the main grape of Burgundy are Chardonnay and Pinot Black, they will not appear on the bottle of the best wines of Burgundy.

Progressive. This type of list is a relatively new approach that is organized by flavor and body profile. A typical class might be white-light body, dry, and the wines of this category can be ordered very mild to. This allows guests to find the type of wine they enjoy and then the options for the same class of flavor and body. Your favorite grape or country can be located in various categories. Once you get the hang of these lists, they are tons of fun. They require no special knowledge of geography or grapes, just a knowledge of what you love.

I hope you have a better understanding of the three restaurants the most common ways organize their lists. The geographical lists and grape varieties account for 80% of lists encountered, but the list may be a gradual increasing trend in the future. Hopefully next time you take an important client (or someone special) for dinner, they will be impressed by your ability to find good wine in no time!

Âc 2007 Laurie Forster, The Wine Coach ®