Sometimes mutant genes result in wonderful things, the Pinot Blanc grape for instance. Get the facts about this wine 

Gewürztraminer, aside from being fun to say, is perhaps the most complicated of the wine grapes. Why?

Rhone is a southern French wine region that is centered on the Rhine River. It is usually split into north and south sub-regions that differ both geographically and stylistically in the manner of making wine.

Burgundy, named for the ancient Burgundians who settled in this area during the early Middle Ages, is one of 27 regions in France and one of its major wine producing regions.  Wines are produced labeled and marketed from this region under the constraints of the appellation system, which can be confusing in a wine shop. As one of the most terroir-driven regions in France, the information highlighted on a bottle of wine from Burgundy is based primarily on geography, which can be a great indicator, not only of varietal and style, but also can tell you what to expect for flavor profile, expected price and quality.

Beaujolais is a well-known department or district inside of the regional appellation of Burgundy. Burgundy, as a region, is known most frequently as a source for single varietal wines using Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes, which benefit from the cooler climate in the north-central part of France. The internal district of Beaujolais, which is located north of Loire and situated between the Burgundy and Rhone regions, is, on the contrary, known primarily for a single red grape, Gamay.

Every time my family gets together at Christmas or for any other celebration, question number one is always who would like a glass of Crémant to drink to it. Why not Champagne, you ask? One might think a big celebration would be worth a bottle of the purest Champagne. So why Crémant? Crémant is extremely popular where I live in Saarland, Germany, because of our proximity to Alsace, France, one of the Crémant-producing areas. This not only makes it easily available (since it’s produced literally next door), but also makes it the drink of choice.

I watched Sideways again the other night and Miles’ explanation to Maya does make Pinot Noir sound like something special. I have always liked the grape in its variety of forms but I wanted to do a little checking on whether or not Miles was right. Essentially the answer is yes.