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A Toast To French Wines |
By:
Gideon Laston |
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Around the globe there are certain regions like Napa Valley and Asti that are famous for the wines they produce. But none of these wines command the respect earned by wines created in France.
French wines are made in a special way that other countries just can't seem to match. There seems to be extra care poured into every bottle of French wine, and this thoughtful consideration adds a unique quality to every single French wine on the market today.
In the initial process, French winemakers crush the grapes as soon as they get to the cellar. This allows the winemakers to extract the most flavor from every grape, resulting in a French wine rich in taste and sure to please every palate.
Once the grapes have been crushed, the resulting "must" is transported to specialized tanks for the fermentation process to take place. This is an essential step in which alcohol is created. Without fermentation, the result would be no more than French grape juice.
The grapes used in the creation of French wine have naturally-occurring yeasts, sugars and chemicals. A change takes place in the chemical balance of the grapes during the fermentation process. This chemical change is what makes the wines of France so unique.
To reach optimal fermentation, the must is stored at a steady temperature of 25 to 30 degrees Celsius. Proper ventilation is another important element for smooth processing. With all of these conditions in place, the foundation is in place for vintners to create the French wines that have earned their place atop the list of the worlds finest.
The maceration process is the next step in the making of classic French wine. The wine takes on a rich color and body during this step. The color of wine is developed from the peel and natural tannin of the grape. The amount of "body" is determined by the amount of time the wine spends in maceration. Longer maceration will result in a more full-bodied wine, and many of the better French wines will take several weeks of maceration to reach their full potential.
During the final processing stage, the solids are removed from the wine in a process called "raking". It's interesting to note that more than one type of wine can be created during this phase. After raking, the resulting pulp can be used in its natural form as free run French wine, or it can be squeezed to create pressed wine.
No one can deny that fine wines are created around the world. Still, there's something extra special about French wines. Whether the secret is in the grapes of France or the methods use to process them, no one can quite match the unique flavors and qualities of fine French wines.
Author Gideon Laston contributes articles to several popular web magazines, on home shopping and retail shopping subjects. You can get a unique content version of this article.
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Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article56053.html |
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