Alcohology - "French Wine"

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In this Alcohology short, French wine! Our salute to the fine wine made by the host country of the 2024 Summer Olympics. Join Matt as he traces the story of French wine all the way back to the ancient Greeks and follows the remarkable journey of French viticulture through centuries of history and innovation. You'll learn how how it all started, the Catholic Church's role in preserving and perfecting winemaking techniques, and the historical milestones. Discover how these developments have shaped the standards and flawless reputation of French wines today.  

Whether you're a seasoned wine connoisseur or simply curious, grab a glass and tune in for an engaging and insightful journey into the world of French wine. Cheers!

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Episode Transcript

Matt (00:00):
Welcome to Alkohology.
I wonder why they call it acocktail.
Yes, I'd like to know more aboutthe Venus Vinifera.
I'm very interested in theterroir.
We talking about two carbon, sixhydrogen and one oxygen atom.
We talking about ethyl alcohol.
This episode, French Wine.

(00:20):
Welcome to Matt and Friends,Drink the Universe.
Welcome to Matt and Friends,Drink the Universe.
Today, we are going to talk allabout the French wine and its
rich history, which spansthousands of years, deeply
entwined with the culture,economy and gastronomy of France
.
Okay, that's about enough of mybad French accent.
The history of French wine canbe traced back to the 6th

(00:42):
century BC, when the Greeksfounded the city of Marseille
and introduced viticulture tothe region.
The practice of winemaking wasfurther developed during the
Roman era, with extensivevineyard planting throughout the
Rhone Valley, burgundy and theBordeaux.
In medieval times, the CatholicChurch played a significant
role in the development ofwinemaking due to the need for
wine for the celebration of Mass, monasteries owned vast areas

(01:04):
of vineyards and monks becamethe custodians of viticulture
techniques and wine storagemethods, which they refined and
passed on.
The regents of Champagne andBurgundy became established as
centers for quality wineproduction.
The marriage of Eleanor ofAquitaine to Henry Plantagenet,
later Henry II of England, in1152, marked the beginning of a

(01:26):
long period of English rule inthe Bordeaux.
This led to a significantexport market for Bordeaux wines
in England, known as claret inEnglish.
The concept of terroir, thespecific geographical and
environmental characteristicsthat give wines unique
properties, became important inthe 17th century.
In 1855, the Bordeaux wineofficial classification system

(01:46):
was established, grading winesbased on prices and quality.
In the late 19th century,french vineyards were devastated
by Phloxera, a pest thatdestroys root systems and vines
Very annoying little bug.
This solution, which involvedgrafting European vines onto
resistant American rootstocks,saved the industry but
dramatically altered thelandscape of French viticulture.

(02:08):
This was also not a populardecision, but it did solve the
Phloxera crisis.
The 20th century saw furtherformalization of the wine
industry in France with theintroduction of the Appellation
d'Hérisienne Contrôlée in 1935.
Take that anybody that says Ican't pronounce anything on this
podcast.
The AOC system officiallydefined and regulated the

(02:30):
geographical boundaries of wineproduction areas and the methods
and types of grapes used.
If you're looking for top-tierFrench wine, you may want to
check out the world-classofferings from one of the
Bordeaux's first growth estates.
This designation was firstgiven to the five following
estates in 1855.
They are Chateau Margaux,chateau Latour, chateau

(02:51):
Mouton-Rochelle, chateau Ambrianand Chateau Lafitte-Rochelle.
Don't forget your wallet,though, as the prices for these
chateaus can range between $600a bottle up to $50,000 for
collector sets of historicalvintages.
If you have quite a bit ofdisposable income and want
exclusive, look no further thanDomaine de la Romanicanti in

(03:12):
Burgundy and their RomanicantiGrand Cru, made with Pinot Noir
grapes.
It is one of the mostprestigious and sought-after
wines in the world.
Depending on the vintage, aRomanicanti Grand Cru can go
from between $24,000 to $30,000a bottle.
Now I know those prices soundreally intimidating, especially
if you're, like me, wonderingwhere your next bottle of
André's Cold Duck is coming from.

(03:33):
But many of those chateaus alsooffer entry-level bottles
starting at between $40,000 and$100,000.
France produces a diverse rangeof wine types, each reflecting
the unique terroir andwinemaking traditions of the
regions that they come from.
For red wines, the Bordeaux,burgundy and the Rhone Valley

(03:54):
lead the way.
Bordeaux is known for itsblends, primarily of Cabernet,
sauvignon, merlot and CabernetFranc.
Burgundy is famous for itsPinot Noir, producing some of
the most sought-after winesglobally.
The Rhone Valley is known forits Syrah and its blends of
ganache and Mourvedri.
The Burgundy region is alsoacclaimed for its white wines,
primarily made from Chardonnay.
The Lior Valley produces crispand aromatic whites like

(04:18):
Savignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc.
Alsace is famous for its dryand sweet Rieslings and other
aromatic varietals likeGewurztraminer.
The Champagne region and thisshould be pretty obvious is most
well known for its sparklingwine from its Pinot Noir and
Pinot Mignon grapes.
France also produces severalnotable dessert and sweet wines

(04:39):
in the Sauternes and theBordeaux, where Sauvignon Blanc
and Muscadet grapes are affectedby noble rot.
Noble rot is where you leave agrape on the vine.
When the temperature drops, thegrapes freeze a little bit and
the sugar concentration in thegrapes greatly increases.
A few fun facts about Frenchwine.
The birth of champagne wasactually an accident.

(04:59):
The cold winters in thechampagne region caused the
fermentation process to pause,which then resumed in the spring
, creating natural carbonationin the bottles.
This process, initially aproblem, became the defining
characteristic of Champagne.
Historically, france has viedwith Italy for the title of
world's largest wine producer.
The country's wine productioncan cover a wide range of
volumes, but it is alwayssignificant in the global market

(05:22):
, is always significant in theglobal market.
And on the topic of wine andhealth, the term French paradox
was coined in the 1980s andrefers to the observation that
the French suffer relatively lowincidents of coronary heart
disease, despite having a dietrelatively high in saturated
fats.
Some researchers haveattributed this phenomenon
partly to regular, moderate wineconsumption, especially red

(05:43):
wine.
So as the Olympics are gettingstarted this year, grab a glass
of good wine and toast the hostnation, thank you to the French
for the great wine.
This podcast is a production ofUnfiltered Studios.
If you would like to know moreabout joining Unfiltered Studios
, please visit our website atunfpodcom for more information.

(06:06):
This episode is sponsored by thePoppins Travel Company.
Where's there?
You would like to see France.
You would like to see France inDisney World or perhaps
Disneyland in Paris.
Call the Poppins Travel Company.
If you enjoyed this short andwant to spend more time with us,
please check out ourfull-length episodes wherever
you get your podcasts from.
For more information about MattFriends Drink the Universe,

(06:28):
please visit us atmattandfriendsdtucom.
That's mattandfriendsdtucom.