July 2024 – Power Tasting – The Wine Tasting Experience

Beaumes de Venise

We recently attended a trade show for the wine industry, which happened to be dominated by wines from France. Among them was a kiosk for Beaumes de Venise, which is a small, centrally located village in the Southern Rhône region. Tasting the wines from there brought back quite a few memories.

Beaumes de Venise a nice village but no more so than its neighboring villages, Vacqueyras and Gigondas. Red wines are made there, good ones but again no better than others made nearby. What distinguishes Beaumes de Venise is the luscious honey-flavored wine made there from the Muscat grape (or to be more specific, the Muscat de Frontignan).

[A few words on the name of the village. Literally, it means “Balm of Venice”, but there is nothing about either balm or Venice in the origin of the name. Beaumes comes from the Provençal word for caves, “baumo” plus the name of the county, many centuries ago, “Venaissin”. The caves of Venaissin became the “Balm of Venice” over the years.]

For many years, American wine lists were rather sparse when it came to dessert wines, and they still are. One that was featured the most frequently back then was the rather light but fruity Muscat from Domaine de Durban. So the first time we visited Beaumes de Venise we made a point of visiting that winery. It’s a drive from the center of the village, up a narrow, windy road to the top of what seemed like a mountain to us. After all that, we discovered that, like all French enterprises, Durban was closed for a two-hour lunch. We never did get to taste their wine on the premises.

The Domaine des Bernardins. Photo courtesy of Ventoux Provence.

Some years later, we were vacationing in Provence and we had a fancy dinner in the especially charming town of St. Remy. We ordered foie gras as a starter and asked the waiter for the usual accompaniment, glasses of Sauternes. As only a French waiter could, he told us “Non!”. Startled, we asked why not. He told us that in this region of France the wine of choice with foie gras was Beaumes de Venise and recommended one in particular, Domaine des Bernardins. (He did say that if we were dissatisfied he’d find us a glass of Sauternes.)

Not only were we satisfied, we were blown away. We loved it so much that we drove to Beaumes de Venise the next morning, located the winery and bought a case to be shipped home.

Our Provençal friends drink Beaumes de Venise as an aperitif which is rather enjoyable sipping it under a chestnul tree or in front of the fireplace. “Un petit Beaumes” as our friend Catherine would say. Of course, you can drink it with (or as) dessert, too.

A word to the uninitiated. Domaine des Bernardins, like many dessert wines, has a lovely golden color and is fresh with good acidity when it is young. Over time, it turns brown and has a more profound flavor. Keep it too long (a decade or so) and it just deteriorates.

The Dentelles de Montmirail. Photo courtesy of Provence Guide.

One feature of Beaumes de Venise that you cannot fail to see if you visit the village: the Dentelles de Montmirail hover over the vineyards. These are a row of jagged rock mountains that form a wall to the east of the Rhône valley. They reflect the afternoon sun and give the grapes below an extra dose of warmth. This is especially useful for grapes with a high sugar content, such as Muscat.

They have been making sweet wines here for millennia, and if climate change doesn’t mess up everything, they will continue to do so for centuries to come.

Champagne Mercier

In the city of Épernay, there is a famous street called the Avenue de Champagne, which Power Tasting has featured in the past. It is lined with Champagne houses where you can taste all day long. At the far end, away from the center of town, is Champagne Mercier (www.champagnemercier.com). They may not make the best Champagne in France (we’ll leave it to others to choose which one is) but it is the most popular one in that country. Considering the combination of quality and price, that’s understandable. Their top Brut Rosé costs about $38 a bottle. Alas, it can’t be found in the US and wouldn’t be that inexpensive if it were.

However, the price of a bottle isn’t the attraction at any winery, it’s the enjoyment of the visit and the tasting. And here Mercier excels. As you approach the entrance, there’s an antique truck that evidently was once used to deliver Champagne. It’s a way of telling a visitor that Mercier has been around a long time, since 1858 in fact. The current facility was erected in 1871. When you enter, you are confronted with a massive, decorated wine barrel, that holds 200,000 bottles worth of wine. It was built for the 1889 Paris World Exposition.

Viewing the artwork from the train at Champagne Mercier.

The actual visit begins with a tour of the cellars. Groups are taken together onto a glass elevator that descends slowly down 98 feet. The walls of the shaft have paintings, to get you into the spirit right away. At the bottom you are ushered into an open train, sort of like at Disneyland. It winds its way through parts of the 11 miles of chalk tunnels. Evidently the founder, Eugène Mercier was concerned about the cultural well-being of his workers, so there are carved works of art throughout the cellars. And of course you get to see where Champagne bottles are stored, riddled and aged.

There is a recorded guide as you progress through the cellars, which is available in English as well as in French. Be sure to bring a sweater. The whole reason for cellaring Champagne is to age it and concentrating the sediments in a stable, cool environment. Rolling along in an open train, you definitely feel a little chill.

At last, the tasting.

At length you return to the surface and have the chance to taste. Tours include either one or three Champagnes to try. At this point you’re so eager and thirsty that of course they seem quite good. It takes some taste memory to summon up how you felt about better-known labels you’ve had in the past (or an hour ago elsewhere on the Avenue de Champagne. If you wish, you are free to wander around the public area, admiring that big barrel and taking in the modernist interior architecture.

When you step outside at last you find yourself in a vineyard. We think it’s the only working vineyard inside the city limits of Épernay. Once you’ve seen the hectares after hectares of vines in Champagne, you may not be surprised by the size of this vineyard, but it’s mere existence is another reminder of what Champagne production must have been more than 100 years ago.

Mercier is among the most fun tours we have taken at a Champagne house. It is worth the visit.

Comparing French Wine Regions

If someone were to ask, “Where should I go to taste the best California wines?” most of us Americans would probably point the questioner to the Napa Valley. But if that question was applied to France, the only reasonable answer is “It depends”.

Virtually every part of France produces wine. Burgundy is renowned for wines made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In the region around the city of Bordeaux, the grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Semillon. The Rhône Valley produces Grenache, Syrah, Roussanne and Marsanne grapes. Which is the best? Well, it depends on what you like.

The town of Gaillac in Southwest France. Photo courtesy of Ville de Gaillac.

And we could complicate matters by pointing to Riesling and Gewurztraminer in Alsace, Gaillac (made of Duras and Fer grapes) in the Southwest and Malbec in Cahors (known locally as Côt). If all of this is confusing, it needn’t be. Winemaking in France arose from many different histories and ecosystems. If you’d like to travel around France, just enjoy whatever you find that’s produced locally.

We Americans are used to a lot of these different grapes grown in the same general vicinity. (Well, maybe not Duras or Fer.) But the differences are not as deeply rooted in the culture of each location. So if you’re wine tasting in France, keep a few things in mind.

There are laws in France requiring certain regions to make wine from certain grapes, and in certain blends, if they want to be able to claim AOC (appellation d’origine contrôlée) status. So, while you will find some Cabernet Sauvignon in Russian River, you won’t be able to do the same in the Burgundy’s Côte d’Or, for example.
There are regions where vignerons (French for winemakers) grow the “wrong” grapes. For example, Château Canet in Minervoix makes Merlot and Malbec (but can’t label them Minervoix, because different grapes are required there). For another example, Mas de Gourgonier in Les Baux de Provence has a Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah blend, which is fine in Australia but not in France. If you don’t get hung up on the rules, you can enjoy some interesting alternatives while you are in various parts of France.
You can take a chance with some grapes you’ve never heard of. We’ve already mentioned the virtually unknown grapes in Gaillac wine, which is readily available in Toulouse. There’s Melon grapes in the Jura mountains, Auxerrois in Alsace or Chasselas in the Savoie. You may never get another chance to taste wines made from these grapes, so if you’re in the area, give them a try.
On the other hand, you might find a familiar wine by a different name. In the 1860s, Francois Durif, a French botanist, had a vineyard growing Peloursin and Syrah. The two cross-pollinated and he found himself with a different grape entirely. He made wine from it and named it after himself. If you happen to find a bottle of Durif, it may seem familiar, because in the US we call it Petite Sirah.

The overall messages are that a) If you travel in France you’ll encounter great wine wherever you go. b) Enjoy what each region is famous for, but keep your mind (and your mouth) open for new and unexpected experiences.

Avignon

Philadelphia is still bragging about the Declaration of Independence and the Liberty Bell. Boston hasn’t gotten over the Tea Party. Those things happened around 250 years ago. There is a place in France where they’re still identifying themselves with something that occurred more than 700 years ago: Avignon, in the south of France.

From 1309 through 1417, the Pope decided not to live in Rome but rather took up residence in Avignon. This all had to do with conflict between the Papacy and the Kings of France and is way too complicated to be explained here. The point for contemporary visitors is that everywhere you go in Avignon you’ll see the papal insignia of the Triple Crown and the crossed keys.

The Papal Palace in Avignon, with the cathedral to the left. Photo courtesy of Horizons Provence.

The most impressive and important site should you visit Avignon is the Papal Palace. It’s actually two joined buildings, erected by different Popes. It is one of the largest gothic edifices ever built. Its massive walls and battlements give witness to the perilous nature of the Avignon papacy, with the constant threat of attacks by the forces of various kings and church factions. As the center point of medieval western Christianity, the palace, and Avignon more generally, it became the administrative hub of Catholicism. It was the precursor to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, which was built 100 years after the return of the papacy there.

At the same time, Avignon is very much a living city. It is famous for its annual festival of the arts. There are performances in the courtyard of the Papal Palace and in theaters (and in the streets) around Avignon. Of course, most of the theatrical works are in French, with an occasional Shakespeare or other classic piece presented in English.

Saint Benezet’s Bridge, with the bell tower of the Avignon cathedral behind it. Photo courtesy of Provence-Alpes- Côtes d’Azur Tourism.

Of course, there’s a cathedral, Notre-Dame des Doms, next to the palace. Over the centuries, this church has collapsed, been reconstructed, abandoned in the Revolution and restored in the 19^th century. Its bell tower hovers over the city and it is topped by a golden statue of the Virgin Mary that can be seen for miles around. There are also gardens worth visiting. The Doms is the rock on which Avignon was founded. Visitors can climb up to it from the cathedral, enjoy the greenery and the views over the Rhône and pretend to be Avignonais.

Avignon is the capital of the Vaucluse region, which contains most of the Côtes du Rhône vineyards. Nearby is a town wine lovers have heard of: Châteauneuf-du-Pape translated as “the Pope’s new castle”. (One of the Avignon Popes built it as a refuge in case of attack on the palace.) Avignon is a bustling little city , modern amongst all the antiquity. After seeing the Papal Palace and the cathedral, the best thing to do (other than wine tasting all around the city) is just to walk around, taking in many beautiful sectors and sights.

Finally, don’t miss Saint Benezet’s Bridge, or what’s left of it. If you remember the childhood song Sur le Pont d’Avignon (on the bridge of Avignon), this is it. Half of it collapsed centuries ago, but you can still dance there today, if you’d like to.