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Wine briefs

Briefs and news of note.

By CHRIS SHERMAN and Times wires
Published July 12, 2006

A wine whine

Wondering why you don't normally see chablis on restaurant menus? Well, there's Chablis and then there's "chablis." Chablis is a region of Burgundy known for its signature way with the chardonnay grape. In France, as elsewhere in Europe, wines traditionally have been named for the place. So Chablis is chardonnay from Chablis. Here in the United States, most wines are now named for the primary varietal grape used, i.e. chardonnay. But that wasn't always the case. Forty or so years ago, there were gallons of cheap California "chablis" out there; those wines gave real French Chablis a proverbial black eye that still, possibly, is being felt today.

Restaurants also are more likely to group chablis, no matter where it's from, under the generic chardonnay heading on menus and wine lists because chardonnay is a much more familiar name to consumers.

- Chicago Tribune

BAD BEAUJOLAIS, BAD

Last week, a French court convicted respected wine exporter Georges Duboeuf Wines of fraud after one of its wineries mixed a variety of grapes in its Beaujolais.

The court in Villefranche-sur-Saone in southeast France fined the vintner $38,370 even though the impure wine never made it to market.

The Georges Duboeuf business produces 25-million bottles a year and is responsible for 20 percent of all Beaujolais production. It exports 75 percent of its wine, primarily to the United States.

Duboeuf is known for its Beaujolais Nouveau, a light and fruity wine traditionally available on the third Thursday of November and drinkable only for a short period.

- Associated Press

Wine of the Week

Chateau Marjosse Blanc, Entre deux Mer, Bordeaux, 2003.

Entre deux Mer is easy to translate: "between two seas." Specifically, the region between the two rivers that join at France's Bordeaux to head into the Atlantic Ocean. Though famous red wine estates line the far shores, this triangle produces rather modest white wines that often end up on the "Nothing Special" shelf.

However, Marjosse is more than an affordable chiller. Here Bordeaux's sauvignon blanc and semillon combine charmingly with a bit of perfumey muscadelle.

The result is round, rich, golden wine, with notes of honey and flowers with a warm texture and mild finish. Fine on its own but big enough to handle spicy foods. Old vines, talented palate, and your own friendly little pony for small change. You can't get near the big stable for anything close. Look for Marjosse's red, too.

Availability: $10 to $15, liquor stores and wine shops.

- CHRIS SHERMAN

[Last modified July 11, 2006, 10:27:42]