Burgundy is best: More red wine from France

March 31, 2014 Caitlin Hotchkiss

Way back when we started doing adult beverage tastings here at the Looptail, we kicked off the series with this lovely wine from France. Fortunately for us, there were plenty more delicious burgundy wines where that came from. This week, we’re going back to Burgundy with this lovely 2010 bottle of Joseph Drouhin Côte de Beaune-Villages. (Yeah, it’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it.)

As mentioned way back in December, a Burgundy wine – like all French wines, it’s named for the region it originates from – pairs beautifully with fish, lamb, and cheeses, as well as native French dishes like escargot and boeuf bourguignon. (Does that name sound familiar?) While we regrettably did not have any snails to eat alongside this wine, this bottle was a pretty easy sip all on its own.

When it comes to complex, easy-drinking reds, Burgundy wines are pretty much king. This particular wine was a grand vins de Bourgogne, which was a higher designation than the one we wrote about back in December, and proved every bit as tasty. Again, it was a light red in colour – signaling that it was likely made from pinot noir grapes – and tasted almost like a fruit punch. True to that theme, we picked up notes of berries and plum in the taste, and dedicated taster Liz K noted that it would be very good in a summer sangria. Although I would be hesitant to dilute this wine’s peppery scent and full-bodied flavor in a party punch, it would definitely be a higher-end choice if you wanted to impress your guests. (“Refreshing,” says Liz.)

Fortunately, the Joseph Drouhin Côte de Beaune-Villages doesn’t have a high-end price to go with its quality taste, which means it’s a good choice if you want to get something a little nicer than Two-Buck Chuck for your dinner party (or just for drinking alone in front of Netflix, I ain’t judging you). Although you may think of South America when it comes to red wine, it’s definitely worth having France in mind next time you’re thinking of picking up a solid bottle of red to treat yourself.

Getting There

Are you craving a French red directly from the source? We’ve got just the trips for you. Our ‘France & Italy Adventure’ includes wine tastings in Burgundy as well as plenty of opportunities to imbibe in Rome, and our ‘Impressions of France’ trip features a bike ride through the wineries of Burgundy to get your appetite up for some wine and cheese pairings. Raise a glass to the spirit of France with us!

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