Things to Love

Harvest has just started in California. When some of the state’s winemakers were asked what’s best about harvest, here are a few things they said:

The smell of fermentation
Camaraderie
Breakfast burritos
Seeing the sun rise over a vineyard
Cold beer
Avocados
Spicy Cheetos
Chocolate
Knowing there’s an end…

Which village in Burgundy has the most Grand Cru vineyards?

A. Pomerol

B. Pauillac

C. Gevrey-Chambertin

D. Chablis

The Burgundian village Gevrey-Chambertin is famous for its red wines—all made from pinot noir. Of the 33 Grand Cru vineyards in the entire Burgundy region, 9 are in this one village alone. The most important of the Grand Crus in the village is the one called simply Chambertin. As for the other choices, both Pomerol and Pauillac are in Bordeaux. And Chablis, the famous chardonnay-producing northernmost village of Burgundy, has (technically speaking) just one Grand Cru vineyard. That vineyard, by the way, is divided into seven climats (named plots of land), leading many people to think Chablis has seven Grand Cru vineyards. Alas, not. (If this seems a bit, well, confusing, flip on over to the Burgundy chapter of The Wine Bible, page 197, where all is explained).

Mercaptans

Offensive-smelling compounds that result from poor winemaking when hydrogen sulfide combines with components in the wine. The aromas can include putrid food, skunk, and burnt rubber.

Things to Love

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