Vinous

Winelike. Europeans sometimes criticize California wines as being too fruity and so not vinous enough.

In Bordeaux, a second wine is:

A. a wine that is classified between the First Growths and the Third Growths

B. a wine that is re-released several years after the initial release

C. a special, usually extremely expensive, wine produced by a château

D. a wine produced by a château that is less expensive than the château’s grand vin

To make the best possible wine (known as the grand vin), a top château will blend together only its very finest lots of wine from the most mature and well-sited vineyard plots. What happens to all the other wine? In many cases, the château makes a second wine, which will be less expensive and will have its own brand name and its own distinct label. (A second wine has nothing to do with a Second Growth). Some of the best known second wines include Carruades de Lafite-Rothschild (from Château Lafite-Rothschild), Château Haut-Bages-Averous (from Château Lynch-Bages), Le Petit Cheval (from Château Cheval Blanc), and Les Forts de Latour (from Château Latour).

Merroir

A play on words, merroir combines the idea of terroir with mer–the French word for sea. Oysters, for example, grow in many different merroirs. As such, the flavor of any given type of oyster is… Continue reading

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