Burgundy-Style Chards from California

Here’s a nice #summerwine. It’s a Chardonnay made by Francis Coppola’s winery in California, but as it clearly says in the label, it’s, “Burgundian-Style.” What do you suppose that means?

Burgundy, France, is actually the birthplace of the Chardonnay grape. There is even a village named Chardonnay. Monks started making wines here over a thousand years ago, and theirs is considered the classic version.

California is much warmer than Burgundy, so Californian Chardonnay tends to be riper, with more alcohol, more tropical fruit flavors, and more oak – which means flavors of vanilla and butterscotch. California Chard can be a huge wine that almost tastes like Crème Brulée or Lemon Meringue pie.

Burgundy is a lot cooler in climate, and that means Chardonnay there is more lean, crisp and has higher acids. You’ll get flavors of tart lemons, green apples and even flint in this wine. It will be lower in alcohol and feature less oak. It’s more of a food wine (perfect with lobster) and less, “dessert in a glass.”

What we have here is a California Chard, but Francis Coppola wanted to pay homage to the French by making a wine that reflects their more subtle approach. I think he did a nice job of achieving that; you should give it a go. See if you can detect the difference in winemaking style for yourself!

Wine From Moldova?

When the warmer weather hits, most wine drinkers tend to move to lighter, white wines. It’s the season for Mimosas, Sangria and cold Pinot Grigio Spritzers.

Image courtesy of blackseawine.kolodkin.com/

But there’s no hard and fast rule that you can’t drink reds in the summer. In fact, I’d suggest light reds, like French Beaujolais, Grenache or a Pinot Noir. The Pinot Noir pictured in this image is from #Moldova, and is available in the PA State stores now.

You don’t usually see wines from Eastern Europe: But rest assured, this area of the world has been making wine for a long time. Moldova benefits from a blend of Russian, Greek and Western European culture and wine is rich in their history. It’s just that you didn’t see or hear much from this country thanks to decades behind the Iron Curtain.

Pinot Noir is typically light and refreshing, with flavors of raspberries, cherries and a little damp earth. It’s perfect chilled slightly and served with soft, stinky cheeses.