French wine map from this website. Click for more info.

I often poke fun at the French for their superior attitude when it comes to anything having to do with wine and other gastronomic treats. In fact, some of our Gallic friends seem to think the term connoisseur (which is a French word after all) should only be used to describe their fellow countrymen.

While these traits could be described as arrogance, I prefer to give the French the benefit of the doubt ( even though my sometimes guest on the WineBoy webcast — Pierre N’Cest Pas — seems to embody the snobby, overbearing French wine bore that we all love to hate. Check out the latest WineBoy (episode 26) and you’ll see what I mean.

But to be fair, we should acknowledge the tremendous contributions the French have made to wine. Their innovations in the vineyard and cellar for the past several hundred years have been the foundation and catalyst for the dynamic growth of the wine industry in the rest of the world. And their many world famous wines continue to command the greatest respect of wine lovers everywhere. (more…)

Remember when you thought Burgundy was a red wine that came in big green jugs? Watch WineBoy 26 and you’ll get the skinny on Burgundy (a place in France where Pinot Noir and Chardonnay rule) and the other distinct wine appellations in that country that some Americans love to hate — except when they order wine.

Brown will also tell you about the principal wines in each of those regions after which WineBoy nemesis, Pierre N’Cest Pas, will offer his scathing critique of his performance. Tune in and be both educated and entertained.

I’ve had the pleasure of sipping a lot of really good wines lately, some of which I’ve recommended on the WineBoy Webcast. So, as your ever- accommodating wineaux, here are some vinous goodies for your consideration:

2006 Falesco Vitiano ($14)
From the Italian state of Umbria, this blend of sangiovese, merlot and cabernet sauvignon, is a medium-bodied red with loads of bright cherry flavors and nice balancing acidity. Year in and year out Vitiano is one of my favorite value-priced Italian wines. It should pair well with roasted meat dishes or pasta dressed in a light tomato sauce.

2006 Rombauer Napa Valley Chardonnay ($30)
In recent years, I must admit to avoiding what I perceive to be “over-done and over-oaked” California chardonnay. It’s not that I don’t occasionally appreciate over-ripe, high alcohol chardonnay that has been aged in heavily toasted oak barrels. Well…. yes it is. And so when I put a glass of Rombauer Chardonnay to my lips recently I was expecting to dislike it. After all, it was from Napa and had been aged in oak for an extended period of time.

Surprise! It is a well-balanced chardonnay with — yes — a toasty oak component. Yet the wine is also full of ripe tropical fruit flavors that are balanced by excellent acidity. As a matter of fact, we drank this wine with pasta tossed in a sauce of scallops, arugula and pine nuts, and the combination was heavenly. This wine, produced from the cooler growing region of Carneros in southern Napa, has restored my faith in fuller-flavored chardonnay. Say hallelujah!

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Change is good. That’s all the more reason to check out the latest five-minute Webcast of “WineBoy,” where host John Brown recommends tasty alternatives to the same old red wines you’ve been sipping for, like, ever. Says Brown: “These purple lovelies will reinvigorate your palate and clue you in to the fact that there’s more to wine than pinot noir, cabernet and merlot.”

The estate of Château Cheval Blanc in St Emilion. Home of one of the greatest wines ever? From antique-wine.com.

Bordeaux is perhaps the most storied region in all of winedom. Perched in southwestern France and close to the Atlantic Ocean, this famous appellation produces wine that is the benchmark upon which all great red wine, particularly cabernet sauvignon, is measured.

In 1855, the wines of Bordeaux were classified according to quality by a ranking that still exists today. The best of these wines are called “Grand Crus” and are categorized into five classifications or “growths.” The greatest are called “First Growths” and they include Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Ch. Latour, Ch. Mouton Rothschild (which was added in 1973), Ch. Margaux and Ch. Haut Brion.

Two other wines, Chateau Cheval Blanc and Chateau Petrus, were not rated in the 1855 classification, but are also considered First Growths. The thousands of Bordeaux wines not rated among the first five growths are called Crus Bourgeois, Crus Artisans, St. Emilion and Graves.

Bordeaux is a region that inspires great debate among wine lovers. Most recently, that discussion has focused on the stratospheric price of recent vintages, particularly those wines made in 2005. That vintage is considered great by wine critics around the world and, if you can afford them, the cream of the 2005 crop can range from several hundred to thousands of dollars a bottle.
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