A Toast to French Wines

Around the globe there are certain regions like Napa Valley and Asti that are famous for the wines they produce. But none of these wines command the respect earned by wines created in France.

Try as they may, international winemakers just can\'t seem to duplicate the quality of French wines. Perhaps there is extra care poured into every bottle of French wine, a timeless and thoughtful consideration that adds unique quality to the French wines on the market today.

During the initial process, French winemakers will crush the grapes as soon as they are delivered to the cellar. The winemakers can extract the most flavor from every grape, and the result is a French wine rich in flavor and certain to please the palate.

Once the grapes have been crushed, the resulting \"must\" is transported to specialized tanks for the fermentation process to take place. This is an essential step in which alcohol is created. Without fermentation, the result would be no more than French grape juice.

The grapes used in the making of French wine have their own yeasts, sugars and naturally occurring chemicals. During the fermentation process, a change takes place in the chemical balance of the grapes. It\'s that chemical change that makes French wines so unique.

Optimal fermentation is reached when the must is kept at a steady temperature of 25 to 30 degrees Celsius. Smooth processing during this stage also requires proper ventilation. With these conditions in place, the winemakers can lay the foundation to create the French wines that have earned their places among the finest in the world.

The maceration process is the next step in the making of classic French wine. The wine takes on a rich color and body during this step. The color of wine is developed from the peel and natural tannin of the grape. The amount of \"body\" is determined by the amount of time the wine spends in maceration. Longer maceration will result in a more full-bodied wine, and many of the better French wines will take several weeks of maceration to reach their full potential.

The final processing stage is known as raking. All solids are removed, and more than one type of wine can be created from the mixture during this final phase. The pulped that has been \"raked\" from the wine can be squeezed to create pressed wine, or used in its natural form as free run French wine.

Wine lovers will agree that there are wines of exquisite quality that are created the world over. However, whether it\'s the grapes of France or the methods used to process them, no one can quite match the unique quality of a fine French wine.

Article Source: http://www.thedrinkingplace.com/articles2

Freelancer Gideon Laston is an essayist for a variety of popular web magazines, on discount shopping and natural product themes. Click here to get your own unique version of this article.

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