ALSATIAN WINES
See Riesling, Traminer, and Sylvaner.
ANGELICA
Produced exclusively in California, and really not much more than fortified grape juice. Sweet, golden, and made almost everywhere in the Golden State from whatever grapes happen to come along. Skip it.
ANJOU
A celebrated and historic French province on the Loire, west of Tours and Saumur. As a wine name, exclusively French. The best Anjou wines are white, fruity, fairly sweet, made from the Chenin Blanc grape, comparable to Sauternes but with less alcohol and body. Anjou Rose, made generally from the Cabernet, is light, delicate, short-lived. There are a few good red wines but you are not likely to see them.
BARBERA
A grape grown in the province of Piedmont (northern Italy) and also spottily in the cooler districts of California. Perhaps the best of all “spaghetti wines,” full-bodied, full-flavored, in its prime when young. The California often better than the Italian, some of the latter unintentionally slightly sparkling.
BEAU JOLAIS
The southern edge of the province of Burgundy, in central France. As a wine name, French only. Produces from the Gamay grape one of the pleasantest table wines of the world, sometimes fit to drink when three months old, usually short-lived, rarely great, almost always good. Nearest American equivalent: a Gamay from one of the northern California counties.
BORDEAUX
See under the headings Claret, Graves, Sauternes, etc.
BURGUNDY
This is definitely one of the “international set”—produced in five continents, usually (except in France) out of whatever grapes are handy. Some of it, but never the best, is sparkling. In France, it is a wine made from one of some four or five superior grape varieties—Pinot Noir, Gamay, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, etc.—in one specific province. In America it is red by definition, and you can make it, if you insist, even out of Concords. If you want the best American “Burgundy,” look for Pinot Noir or Gamay on the label, whether or not the word Burgundy appears.
CABERNET
A superb red wine grape, responsible for almost all the great clarets of Bordeaux, on the labels of which, however, its name never appears, being taken for granted. In Santa Clara, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, in California, it is equally outstanding, and its name, plus an indication of such origin, is almost a guarantee of quality above the average. This is the thing to buy if you want superior American claret, and this is what you will get if you buy superior claret from France.
CATAWBA
A native American vine and an oldtime favorite. Once famous as the base of most Ohio (and later of much New York State) sparkling wine, it has been superseded by better varieties which have less of the pronounced “foxy” Eastern grape flavor. A white wine grape, of course. You will hardly see its name on bottles these days.
CHABLIS
Chablis is a charming little village not far from Auxerre, in northern Burgundy, and French Chablis wine, legally, is a wine made from Chardonnay grapes grown on a specified sort of soil in Chablis itself and a few adjoining townships. Imitation may be the sincerest flattery, but as far as Chablis is concerned there are about ten countries and four continents from which such flattery is exceedingly unwelcome. Among these, America is well in the van, since Chablis can legally be made anywhere in California out of table grape culls. The best French Chablis usually carries a vineyard name (Vaudesir, Valmur, Les Clos, Preuses, for example) and is estatebottled by a small producer. If you want a California equivalent, try to get Pinot Blanc, Pinot Chardonnay, or Folle Blanche from the northern counties, even if the word Chablis is missing.
CHAMBERTIN
One of the greatest of all red Burgundies. Trust it only after you have tasted it, unless it is estate-bottled by a top producer and carries a year like 1937, 1942, 1943, or 1945. No imitators outside of France as yet, thank God.
CHAMPAGNE
The best, of course, will continue to come from France, but so does a good deal which is less good, and there are probably more brands than vines. You will not see the names Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on French labels, but all French champagnes are made from these top varieties, and stories to the effect that wines from other districts are shipped into the Champagne country are sheer nonsense. As far as American champagnes are concerned, you may care to remember that anything made by the “bulk process” could not legally be called champagne in France. California, New York State, and Ohio all produce something well above average. Many people prefer the special flavor of Eastern champagne, but the best California, if made from the top quality grapes, is more like the French.
CHARDONNAY
One of the finest and rarest of white grapes, sole source in France of Montrachet, Chablis, Pouilly, and a number of wines of almost comparable rank. Used in champagne. This name on a bottle of California wine is, with a few unfortunate exceptions, a guarantee of top quality. Also called Pinot Chardonnay.
CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE
Perhaps the most popular but not in- variably, by any means, the best of the red wines of the Rhone. A little white Chateauneuf is made, and pretty good, but you are not likely to see it. The vineyards are just north of Avignon on the left bank of the river. Full-bodied, often a little fiery, not so long-lived as you might expect. Exclusively French.
CHIANTI
A wonderfully agreeable but rarely distinguished table wine which has acquired most of its world-wide fame thanks to the attractive straw-covered bottle in which it is sold. In Italy, it comes from a country of rolling hills between Florence and Siena and is made, when red—the white is never so good—from the Sangiovese, Canaiolo, and Trebbiano grapes. It is usually and properly consumed when young. Counterparts and imitations have been produced in most countries where Italians have settled, by no means the worst of such in California, although the same grape varieties are rarely, if ever, used. The best Italian Chianti comes in wine bottles, not fiascbi, but is hard to find. The American is fine for a spaghetti dinner.
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