In general grape varieties are associated with a defined region such as Syrah in The Rhone and Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux - however there are some varieties associated with multiple regions – Sauvignon Blanc for example which can be found in Loire and Bordeaux. Having said that the underlying natural factors such as soil types, climate, humidity, landscapes – or terroir – has an important impact upon the flavour of the wine – therefore the same grape variety being planted in two different terroirs will produce wine that will be significantly different.
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The most popular grape varieties, in order of percentage of land cover are:
• Merlot • Grenache • Ugni Blanc • Syrah • Carignan • Cabernet Sauvignon • Chardonnay
Mediterranean Supermarket Importer France n5 Group - Mediterranean Supermarket French wine importers, providers of Chardonnay, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Grenache, Pinot noir varieties amongst others. Specialists in French red wine, French white wine, sparkling wines, Champagnes and Rose. Mediterranean Supermarket importers and supplying the hostelry profession. Register online with Mediterranean Supermarket at MediterraneanSupermarket.com to browse our products, prices, and delivery times. Mediterranean Supermarket is a registered company in Ireland, for sale, France, Spain, USA, for sale, and UK. We guarantee competitive prices for French wine for sale in Ireland, for sale, UK, and USA, for sale.
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Grape Types : Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Gamay, Grenache, Merlot.
Grape Type - Cabernet Franc: La Salamandra wine importers Ireland, for sale, UK and USA, for sale, importers of Cabernet Franc wines. View our selection of French Cabernet Franc wines – at very competitive prices, supplied direct from the grower. Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. In France, Cabernet Franc is found predominately in the Loire Valley and in the Libournais region of Bordeaux. As of 2000, it was the sixth most widely planted red grape variety in the country. Other areas with significant plantings include the Bergerac and Madiran Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOCs). It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone - as in the Loire's Chinon. Cabernet Franc is lighter than Cabernet Sauvignon, making a bright pale red wine and contributing finesse and a peppery perfume to blends with more robust grapes. Depending on growing region and style of wine, additional aromas can include tobacco, raspberry, and cassis, sometimes even violets. Records of Cabernet Franc in Bordeaux go back to the end of the 18th century; it was planted in Loire long before that. DNA analysis indicates Cabernet Franc is one of two parents of Cabernet Sauvignon, a cross between it and Sauvignon Blanc.
Grape Type - Cabernet Sauvignon: La Salamandra wine importers Ireland, for sale, UK and USA, for sale, importers of Cabernet Sauvignon wines. View our selection of French Cabernet Sauvignon wines – at very competitive prices, supplied direct from the grower. Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates. Cabernet Sauvignon became internationally recognized through its prominence in Bordeaux wines where it is often blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. From France, the grape spread across Europe and to the New World where it found new homes in places like California's Napa Valley, Australia's Coonawarra region and Chile's Maipo Valley. For most of the 20th century, it was the world's most widely planted premium red wine grape until it was surpassed by Merlot in the 1990s. Despite its prominence in the industry, the grape is a relatively new variety, the product of a chance crossing between Cabernet franc and Sauvignon Blanc during the 17th century in south western France. The popularity of Cabernet Sauvignon is often attributed to its ease of cultivation - the grapes have thick skins and the vines are hardy and resistant to rot and frost - and to its consistent presentation of structure and flavours which express the typical character of the variety. Familiarity and ease of pronunciation have helped to sell Cabernet Sauvignon wines to consumers, even when from unfamiliar wine regions.
Grape Type - Cinsault: La Salamandra wine importers Ireland, for sale, UK and USA, for sale , importers of Cinsault wines. View our selection of French Cinsault wines – at very competitive prices, supplied direct from the grower. Cinsault or Cinsaut is a red wine grape, whose heat tolerance and productivity make it important in Languedoc-Roussillon and the former French colonies of Algeria and Morocco. It is often blended with grapes such as Grenache and Carignane to add softness and bouquet. It has many synonyms, of which perhaps the most confusing is its sale as a table grape called 'Oeillade', although it is different from the "true" Oeillade which is no longer cultivated. In South Africa, it was known as "Hermitage", hence the name of its most famous cross Pinotage.
Grape Type – Gamay: La Salamandra wine importers Ireland, for sale, UK and USA, for sale, importers of Gamay wines. View our selection of French Gamay wines – at very competitive prices, supplied direct from the grower. Gamay is a purple-coloured grape variety used to make red wines, most notably grown in Beaujolais and in the Loire Valley around Tours. Its full name is Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc. It is a very old cultivar, mentioned as long ago as the 15th century. It has been often cultivated because it makes for abundant production; however, it can produce wines of distinction when planted on acidic soils, which help to soften the grape's naturally high acidity.
Grape Type – Grenache: La Salamandra wine importers Ireland, for sale, UK and USA, for sale, importers of Grenache wines. View our selection of French Grenache wines – at very competitive prices, supplied direct from the grower. Grenache or Garnacha, Spanish, Garnatxa, Catalan is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain and the south of France. It is generally spicy, berry-flavoured and soft on the palate with a relatively high alcohol content, but it needs careful control of yields for best results.. Grenache is the dominant variety in most Southern Rhône wines, especially in Châteauneuf-du-Pape where it is typically over 80% of the blend. Grenache is most widely associated with the wines of the Rhone and southern France. Its history in the Rhone can be traced to the influence of Burgundian wine merchants in the 17-18th centuries who were seeking a blending variety to add body and alcohol content to their light body wines. Today Grenache is most widely planted in the Languedoc-Roussillon region where it is widely blended with Carignan, Cinsaut, Syrah and Mourvèdre.
Grape Type – Merlot:
La Salamandra wine importers Ireland, for sale, UK and USA, for sale, importers of Merlot wines. View our selection of French Merlot wines – at very competitive prices, supplied direct from the grower. Merlot is a dark blue-coloured wine grape, is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird (Turdus merula), probably from the colour of the grape. Merlot-based wines usually have medium body with hints of berry, plum, and currant. Its softness and "fleshiness", combined with its earlier ripening, makes Merlot a popular grape for blending with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, which tends to be higher in tannin. The precise flavours which Merlot imparts to a wine are not easily grouped. It is a grape used for producing wines of a particular texture, rather than a particular taste, relying on organoleptic properties other than just flavour and aroma. Smooth, rounded and ‘easy-drinking’ are common descriptions of Merlot wines.