Wine has an international appeal. It is drunk in nearly every country in the world and invariably it is from a glass. The question is however, why do we use glass? Why not from a plastic cup, mug or wooden goblet? Unfortunately, the answer is not black and white. Actually, wine is enjoyed from a number of different containers, other than glass, in many different places. For example, wooden cups are used in Thailand and in Japan they often drink their wine from a ceramic vase-like cup. However, the overriding choice of tableware drinking vessel, wherever you go, is glass. It’s really more a result of other methods not being appropriate than glass being that special in any way. Lets examine what else is on offer.

Wood. Wine is indeed drunk from wooden vessels as highlighted previously, although it doesn’t come without some big downsides. First off, the wood often gets stained in you choose to drink red wine from it. Even the less porous harder woods fall victim to this fate before long. Further to this, wood has a habit of rotting when its remains wet for any great length of time. So you would have to spend time making sure it was bone dry after using each time.

Metal. If you’ve ever used a metal vessel to consume wine from, you’ll understand how the flavour is not quite right. something called ‘displacement’ takes place with lots of wines as a result of the high ion count in most metals. This basically means that some of the metals ions move into the wine and so affect the taste. This is why you often pick up metallic notes when drink from this type of cup. Also, because of its very heat-conductive qualities, almost any other material would keep the wine cooler when you’re holding it

Ceramic.  Like glass, ceramic is non porous, does not release any of its qualities into the wine, and can be easily cleaned with a glass cloth. This is why lots of people do use ceramic, although there will never be as many people as use glass because, very simply, you cannot see what is in the vessel. Admiring a wine’s colours and depth is a major part of any wine drinking experience. The desire is a very instinctive one and something that has been around since the development of glass.

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French Wine Tours

France is the world’s largest producer of quality Wines (and maybe of the thirstiest drinkers, too) and has been so for a long time. It is no surprise therefore that France’s wine growing areas have a historicity and picturesqueness that Australian or California cannot match.

The ideal place then, for a holiday.

Here are the maps you need for planning your trip:-

1M915 WINES OF FRANCE (1 : 1 000 000)

83103 Wine of ALSACE (1 : 125 000)

83104 WINES OF BOURGOGNE (1 : 55 000)

83105 WINES OF the CÔTES DU RHÔNE (1 : 125 000)

83106 WINES OF PROVENCE (1 : 250 000)

83107 WINES OF TOURAINE (1 : 150 000 )

83108 WINES OF CHAMPAGNE (1 : 100 000)

83109 Wines of the JURA (1 : 100 000)

83110 Wines of BEAUJOLAIS (1 : 80 000)

83102 WINES OF BORDEAUX (1 : 210 000)

They are available from the Institut Geographique National (IGN), France’s mapping authority from www.ign.fr where there is a list of distributors. The maps are around 5 euros each. The figures in brackets give the scale (1:50000 is about 1 mile to the inch). The code on the left is the reference number.

There’s no wine map for the Loire apparently (only the Touraine – the area round Tours) but there are two regional maps to suit. Nor is there a wine map of the Languedoc-Roussillon area, which has come up in the world wine-wise, but which is not very picturesque, not very historic, and sun blasted in the summer. Various maps to cover this area.

Having seen all the areas mentioned above, I would also give the Champagne a miss – it’s a dour sort of area (but maybe because I saw it in the winter).

To pick out a particular Appellation Controlee (=wine area) you could go immediately to = www.ruelmain.co.uk/French%20Maps/index.htm> maps of the main Wines of France and use the Google Maps and aerial views from there to see what you make of it. You will find it quite difficult to identify large tracts of vineyard in most cases, since the vines are scattered in and amongst other rural activities.

A number of tour operators will do all-inclusive trips or wine tours and they are worth a look. Alternatively you could single out a well placed French Holiday Cottage or Gite from which you could carry out your forays into the Wines of France.

Visit www.ruelmain.co.uk for more….

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Chardonnay grape is the most popular type of white wine, found all over the world.Depending on where it was made and what processing technique was employed for it, the taste, flavour and aroma of it will Depend.  Chardonnay has a variety of different styles and flavors, and remains a major type of grape.As a result of it’s popularity, this fine wine spread all along Europe and other locations of the world such as California and Australia.

As more and more wine makers discovered Chardonnay, the fine wine began to grow quite well in South Africa and other areas as well.  With it being a non aroma type wine, oak seems to work very well with it.  The richest and most complex are American and French Chardonnay, which are also among the most preferred white wines.  Even though it does suffer from fatigue, the flavor and richness of this wine will keep it loved by many for years to come.

Chardonnay originated from the Burgundy and Champagne area of France.  Although white Burgundy is a popular wine that is prepared with Aligote, a lesser known grape, the fact remains that white Burgundy can’t be made without the use of Chardonnay grape.  What this goes to show, is that Chardonnay grapes have more than a few uses.

In appearance, Chardonnay grapesare green in color with thin skins.  The grape is a result of the Pinot and Croatian Blanc grape, which are extinct to this day.  Chardonnay on the other hand is still popular, fermented and aged using oak barrels that help to bring out the vanilla flavor the wine is well known for.  It can also be aged and fermented using bottles, although it won’t age quite as much as red wine.

Almost all Chardonnay wines are considered to be chilled, making them work extremely well with dishes that contain butter and cheeses.Also the wines have less acid content too, which makes them work well along with the seafood.  There are a lot of food that you can pair Chardonnay with, which is what makes it so popular.  A lot of fine restaurants serve it as well, especially Italian and seafood restaurants.

The Chardonnay grape can also be used in making Champagne and other types of sparkling wines.  Although Chardonnay wine is the most popular use, there are several other uses for the grape that lead to some truly fine wines.  Oak is often times used with the wine as well, which provides it with some great flavors as it ages.  Although it can be a bit on the expensive side, it still remains one of the most preferred types of wine.  You can find it at any wine or alcohol store - making it a great addition to your wine or drink collection.

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