Served fresh and accompanying many dishes, from the aperitif to the dessert, the White wine always meet a great success. From grape variety to bottling, including food and wine agreements, discover everything on this yellow and sweet nectar.
The secrets of the development of white wine
Consumed for centuries, white wine has been perfected over time, thanks to increasingly elaborate winemaking techniques. But the origins of this drink remain the same. It is from the FErmentation of white grapes, or red grape with white juice that we make white wine. Its aromas and its structure essentially depend on grape varieties, the varieties of vines grown by the winemaker. From White grape varieties The best known, we find:
- the White muscat : Present mainly in Alsace, this grape variety offers fruity aromas of citrus and musk;
- the Riesling : Its strong perfume differs according to the terroir and the type of floors (limestone, granite, claye ...), which allows it to offer different varieties of white wines. Very present in Alsace, it brings aromas of lemon, linden, or even cinnamon. Riesling is also used to make sparkling wines, such as the famous Crémant d'Alsace;
- the Gewurztraminer : rich in pineapple aromas, pink, lychee, or even nutmeg, this grape is very present in Germany, Austria and Canada;
- the Chardonnay : conducive to the manufacture of dry white wine, this grapes offers various notes of fishing, citrus, pear and lychee. Typical of Burgundy and the Loire valley, Chardonnay also makes it possible to make effervescent wines;
- The Muscadelle : Sensitive grape variety of Bordeaux, the Muscadel provides sweet and sweet white wines of very high quality;
- the Pinot Gris : mainly from the Grand Est, this grape allows you to obtain the great wines of Alsace, well structured and round in the mouth;
- the Chenin Blanc : producing dry or soft white wines depending on the vineyard or the appellation, this grape varies from the Loire valley, but also from South Africa;
- the Sauvignon Blanc : Very present in the Loire valley and New Zealand, this grape variety develops aromas of white fruits and blackcurrants.
Although the south of France is mainly renowned for its rosés, we also find Exceptional white wines, products from typical Provencal grape varieties, such as white UGNI, Rolle, Clairette, Sémillon ...
The manufacture of white wine
Like red wine or rosé wine, Best white wine Responds to very precise vinification steps, which all the best winegrowers master perfection.
- The harvesting : this first step is to harvest the grapes, by hand, or mechanically;
- L'scratching and stroke : scratching, or scratching, consists in separating the bays from the roundups. Then follows the stagger, where the grains are broken down to separate the skin from the pulp;
- the pressing : the extraction of the juice by pressure must be meticulous, so as not to release the vegetable materials which will then give an acid taste to the wine;
- the debt : decantation, or centrifugation, makes it possible to remove the bourbs, or solid particles, juice;
- the sulfing : the addition of sulfur dioxide stabilizes the juice and protects it from rapid oxidation;
- The alcoholic fermentation : the yeasts naturally contained in the grapes will make it possible to transform sugar into alcohol during this process of ten days;
- L'breeding : The wine can then be put into barrels with or without the lees, so that its aromas and its structure evolve.
All these steps end with a bottling process, where each container will be tightly closed using a capsule or a plug.
The different kinds of white wine
According to the grape variety, the terroir, the vinification technique, and the personal touch of the winemaker, there are several White wines types.
- the Soft white wine, Where sweet wine : product from ripe grapes harvested in late harvest, soft wine has a sugar level between 10 and 45 grams per liter;
- the Sweet white wine : with a sugar content greater than 45 grams per liter, sweet wines are generally the subject of an addition of water and noble rot, to promote the ripening of grapes;
- the dry white wine : dry wine is not very sweet (0 to 10 grams per liter), and offers rather soft fruit aromas on the palate. We distinguish dry white fruity, powerful dry whites (raised in oak barrels), and half-sewn whites. Everyone has a particular aromatic structure, while remaining in the category of dry wines.
Pet and white wine agreements
It is very easy to grant a white wine to a dish. The variety is such that you never really have difficulty finding the right balance of flavors, and the perfect structure. Traditionally, the mild wines and certain sweet wines Wonderly accompany regional cheeses and foie gras. This is the case, for example, yellow wine, Jura wine, or straw wine.
the White Bordeau will rather be the ally of seafood and southwest dishes, while the Half or dry wine will reveal the flavors of a grilled fish or white meat.
White wine is also a major asset in the preparation of many recipes, such as veal blanquette or traditional sailor molds.
To be sure to get a Met/Wine Agreement Perfect, it is always wise to choose products from the same region. Do not hesitate, for example, to serve a good Savoy wine With cheese -based dishes, such as fondue, tartiflette or raclette.
the White wine will seduce you in all circumstances, thanks to the multitude of different types of white wines. Dry, soft or sweet, it adapts to all desires, for our greatest pleasure.
