An introduction to white wine in France
Whether you believe that France is the home of wine or not, it’s certainly true that some of the best wines in the world originate there. Maille uses some of the finest French wine as an ingredient to its gourmet mustards, so we’ve have placed the spotlight on the versatile regions this delicious wine comes from.
The French wine region Burgundy is the master and original home of Chardonnay white wine. It’s split into five different regions: from Chablis in the North to Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune, Chalonnais and Mâconnais in the South. Burgundy is best known for its production of Chardonnay for white wine and Pinot Noir for red wine. Burgundy is one of the oldest wine producing regions in Europe and creates some of the finest wine in the world, from the classification of ‘Grand Cru’ - reserved only for the best vineyards (and wine collectors) - to the classification of ‘Regional Wines’ which are made from a combination of vineyards from multiple villages within Burgundy.
Dijon Originale
White Truffle Chardonnay
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Chablis is a region in the northern region of Burgundy. The cool climate creates wines that have slightly more acidity and flavors less fruity than Chardonnay white wines typically found in warmer climates. Because of the limestone soil, Chablis wine produces a flavor that is more subtle with fresh mineral taste - especially when matured in stainless steel, rather than oak - which is why we use it in our mustards to create a perfect balance of flavors.
Chablis is famous for its white wines, in fact, 100% of Chablis wine uses Chardonnay grapes.
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Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape used to create white wine, originally produced in Burgundy and it is now the most widely planted grape in the world. The Chardonnay grape is very versatile and can taste very different depending on where it’s grown - from England to New Zealand - to the different vineyards within Burgundy. This difference in taste given by a sense of place is called ‘Terroir’.
The taste of Chardonnay is very changeable depending on whether it’s been oaked in barrels or not. However, because it is a non-aromatic grape, it has a strong affinity to oak that will help bring out it’s texture.
Whole grain chardonnay
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Sauternes, in the Southwest of Bordeaux, produces some of the finest sweet wines in the world and typically uses the Sémillion, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle grapes. It has a very particular climate characterised by cool mornings that engulf the area in mist from two rivers of varying temperature: Garonne and Ciron. This mist is then banished by the afternoon sun and dries the grapes. The result of these conditions produces a beneficiary growth (known as Noble rot) to create a wine that is sweet with a hint of acidity. Wines produced in this way are called botrytized wines. This flavor makes the wine perfect for pairings of cheese.
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What is terroir?
Terroir is the concept to describe the unique aspects of a place that influences the wine made from a region. It’s the combination of the location, climate, soil, grape type and the work that goes into the creation of the wine. This is especially important in the region of Burgundy where the different vineyards are able to produce very different tasting wines.