"White" wines

[Fat Guy]

Watch out, White Zinfandel, there's a new kid on the block.

A neighbor just gave me a bottle of White Merlot.

I haven't tasted it yet, but I thought I'd spread the word as soon as possible.

According to the producer's Web site, Eric Asimov likes it. This gives me pause.

http://www.fortantdefrance.com/wines/wine/salewine/fdf/white.htm

[Jason Perlow]

If it isnt oaked to #### like regular Merlot I might actually try one.

[jhlurie]

I've had non-oaked red Merlots (and they've been much better for it).  I had one yesterday from Australia... I'll endevour to get the name if anyone cares.

[Bux]

It's not just the Asmiov liked it. What he said was that it "is nothing like the typical American white zinfandel." Obviously it is marketed, if not made for the American market, but there is a great tradition in France of making rose, pink and onion skin wines from red grapes. All rosé wines are made from red grapes, to state the obvious. The south of France, not to mention summer in NY, would not be as lovely as it is, or at least as bearable as it is in the case of the latter, if it were not for rosés. That this wine is made for the American market is what would make me suspicious.

What American really wants is "white chardonnay." That is to say, a drink they can ask for at any bar or restaurant that will have a little alcohol and virtually no flavor. Fine vodka cut to about 12% alcohol with spring water and a tablespoon of fresh chardonnay juice, triple filtered to keep it crystal clear, in each bottle could be a big seller if you ask me.

[Fat Guy]

Quote: from Bux on 4:38 pm on Dec. 25, 2001

there is a great tradition in France of making rose, pink and onion skin wines from red grapes.

True, though I've never heard of one made from Merlot. I've heard of Grenache-based rosés from Tavel and Cairanne, Mourvèdre-based rosés from Bandol, Cabernet Franc-based rosés from the Loire, and of course rosé Champagne. White/rosé Merlot, however, strikes me as simply an attempt to capitalize on the name-recognition of the Merlot variety. Is there a legitimate precedent for rosé Merlot? My wine book collection probably doesn't go deep enough to reveal this sort of thing.

All rosé wines are made from red grapes, to state the obvious.

Perhaps it would be more accurate to state that all rosé wines contain some wine made from red grapes. Most cheap rosés are made by blending white and red wines, and isn't this also the procedure with some rosé Champagnes?

[Bux]

I'll join you in being suspicious simply on the grounds that it seems designed for the American market and moreover seems aimed at the White Zinfandel drinkers who know the name "Merlot."

I'm pretty sure that Fortant's grapes all come from the south, Languedoc in particular. It's hard to read the label online, but it appears to say Vin de Pays d'Oc, which means it complies with some, albeit low, level of official standards of yield, approved varietal grape, and comes from within a recognized geographic area.

I don't believe Merlot was a popularly grown grape in the Languedoc two generations ago, but now it's possibly the most common red grape variety. As far as I know, it is not allowed in any wine entitled to an appellation contrôlé in the Languedoc, although in many grower's eyes they represent an improvement of the breed. The Languedoc has always produced a lot of rosé and a lot of that has been very cheap. I have no idea which grapes predominated although the grapes of Provence and the Rhone are most traditional--Carignan, Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah among a few others.

I have heard of one grower in the region who, with government approval, is experimenting with zinfandel. There's a lot of experimentation going on there. In some ways it's like California or New Zealand. I believe the Fortant wines are sold in France. I'll have to look for the White Merlot the next time we're in the Languedoc, but I suspect it will be labeled just as rosé without a varietal reference. Who knows.

Yes, a pink wine can be made by mixing red and white wines, or by mixing red and white grapes while pressing them. I'm not sure of the legal terminology for the former in places where these things are controlled by government agencies as in France.