Thursday, January 14, 2016

Virginia - Williamsburg - Busch Gardens - France



What a better way to enjoy a theme park then to do some wine tasting. We were at Busch Gardens for their holiday events and decided to taste wine while walking through France. Since this part of the park was just opening and was crowded, we decided to stop and do the wine tasting. Since we could share the wines, I purchased one glass; it is a green-stemmed glass, designed for the holidays. We would be able to taste four wines from regions in France.

The wine bar host poured the first one, a Jean-Louis sparkling wine (not champagne because it did not come from that region), a brut, cuvee, blanc de blanc, meaning it was a dry wine, from the first press of the grapes (they were crushed without the press or minimal pressing) and it was only white grapes. This vintage is a blend of chenin blanc and viognier; apples and honey were tasted. I enjoyed this one even though I do not like sparkling wines; not too much effervescence. The next was a 2014 rose d’anjou from Caves de l’angevine. This blush wine was enjoyed by my wife. It tasted as if the strawberry was picked just one day too soon, but this did not distract from the flavor. The last white was the Louis Laurent 2011 Vouvray. It is from the Vouvray region and 100% chenin blanc; I tasted some honey.

The red wine, Joseph Droubin 2009 Beaujolais-Villages, is 100% gamay grapes. It was a new grape for us. The bar host gave us a special treat, a second red, the Grand vin de Bordeaux 2012 grand reserve la grange clinet, a blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. I enjoyed this one over the first. I thanked the host for the tasting as well as the education; I learned about the French style of wines from a perspective and how they are named.

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