Author Archives

William S. Shepard, Wine Editor


French Wines With Game: How to Plan the Perfect Meal

How to Pair French Wines With Game French wines with game dinners are a memorable treat. The flavors of venison, wild duck, or boar, pose a special challenge for appropriate French wines to serve. These rich flavors seem to need a rich wine, and the use of sauces expands the taste possibilities. Lighter wines suit game birds […]

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French Wine: Your Guide to Hosting Horizontal and Vertical Tastings

No, the title does not refer to the condition of those who have been enjoying a wine tasting in France, before and after. It tells us instead of the two most popular types of wine tastings. There are others as well, as we shall see. The most popular wine tasting is the horizontal tasting. All […]

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French Wine: Chateau Tuesday Featuring Great Everyday Wines

When I lived in Bordeaux, I enjoyed drinking French wine and talking with château winemakers. Their views on assembling their grapes into a single grand vin, for example, were stimulating. So were their hints on tasting wine. But I liked going beyond that, and asking personalized questions. For example, I would ask if they had […]

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French Wine: Old World Varietals Found in the New World

When we think of French wine varietals, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, grape varieties from Burgundy, and Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, from Bordeaux, have flourished in other parts of the world, notably in California and Oregon. But I was intrigued to discover grape varieties that are less well known, some of which have been saved from ...

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Loire Valley Tours: The Top Three Chateaux to Visit

Loire Valley Tours offer a world of enchantment, which I first explored on a bicycle tour many summers ago. Returning a few years later, when I was teaching at a boys’ lycée at Châteauroux in the nearby Indre département, I interpreted for tours held for the U.S. Air Force to several dozen world famous châteaux. […]

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How to Read a Wine Label

How to Read a Wine Label Every look at a French wine label and wonder what it takes to read a wine label?  Let’s see what it takes to understand the basic terms on how to read a wine label.  It’s easier than you think! There are 7 basic components on how to read a […]

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Bordeaux First Growths-Great Wines of France

We have all heard that prices for Bordeaux first growths have gone through the roof. These five fine wines now average, as futures, $800-$1100 per bottle. If you add the comparable great wines of St. Emilion and Pomerol, Cheval Blanc, Ausone and Petrus, the outer limit may be $1250 or so. What are these wines, […]

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French Winery Tours | How To Make the Most of Your Visits

How To Make the Most of Your French Winery Tours There is always a wonderful sense of occasion behind French winery tours. Why not let this be the year that you visit a wine château or two? You deserve it, and you will deepen your appreciation for fine wines. You will long remember entering those […]

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Savoring the Wines of Alsace

One of my favorite wine tour memoriesis a bicycle trip through Alsace some forty years ago. It was a hot summer day, and we cycled through picturesque villages, some with storks nesting on the roofs of half-timbered houses. We came to the town of Riquewihr, and were welcomed at what local vintners called the “Riquewihr […]

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Scenic Beaujolais, the Summer Wine Region

The scenic Beaujolais region, just south of Burgundy between Mâcon and Lyon, is four hours from Paris by car, and just half an hour from Lyon. It is full of vineyards, shops where the wines may be tasted, and bistros where the wines accompany French tavern food. It also boasts village bistros and B and […]

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Loire Valley White Wine: Perfect Summer Pairings

Loire Valley White Wine: Perfect Summer Pairings Loire Valley white wine is highly regarded. Let us sample three of them, from three different grape varietals. The Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine is a light, flavorful wine with good body, the sort of wine you can enjoy at luncheon that won’t put you to sleep for […]

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Starting a Burgundy Wine Cellar

Perhaps you’ve gotten one of those shiny new wine refrigerators, and would like to begin storing some excellent Burgundy wines for future enjoyment. Or, you’ve noticed a string of good vintages, and wondered how long they will be obtainable. Best of all, you may be pondering a trip to Burgundy, or have returned from that […]

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Burgundy France -15 miles of Wine Heaven

Burgundy France Of the Burgundy wine tours I have taken I can think of no more pleasant excursion than a slow drive through the Côte de Nuits, just fifteen miles of the Burgundy region, from Fixin just outside Dijon, to Nuits St. Georges. It is pleasant, rolling countryside, with vineyards which climb hillsides. This is […]

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Tasting French Wines

Let’s say that you enjoy a glass of French wine from time to time, and would like to know more about them. You have heard that well aged French wines are superb, but you do not yet know which wines they are, how much they cost, where they come from, and when to drink them. […]

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A Taste of France, Part Deux: French White Wines and Champagne

To help introduce French white wines and champagnes, the French Embassy on October 4 hosted a Taste of France showcase of wine, spirits and fine foods, with informative cultural and travel highlights also featured. The presenters were very knowledgeable, patiently answering queries from experts and novices alike. They represented a ...

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