White Wines

What is white wine?

Regardless of their profile, all our white wines are natural and organic wines, with no added sulfites.
White wine is most often made from white grapes, but some black grape varieties can also be used. This is then called "blanc de noirs."

The main French grape varieties for white wine are Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Chenin, Viognier, Melon de Bourgogne, Sémillon, Muscat, Riesling, etc. There are more well-known protected designation of origin (AOC/AOP) for white wines (Loire, Jurançon, Entre-Deux-Mers, Fiefs-Vendéens, Muscadet…), but many appellations are also famous, sometimes more famous, for their white wines than for their red wines: this is the case, for example, for Alsace and Burgundy.

A dry white wine can be made from direct pressing (grapes pressed immediately after harvest) or vinified with maceration of destemmed or whole-cluster grapes. In this case, it is called a macerated white wine or orange wine.

Sweet or dessert wines are wines with a sweet profile because they retain a high level of residual sugar after fermentation. These wines should not be confused with VDN (vins doux naturels) or fortified wines, which can be white, and which are obtained from grape must whose fermentation has been interrupted by the addition of alcohol.

A dry white wine, depending on the ripeness of the grapes, the terroir, the grape varieties, and the winemaking process, has a taste profile ranging from very dry (acidic) to fruity and sweet. One can feel the mark of the soil (acidity, salinity, minerality) or that of the fruit (sweetness, fruity or floral aromatic palette), sometimes both. Aging and cellaring time can also influence the sweetness, acidity, or aromatic intensity of a white wine.

White wines are made almost everywhere in temperate climates. In Europe, some white wines from Italy and Spain are renowned. In France, Burgundy, the Loire Valley, Savoy, Alsace, Languedoc, and Gascony can be cited as major origins of white wine.

Regarding pairings, white wines are most often associated with fish, seafood, and cheeses, as well as cheese-based dishes such as Swiss or Savoyard fondue. They are also reserved for white meats and light appetizers, as well as some desserts.

What are the different types of white wines?

The large family of white wines includes dry white wines (the most common category), which include oxidative white wines and macerated white wines (orange wines). There are also sweet white wines, dessert white wines, sparkling white wines (or pétillant), and fortified white wines (white vins doux naturels).

Why choose an organic white wine with no added sulfites?

For health, first of all. Many people claim not to tolerate white wines because they give them headaches. This symptom is most often due to the addition of sulfites, not to mention other chemical additives in conventional winemaking.
Indeed, conventional winemaking tends to add more sulfites to white wines than to red wines because they are more fragile and more difficult to preserve, but in the presence of natural white wines without added sulfites, this problem disappears.
An organic white wine with no added sulfites is therefore healthier and more digestible. It also tastes better, allowing its aromas and fruit more room to express themselves.
A good natural white wine offers a freer and livelier sensation on the palate. These wines are fresher, fuller, and more pleasant to taste.

What is the distinction between a sweet white wine and a dry white wine?

The dry-sweet-dessert scale is a matter of residual sugar, the amount of natural grape sugars that the wine retains after fermentation.
A dry white wine will contain less than 10 g of residual sugar, a sweet white wine between 10 and 45 g, and a dessert wine will contain more than 45 g per liter.

Which exceptional dishes pair best with white wine?

If we generally consider that white wines are to be paired with fish and seafood, white meats, poultry, and cheeses, the pairings depend heavily on the types of wines.
For exceptional dishes, an exceptional white wine.
For example, oysters and smoked salmon will be paired with dry white wines from Burgundy or the Loire estuary (Muscadet), fine fish (turbot, sole, sea bass) with crisp and aromatic white wines from Burgundy, the Loire Valley, Savoy, and the South.
Loire white wines will go with goat cheeses, and Savoy or Jura white wines with rich cheeses such as Reblochon, Comté, or Mont d'Or.
With age, the range of pairings for great dry or dessert white wines expands and includes stews, poultry, and feathered game. Sometimes, an old Burgundy or an old sweet Jurançon develops truffle aromas: the pairing is then obvious.

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Domaine Saint-Cyr