So buckle up and get ready to hear his thoughts on what’s wrong with Riesling from Austria and Australia, screwcaps and their problems, the Loire, California cab then and now, indigenous yeasts, roto-fermenters, small oak barrels, wines over 14% alcohol and why he uses scores! Wine scores. German Riesling. just don’t get it.

The Puzelats grow Pinot Noir, Gamay, Côt (called Malbec in Argentina), Bréton (called Cabernet Franc in the film Sideways ), Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris (called Pinot Grigio in Italy), and the rarely seen Pineau D'Aunis and Menu Pineau (called Arbois in the Jura). They buzz with energy, some say "wildness." It works.

couple of tidbits before we get into our real business, just to make sure that we're all on the same page: Gamay is the grape used to make red wine in Beaujolais. Yes, there is some white wine (Chardonnay) made in Beaujolais, but almost 99% of production is red wine, and it's all about Gamay. Don't worry, you haven't missed anything.

decided that for this tasting I would score wines from 1-5 with 5 being my favorites, 1 indicating a wine that I just did not like. NV Renerdat-Fache Bugey Cerdon Demi-sec Petillant , $16 - this is a low alcohol (~7.5%) effervescent rose colored wine from Bugey in eastern France. 2005 Clos Roche Blanche Touraine Cabernet Franc , $13.

They use Malbec, Gamay, and even Cabernet Sauvignon in Muscadet, Anjou, and Saumur. But the dominant red grape in the Loire Valley, the grape that is used to craft the finest of its red wines is Cabernet Franc, known there as Breton. This scored a 1st place vote, two 2nd places, and a 3rd place vote for a total of 12 points.