Menu and Wine

The Wine's 'Appellation

Wine is made with one or several grapes (vine variety), bred on a soil (ground of a geographical area), under a special climate (from a region), and using a wine making process (owned by a producer) .

To preserve the consistency of the quality whatever would be the year of crop (vintage or millesime), each main producing country set up more or less flexible or strict rules concerning the mix of the grapes used, the nature of the soil, or the extension of the vineyard geographical area, the quantity produced, the making process, the alcohol percentage,...

That is so for :

France: Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC), or Vin délimité de qualité supérieure (AOVDQS), Vin de pays (VdP),
Italy: Denominzione di Origine Controllata (DOC), e Garantizata ( DOCG)
Spain: Denominacion de Origen (DO) Calificada (DOC),

France having been the first country in this matter, the usage became so that the word "Appellation" has been adopted to appoint the wines satisfying those rules. Other countries limited these rules to the region of origin and the cepages used. It is so for:

South Africa : Wine of Origin (WO)
USA : American Viticultural Areas (AWA)
Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina. For those countries we will use the expression "Wine of cepage" (WC) to identify their "Appellation"

Obviously, for the same appellation there are different colors of wine: red, rose, white, and different types :still, sweet, mellow, liquored, dry, sparkling,…. made by different producers. That explains the hudge quantity of "Labels" for the same appellation. So, to the general character of the Appellation, it is a must to add, on top of the specificities of the vintage, those related to the Producer.

Matching Harmoniously Menu and Wines

To set up your Menu it is proposed a list of 108 Meals, from Starters, going through the Main Course, till Cheeses and Desserts. These Meals have been choose, not from exact recipes, but taking in account their generic components and the cooking process, aiming to preserve their own character, like in the pure tradition of the family cooking.

Each "Appellation" of wine has, as well as the meal, its own general character, whatever are the vintage and the Producer. Obviously these two last items bring the touch which makes the difference between excellence, good, medium or anyone. But all "grands Chefs" and wine Waiters unanimously recognize that there are happy marriages between the character of a meal and those of several Appellations. The Menu and Wine's database includes more than 7000 of such combinations.

That's true it is not always perfect, but who could deal always with excellence? Adding the fact that the must of the wines is not so often quite cheap. Not so easy to do a royal happy-end every day.

Menu and Wine has registered more than 1300 Appellations across 9 countries representing the most important ones and the floret of the worldwide wine production. For each of them you will access a minimum amount of information (general character, cepages used, temperature of service) and obviously with what Meals they will match harmoniuously, without any big mistake.

So, you will be able to set up your Menu taking care of the Wines you want to drink. As well you will do the reverse, to choose your Wines taking in account the Menu you set up.

So, enjoy your Meal, and your drink !!!!!