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market, across the quality spectrum from budget to boutique labels, are modeled after a French classic, or paradigm. Although at first it may seem overly simplistic, it is absolutely true. Take, for example, Chardonnay, the world’s preeminent white wine. Every bottle made, from Adelaide, Australia, to Yountville, California, and every region in between, is modeled after French white Burgundy. And how about the elite red Cabernet Sauvignon—varietal versions the world over and all the proprietary, Meritage, and Tuscan specialties? All look to red French Bordeaux as their paradigm. There are more of these French archetypal wines, all of which I will share with you in this chapter, but you get the picture. For the buyer, the picture’s a rosy one, because it shows the power of the Big Six, which you already know so well. (The map, opposite, lays it out, highlighting the Big Six grapes in bold, in their home base regions: (1) Riesling—Alsace, (2) Sauvignon Blanc—Loire Valley and Bordeaux, (3) Chardonnay—Burgundy, (4) Pinot Noir—Burgundy, (5) Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot—Bordeaux, and (6) Syrah—Rhône.)

Our tastings will explore the flavors and styles of each of the French classics, but the wonderful truth is that you already explored most of them when tasting the Big Six. This means that we can make quick work of internalizing the two most important things the buyer needs to know about the French paradigm wines: (1) their Big Six varietal connection to the rest of the quality wine world as shown on the map, and (2) their pronunciations (it’s hard to buy it if you can’t say it).

With these two simple but powerful tools, mastering the wine shop environment, and nine out of ten wine lists, is a completely realistic proposition. Since virtually all of the world’s big wines, and most of the rest, are fashioned after a French classic, they are more alike than different. Knowing these style links between the Big Six grapes and the French classic wines, you will be prepared to handle any buying situation, even the dreaded all-French wine list, where the only name you used to know was the wallet-busting Champagne. And you will be able, should you so desire, to use your Flavor Map and Old World/New World knowledge to predict the subtler differences—in body, fruit flavors, and style intensity—between the French classics and the wines from other regions that emulate them.

The Other Cool French Wines

As we explore the classic French wines, we’ll also take time to look at two other categories of wines found in France.

Cheap but good In addition to the standard-bearers, France has a wine family that you should definitely get to know—the “little wines.” I call them that because the French do—petits vins. They are the nifty, noncerebral wines the French drink every day—little in price and prominence but big in flavor and value. You have to remember that in France, wine is first and foremost a peasant drink. We English speakers are the architects of wine elitism. (What were we thinking?) So nearly every major and minor French wine region has these affordable-to-drink-everyday gems. I will give you some of the best readily available styles, and point out some of my favorites for you to try.

One-of-a-kind wines There are some specialty wine styles that are so original and special you must give them a try, too. I will describe them and give some specific recommendations.

FRENCH THE AMERICAN WAY

To help you pronounce the French wine words in this chapter, I will be giving a lot of phonetic spellings. Apologies in advance to native speakers and French language students—my phonetics are “Americanized” to make it a little easier for the average person. I adore the French language, but some of the sounds are tough for the uninitiated. And I do believe that people can say Paris and Champagne as PAIR-iss and Sham-PAIN (rather than Pah-REE and Shahm-PAHN-yuh), and still be understood well enough. So you will forgive me, I hope, if I tell you that Chassagne (a town in the Burgundy region) kind of rhymes with lasagne. In my experience, the alternative