SUD de FRANCE SYNCHRONIZED WORLDWIDE TASTING...DID YOU PARTICIPATE? by Philip S. Kampe

Marianne Fabre-Lanvin and her dedicated team are the guiding light and true force behind the success and awareness of the Languedoc-Roussillon regions presence in the New York City metro area.

The Sud de France established a tasting room/office at 10 East 53rd Steet in New York City. The office is centrally located and visually impressive, as it on the street level. Bottles of wine are placed from the floor to the ceiling, creating appeal to all of those who pass by with a curious eye for decor and wine. Since opening, the tasting room has hosted numerous seminars, tastings and worldwide events.

During the past two years, through Marianne Fabre-Lanvin's genius, the 30 Appellations with more than 60 Vins de Pays of the Languedoc-Roussillon region are now common knowledge to all those who participate in the numerous events the office sponsors. The region is incredibly diverse, thus producing hundreds of interesting and unique wines.

On June 21st, I had the opportunity to participate, live, with winemakers and Sud de France luminaries in a SYNCHRONIZED WORLDWIDE TASTING. Journalists from 24 countries participated in this event, including those from Shanghai, Bejing, London and Paris.

The New York group of journalists, via live camera feed, were joined with the Paris office of Sud de France in a live tasting of five incredible wines. As journalists, we were free to ask the winemakers questions about their wines, as well as comment regarding the flavor profile and terroir of the region.

This was a first for me. I could actually ask the winemaker from Gerard Bertrand when the grapes were harvested and were the vines on top of clay or limestone. It felt like an out of body experience. For a day, we were pioneers in the world of broadcast journalism for wine writers.

We were not alone in tasting the wines. Fifty journalists, worldwide, experienced the wines with us and Blogged or Tweeted their results on the Internet or on Facebook. The procedure was simple, Post your results and wine impressions on :
www.suddefrance-export.net/sync-tasting/blog/commentaires/ .

The five wines we sampled were picked form 430 wines from the Sud de France. The choices were all incredible and diverse. The catogories of wines were: Sparkling, White, Rose, Red and Sweet. Unfortunately, most of the wines we tasted were not exported to America, but, after the tasting, I would imagine they will all find a home in our country.

The Sparkling Wine (Cremant) was a SIEUR d' ARQUES, AOC/AOP, CREMANT de LIMOUX, GRAND CUVEE 1531. Made with 70% Chardonnay, this Cremant was full of apple, pear and lime notes.

The White Wine was an Organic/Biodynamic CIGALUS, VDP/IGP, PAYS d'OC, CUVEE 2008 from GERARD BERTRAND...Made with 80% Chardonnay, with a nose of straw, this 13.5%, full-bodied, long finish wine was a perfect represenative of what Chardonnay should taste like.

The Rose Wine was a FRUITE CATALAN, AOC/AOP, COTES du ROUSSILLON. This lively rose was made of 60% Syrah, with notes of strawberry and red fruit. It was a true Summer Wine.

The Red Wine was a DROMADAIRE 30670, VDP/IGP PAYS d'OC, CUVEE 2006. This overly tannic red had the nose of a barnyard and a hot, leathery taste. Made without oak, this 60% Syrah was a true winner.

The Sweet Wine was a MAS de MADAME,AOC/AOP, MUSCAT de FRONTIGNAN, CUVEE 2006. This Fabulous sweet wine is 15.3% alcohol and was full of floral overtones. It was a very clean, not overly sweet example of what could be done by a Master Winemaker with Muscat.

The Event was a True Success and a learning experience for all that participated.
To learn more about the SUD de FRANCE, visit http://www.sud-de-france.com/ or stop in the New York office at 10 East 53rd Street.

The SUD de France Team will be happy to assist you!!

PHILIP S. KAMPE