Wine Education: St. Chinian

Wine Tasting at all FOUR locations

Taste Chateau Saint-Baulery, Saint-Chinian at all four of our locations this Saturday, 

August  31 from 11am-4pm.

(each store will also have other wines out to taste)

A little more education: We are going to try to feature either a grape or a wine region each week at our stores. We will give you some background information on the grape or region and feature a wine that highlights what we are featuring. We will taste that wine on Saturday at all four of our locations. We will post it here in our blog and send it out in our emails - click here to sign up for our emails

On our blog, click on the  label "Education" and you can read all of the education articles (see the right column under the heading "labels".

Wine Region: Saint-Chinian AOC
St. Chinian is considered to be the oldest winemaking area in the old Languedoc region of France (now known as the Languedoc-Roussillon and the Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France) as the vineyards have been cultivated since ancient times. The vineyards were developed during the Roman presence in France, notably at the time of the development of the Via Domitia, the first Roman road to link Gaul and Hispania. The wines produced at the time were exported in ceramic vases known as amphoras, across the Mediterranean Sea, and were very much appreciated in Rome. They are mentioned by Cicero and Pliny the Younger in their stories.

Mourvèdre and Grenache represent approximately 70% of the grapes grown on the land. The Carignan grape is used in the making of red wines, while the Cinsault grape is better for the making of fruity rosé wines. Certain wine-growers offer 100% Carignan vines, but as Vin de Table.   They cannot be sold as Saint-Chinian because they are not blends which is required by law in the St. Chinian AOC designation.

Come taste a staff favorite this SaturdayChateau Saint-Baulery, Saint-Chinian (40% Carignan, 30% Syrah, 30% Grenache)