White wine and its secrets

Even though white wine is more accessible to drink than red wine for a novice, it is nonetheless a complex wine that provides real tasting pleasure.

Whether for a discerning oenophile or an occasional lover of good wine. Dry or sweet, organic or biodynamic, white wines most often deliver fruity and floral aromas and flavors with a thousand secrets.

In France, we are fortunate to find exceptional winemakers who, thanks to their regional know-how and innovative methods, produce white wines: dry, sweet, liqueur-like, naturally sweet white wines, and even sparkling wines.

So, let's go back to the different types of white wine and their grape varieties in order to fully savor all their secrets when tasting them.

Discover the collection of white wines from the Gérard Bertrand estates.

Reminder of the different types of white wine

There are several types of white wine.

Dry white wine

It is characterized by a very low sugar content. This wine, with a beautiful freshness, finds its balance only at the level of acidity and alcohol.

Sweet white wine

Sweet wines are wines with a lower sugar content than liqueur wines, ranging from 12 to 45 grams per liter. They are made from grapes that are at optimum maturity.

Sweet white wine

The sugar content of sweet white wines is more than 45 g/l and can reach up to 200 grams of sugar per liter. Here, the grape berries are harvested manually in several successive selections. This is what is called, depending on the region, the noble grains or the late harvests.

Sparkling white wine

Sparkling white wine is most commonly associated with Champagne, but there are many other types of sparkling white wines, all of which are worth tasting, such as Clairette de Die and Crémants.

We recommend our Code Rouge vintage , a sparkling AOP Crémant de Limoux wine, Blanc de Blanc (produced exclusively with white grapes), from the Gérard Bertrand estates.

Fortified white wine

Fortified white wines are naturally sweet wines obtained by mutage. This consists of stopping the fermentation of white wine by adding alcohol.

This is the case of our Muscat de Rivesaltes Gérard Bertrand , a naturally sweet white wine with a beautiful balance which will be delicious, served chilled (10°C) as an aperitif.

The main French white wine producing regions and their grape varieties

Some French wine regions producing white wine are recognized throughout the world for the particularity of their terroir and the typicality of their grape variety . In order to answer a question that neophytes very often ask themselves, a white wine is made from white grapes and also, depending on the region, from black grapes. In order not to color the wine, red grape varieties such as Pinot Noir do not undergo maceration. In fact, it is the skins of the black grapes that contain the coloring matter to tint the wine. In a vinification intended for white wine, the bunches are therefore pressed directly.

The Bordeaux region and its art of blending

Between dry, sweet and liqueur white wines, the wines of this wine-producing region are mainly produced from the Sauvignon , Sémillon and Muscadelle grape varieties. It is in the subtlety of the marriage of these three main grape varieties that the white wines of Bordeaux blends are born.

The Côtes de Gascogne and its atypical terroir

In the past, this region was focused on the production of Armagnac. Today, grape varieties such as Colombard and Sauvignon-Blanc produce dry white wines with low alcohol content. On this terroir, the phenolic maturity of Petit Manseng and Gros Manseng is pushed to obtain sweet white wines.

Burgundy and its star grape variety

A star grape variety, Chardonnay comes into its own in the release of its aromatic expression in this region. Indeed, in addition to dominating almost all Burgundy vintages as a single grape variety, it elegantly transcribes each plot of Burgundy terroir when tasted.

The Alsace region and its exceptional terroir

With its geological diversity and microclimates, Alsace produces dry white wines obtained with the Riesling grape varieties for its freshness and Sylvaner for its lightness. Then, sweet white wines are produced from Gewurztraminer for its aromatic power and Pinot Gris for its generous intensity. Finally, the bubbles of white wines with the red grape variety, Pinot Noir which gives an effervescent white wine.

The Loire Valley vineyard and its unique style

The plurality of Loire white wine extends over the vineyards of Pays Nantais, the wine region of Touraine, Anjou as well as the vineyards of Centre Loire. Thus, let's take the example of the white wines of Anjou-Saumur recognized by their particularity of having a schist and sandstone soil, favoring the quality of dry and sweet white wines produced with the Chenin grape variety.

Languedoc-Roussillon and its strong identity of terroir and grape varieties

A wide variety of soils differs from terraces of rolled pebbles, sandstones and marls, limestone and schist zones, clay soils, puddingstones, sandy soils, and even basalts. Chardonnay dominates the production of dry white wines, other grape varieties such as Carignan Blanc , Grenache Blanc , Maccabeu , Bourboulenc , Muscat Blanc , Marsanne , Roussanne , Piquepoul Blanc , Clairette Blanche , Rolle , Tourbat and Viognier gracefully express the strong identity of this terroir. However, in addition to producing dry white wine, Languedoc-Roussillon produces white vins doux naturels, such as Muscat de Lunel and Muscat de Rivesaltes.

The Côtes-du-Rhône and its emblematic grape varieties

The most common white grape variety in the Rhône vineyards is Viognier . It produces rich and creamy wines. In addition, the Côtes-du-Rhône also produces dry wines and sparkling white wines, from the Muscat Petit Grain grape variety. This grape variety offers complex citrus aromas to the wines of this region.

The secrets of white wine and its tasting

It is advisable to start tasting white wine with a dry wine. And to go up crescendo from the driest to the sweetest. Indeed, if you start with a sweet white wine, your palate will be saturated very quickly. However, to fully enjoy a glass of white wine, you must follow an increasing order of power. Some white wines are fruity wines, others are rather lively while white wines aged in oak barrels are more powerful bringing a more marked and intense taste.

As for the color of white wine , it is the grape variety and the sugar content that influence its color. It ranges from yellow-green to red. The younger the wine, the lighter its color, pale with green highlights. When it matures, its color evolves towards more orange tones. Moreover, the orange wines from Gérard Bertrand are obtained from white grapes.

To savor the secrets of white wines, once served in a stemmed glass, you swirl it slightly to capture its aromatic fragrances and observe its color and legs, others call it the tears of wine. Thus, traces revealing the textural viscosity of the wine are drawn on the inner wall of the glass.

From aperitif to dessert

Served chilled , dry white wines and sparkling white wines are perfect from aperitif to dessert. For example, La Clairette du Languedoc Adissan from the Art de Vivre collection by Gérard Bertrand is a good example of a white wine to enjoy as an aperitif.

For lovers of sweet wines , sweet and liqueur white wines can go very well with your aperitifs, provided they are served very cold.

The ideal pairing is with seafood. However, the advantage of white wine is that it goes well with white meats, pies, quiches, and other mixed salads.

That said, the most sublime of associations is that of white wine with cheese. Indeed, tasting a cheese like a matured comté or Beaufort, goat's cheese or sheep's cheese, with a glass of white wine rather than with red wine prevents the milk protein from curdling on contact with the tannins of the red wine leaving a soapy taste in the mouth. Even more, incredibly, the marriage of stronger cheeses, like Munster or Maroilles with the white wine from which it comes is a perfect match.

And for epicureans , the cheese pairing to savour is Roquefort, Bleu or Fourme (Ambert or Montbrison) with a naturally sweet wine such as a white Banyuls.

For dessert, to accompany a cake, fruit tarts, flans, or a fruit salad, choose sweet white wines, or sparkling wines which will replace champagne with panache.