The New France: A Complete Guide to Contemporary French Wine (Hardcover)

by Andrew Jefford (Author) "There is a growing realisation not just in France but around the wine world that while the final decades of the twentieth century may have..." (more)
Key Phrases: Premier Cru, Grand Cru, Pinot Noir (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This comprehensive wine atlas leaves no centimeter of terroir unexplored. After a thorough introduction to France, French winemaking and the concept of terroir, Jefford (Wine Tastes Wine Styles) gets to the heart of the matter with lengthy chapters on each of France's 14 regions. Each of these consists of an overview of the region and its history, profiles of the area's major winemakers, a description of the land and listings and descriptions of the local wineries. Some of the latter are lengthy, while others are brief, but all include an address and phone number, making this book useful as a guidebook as well. Jefford is refreshingly opinionated: the Loire Valley is in the throes of a "long and refined stone age," while Zind-Humbrecht in Alsace is the domain "most emblematic of the New France as a whole." The effort here is encyclopedic, but the writing rises above the usual dry discussion, comparing the quest to understand Burgundy to doing crossword puzzles. Even the most matter-of-fact information is presented with a certain flair: in a description of the Rhone Valley, Jefford explains that the area's mistral wind is both destructive and useful, in that it blows away "fugs and fungal diseases." Numerous maps and photographs-including portraits of the winemakers profiled-and a full list of vintages round out this entertaining addition to its field.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"A significant achievement" The Independent "A work beyond the capacity of any other wine writer in its passion, its panache, its evident sympathy with the regions, their landscape and so many of the winemakers" Harpers "There have been hundreds of books written about French wine, but none has approached the subject as originally, or as passionately" The Observer "A seriously well-researched new book for those who love France" The Scotsman"  --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Mitchell Beazley (November 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 184000410X
• ISBN-13: 978-1840004106
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #652,868 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything in its Place, September 21, 2003

By	Bevetroppo (Meyersville, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

What's the best way to read a book about wines, producers, regions, styles, etc? Cover-to-cover? Episodically? Grab it when you want to do some research on a specific topic? In my own case, it's typically when I crawl into bed because that's about the only time I have to read about my favorite subject.

Whatever your preference, you'll want to read this book when you're in a position to pay attention because it's one of the most entertaining and instructive wine books I've seen in a long time. Jefford is a passionate advocate for non-interventionist winemaking. If anyone else has already invented this term I apologize in advance for the unwitting plagiarism, but he's also a "terroir-ist". God help the hapless winery that allows anything to interfere with the expression of the land in the wine, or commits the cardinal sin of branding. To Jefford, quoting Randall Graham of Bonny Doon, drinking a great wine should be like "shaking hands with a mountain," because you're drinking the very land where the vines grow, not the attenuated expression of a winemaker's ego.

The New France is Jeffford's paean to French winemakers who share his perspective on quality. While I don't really regard it as a book for beginners, its greatest utility comes from snapshot reviews of hundreds of producers across the major wine growing regions of France. Jefford gives them anywhere from zero to three stars to indicate their merit based on his terroir-at-all-costs preferences. So if your tastes agree with his, you'll find his capsule summaries of tremendous value.

A quick example might help make this a little clearer. Recently, one of my favorite stores, the Wine Library in Springfield, NJ, ran an ad for William Fevrre Chablis Fourcharme 1er Cru 1999 for what seemed like a very low price. I love white Burgundy, but I don't often buy it because the good stuff is so expensive. Thinking this sounded like a great deal, but wary of getting bushwhacked as can often happen in Burgundy, I grabbed my edition of The New France and turned to the section on Chablis (treated here like a separate and equal wine growing region, which I heartily applaud). I was gratified to learn that this producer earned Jefford's highest 3 star designation, particularly since 1998 when it changed ownership. Even more impressive, he cited this specific premier cru vineyard because it abuts the grand cru Preuses and is particularly rich as a result. Well, folks, all I can tell you is he nailed this sonufagun. I bought two cases.

What qualifies Fevre as the best domaine in Chablis according to Jefford? Meticulous attention to the picking and sorting of the fruit, low yields, minimal manipulation and very little new oak all allow the wines to speak for themselves.

The book is organized around each of the major French winegrowing regions. Each chapter features: an introduction to the terroir of each region and the impact it has on the wines; brief profiles of Jefford's favorite winemakers; a section called The Adventure of the Land in which he delves deeply into the characteristics of the various appellations within the region; a beautiful and extremely detailed color map of the AOC's; a section labeled "Flak", which deals objectively with contemporary issues and problems facing the region; and finally the profiles and ratings of the wineries themselves. His somewhat fawning portraits make it clear Jefford's idolizes the winemakers who do it right.

Of course, as is the case with any wine writer or critic, the proof is in the drinking: yours that is. Jefford loves garage wines and appears to believe that on balance the changes wrought in Bordeaux by Robert Parker over the last 20 years and the rise of the garagists in the late `90's are helping the entire region to raise its standards. I'm more of a traditionalist myself, but we're all going to have to wait another 10-20 years for the Bordeaux of the late "90's or 2000 vintages to age for us to understand who will ultimately win this debate.

Overall, I believe this is an extremely valuable book to have in your wine library. It's full of new insights, it's beautifully written and illustrated, and it will both inform and challenge your ideas of what constitutes wine quality in France and anywhere else for that matter. Andrew Jefford writes a column in Decanter, the outstanding British wine magazine, and now that I've spent time with The New France, his column is always the second thing I read each month (after Michael Broadbent's column, of course!).

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very approachbale, very balanced account, February 29, 2004

By	Mickey Shipwreck (Island J, Brigstocke Township, N. Ontario) - See all my reviews

This is a fine book, an excellent introduction to contemporary French wine. Jefford's initial discussions of "appelation" and "terroir" are profound while at the same time approachable for beginners. His use of commentary by experienced vintners helps round out the presentation. And the inclusion of "flak" sections for the major appelations gives a balance to the book's account. These sections deal with some of the various misgivings and criticisms that vintners, growers and consumers have with the regulations and the general wine-making practice. So despite the privilege Jefford accords "terroir," he presents (and sometimes even supports) arguments against its hegemony.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PUTS ASIDE ANY STUFFY NOTION OF FRENCH WINE, May 7, 2007

By	Clifford J. Alligood (Manassas, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: New France: A Complete Guide to Contemporary French Wine (Mitchell Beazley Wine Guides) (Hardcover)

A great read and reference as to what is going on in French Wine today. Covers all the regions and introduces the reader to the regional personalities and the best producers. You gotta add this one to your wine library.