See what "cru" is in other dictionaries. See what "cru" is in other dictionaries Upper classes and individual vineyards

Grand cru. Grand Cru. How often sommeliers repeat these two words with inspiration. How often do we hear them when it comes to good wines. How often do we advise "grand cru". And what is it?

The term itself is French and means "vineyard". It's that simple. True, this vineyard is not simple, but is of international importance in winemaking. The Grand Cru is a vineyard with an excellent, well-established reputation.

True, not everything is as simple as it seems at first glance. In different regions of this wine country, the term "cru" is interpreted differently.

Champagne

Here "cru" is the commune in which the wine is produced. So, in Champagne there are 41 Premier Cru communes and 17 Grand Crus.

Burgundy

In this region, "cru" is a specific vineyard, without other land. This vineyard has its own unique status.

Bordeaux

In Bordeaux, "Cru" is a specific farm with vineyards in its composition. In addition, each sub-region of Brodeaux has its own classification of such farms, there are five categories of cru. There is, for example, Premier Cru. This includes the notorious Chateau Lafitte, Chateau Mouton Rothschild and so on. But in the Medoc there are farms that belong to a special category that exists only in this region - cru bourgeois.

Of course, Grand or Premier Cru wines are the most outstanding and you will definitely enjoy their taste. And here it is better not to take a word, but to try.

You can always buy the best French wines at WineStreet.

Other articles from the rubric "Alcohol Encyclopedia"

O de vie is a strong alcoholic drink, which translates as “living water”. It can be produced by different countries, using various fruits, berries or even herbs as raw materials.

Cognacs have their own classification. Everyone knows about it. It is difficult for a beginner to get confused in this classification. Especially when you consider the fact that there are several of these classifications. However, the same wines with classifications are still more confusing, so you can figure it out. Today we will talk about "star cognacs".

Cognac aging is one of the main stages in the production of this drink. If we are talking about good cognac, then the aging of cognac spirits for its preparation is at least 30 months. Note that we are talking specifically about alcohols - this is only a preparation for the preparation of the main drink. By the way, exposure can last up to 50 years! Can you imagine this?

CRY* cru . In Charente, there are two main varieties of cognac: cognac: les champagnes (cognac-champagne), les Bois (cognac-bois). Cognac-champagne has several cru (varieties). 1900. Bro. Eliseev 1 204. In the Medoc, red wines, depending on their qualities, are divided into four groups: crus paysans (peasant wine), crus artisans (artisans' wine), crus bourgeois (middle-class wines, townspeople) and grands crus (high wines of gardeners). Br. Eliseevs 1 169. Red Bordeaux wines are divided primarily into the following 4 groups: high-grade wines - grands crus, and simpler categories of wines: crus bourgeois, crus artisans and crus paysans. The first wine, grans crus, is in turn divided into five classes, which is why they are also called vins classés. ESH 1900 1 1039.

Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language. - M.: Dictionary publishing house ETS http://www.ets.ru/pg/r/dict/gall_dict.htm. Nikolay Ivanovich Epishkin [email protected] . 2010 .

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Appellations, or appellations controlled by origin, were legalized only in the last century. However, as a concept, they have existed since about the same time as wine. The systems of appellations and individual vineyards (cru) that have developed in France have become a model for other countries.

AOC to AOP

The fame of well-deserved wines gives rise to a desire to name something produced in a different place and in a different way after them, and to earn extra money on it. All appellation systems are supposed to protect the uniqueness of the wine and fight fakes. "Appellation" is the key concept that formed the basis of all wine classifications in Europe (and now the unified EU classification). The term, which has already taken root in Russian, is from the French name of the classification system itself: Appellation d’Origine Controlée, which translates as “name controlled by origin”.

In a broad sense, an appellation is a certain zone (not necessarily geographically unified), which has been assigned (historically and at the level of law) a certain name that is given to wines originating from this zone (wine from grapes grown and vinified within its boundaries) in that case , if they meet a number of requirements for production technology and a list of objective characteristics of the product itself, which are described in detail in the laws for this zone.

In France, almost all appellations are associated with geographical units (regions, cities, communes-villages). Appellations can "invest" in each other: for example, the broad regional name of Bordeaux (Bordeaux AOC) is the entire vast area of ​​Bordeaux vineyards (which has clearly defined boundaries in the law). Within this zone, other regional units stand out, such as the Medoc (Medoc AOC), and inside the Medoc itself there is also a communal division (Margaux - Margaux AOC, Pauillac - Pauillac AOC, and so on).

Theoretically, the smaller the area “covered” by the appellation, the higher the level of the wine itself. In general, the Appellation d’Origine Controlée system divides all wines into: table wines (Vin de Table) - “not appellated”, that is, not tied to any locality; actual wines-AOC (tied to a specific area); plus an additional category Vin de Pays (VdP, local wines) with less strict rules (primarily for varietal composition) than for AOC wines, covering larger areas.

An important feature of French winemaking is the clear specialization of certain regions in certain grape varieties. And within each region, there is a traditionally established practice of producing either varietal (single-separated, made 100% from one grape variety) or assemblage (mixed from certain grape varieties in traditional proportions) wines.

The French appellation system has long been adapted by many European countries. In Italy, the analogue of AOC is DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata, the name controlled by the place of origin) and DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, the name controlled and guaranteed by the place of origin). DOCG differs from DOC in more stringent requirements for the parameters of wines and their production and aging. There are about 80 DOCGs in total. The VdP category in Italy corresponds to IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica, regional wines). You will find similar abbreviations with a similar meaning (DO and DOCa) in Spain.

All these national systems are to be replaced by a pan-European scale in the near future. The new EU regulation, introduced in August 2009, provides for a three-tier system. The first level is a former canteen (Vin de Table, Tafelwein, etc.). It will lose its epithet and become "just wine". Plus, it is now allowed to indicate the year of production and grape variety on its labels. Next comes regional wine: with a commitment to produce wine in a specified region and use a minimum of 85% local grapes. The highest level is AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégé, they are also DOP for Italy and PDO for everyone). AOP requires the use of 100% grapes from the specified area and the typicality of the wine.

Controlled appellations that still exist, whether regional or smaller, automatically received the corresponding new status from 08/01/2009 (eg Bordeaux AOC became Bordeaux AOP, Delle Venezie IGT became Delle Venezie IGP). Plus, during the transition period, countries could apply for new appellations under a simplified scheme: Italy managed to almost double the number of its DOCGs in three years! However, unlike France, Italian winemakers persistently boycott new abbreviations.

Upper classes and individual vineyards

In addition to the appellation system in France, different regions have their own classification systems for individual vineyards, which are especially valued for the terroir parameter and produce wines with recognizable characteristics.

Cru (Crus)- the most common, and not only in France, the word for a single vineyard. "Kru" means roughly "a piece of land". In France, the word "cru" is only used for officially classified sites.

Left Bank, Medoc and Grave

Classified Grand Crus (Grand Cru Classé) - The 5-level classification of Grand Cru Classé was introduced in 1855 and has since undergone only one change (the upgrade of Mouton Rothschild chateau to first class). The first class (Premier Grand Cru Classé) includes five chateaus: Latour, Lafite Mouton in the commune of Pauillac, Margaux in the commune of the same name and Haut Brion in Graves. In total, this classification includes 61 chateaus.

Cru Bourgeois (Cru Bourgeois)- classification of small Medoc estates not included in the 1855 list.

sauternes

27 chateaus are classified as Grand Cru Classé for sweet white wines. Top class - Premier Cru Superieur at Château d'Yquem. Six more chateaus have the Premier Grand Cru class.

Right Bank, Saint Emilion

The Cru Classés classification was introduced in 1954 and is regularly revised. According to the latest version (2012), there are four Premier Grand Cru Classé A class chateaus in the region: Cheval Blanc, Ausone and the “brand new” Angélus and Pavié. 14 chateaus are classified as Premier Grand Cru Classé B. 66 chateaus hold the title of Grand Cru Classé, although in terms of average level they correspond only to Medoc Cru Bourgeois.

Right Bank, Pomerol

There is no official classification here, but Pétrus and Le Pin are recognized as the best wines (the last, a tiny three-hectare estate, appeared only in the early 1980s.

Burgundy

In Côte d'Or and Chablis, the vineyards around each of the villages (communes) are divided into small allotments, in which, as a rule, several growers have their own plots. The best of these allotments are in the Grand Cru (highest) and Premier Cru classes. The names of these vineyards are indicated on the labels. They are appellations in their own right. The wines of the remaining vineyards go to "communal" wines and are named after the commune. If grapes from different communes are used for wine, then it belongs to the regional Bourgogne AOC appellation.

Alsace

51 of the region's vineyards have Grand Cru status, but these are much larger cru than in Burgundy and Bordeaux and do not have the same prestige as too many winegrowers of varying quality have their plots in these areas.

Champagne

Just as in Alsace, the class (Grand Cru or Premier Cru) is assigned to the vast areas of vineyards around the communes (villages). There are 317 communes in Champagne, 17 of them are Grand Cru. Champagne classification does not really matter to the wine buyer. It was created, rather, for the internal needs of champagne producers, since, for example, the price of grapes is calculated on it. In Champagne, trust in brands rests only on the authority of the manufacturer.

And some more terms from the labels

Lieu Dit

And in these, and in other French regions, there are many dedicated le di (Lieu Dit). These are officially unclassified vineyards, whose names have settled down in time and can be indicated on the labels.

Clos (Clos)

In France, a cru-type vineyard of monastic origin, enclosed on at least three sides by walls or natural obstacles such as forest, rock, or cliff.

Climate

The term is used only in Burgundy and the northern part of the Rhone Valley to define le di.

Pago- the Spanish analogue of "grand cru" (in the Bordeaux version, when the estate is classified). The system has been developed since 2003. So far, 14 pagos have been officially registered in the country.

Chateau- a wine estate with a house, production facilities and a vineyard around.

Finca (Finca)- a separate vineyard in Spain and Chile. The term is informal.

Quinta (Quinta)- an analogue of the concept of chateau in Portugal.

Borgo, castello (Castello), tenuta (Tenuta) - Italian names for estates of various formats.

Vigneto (Vigneto)- a separate vineyard in Italy.

Lage- a separate vineyard in Germany.