In week M (2015) I explained that, guided by my friend Gary, I have come to consider Macon Villages to be a reasonably reliable choice of region when shopping for a simple, enjoyable white wine that is something different from a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.
I thought it would be a good idea if this week I selected a specific Macon Villages, that is one with a village name on the bottle rather than just the more generic 'villages' which covers grapes from any of the qualifying villages, to see if there were subtle but interesting distinctions I could draw.
Week U (2015) Macon Villages Uchizy 2013. M&S £11
I appear to have painted myself into something of a corner, as the wine is very good, well made, and has a very similar profile to the more generically labelled product.
This one costs £2 more, which is still an acceptable price, but does it have enough to encourage me to pay the fare back to Uchizy?
One of the many pleasures I get from exploring the wines of the world is to stumble across interesting stories and facts associated with any of: the grapes, the locations, the winemakers, history, the weather, economics, politics, the opportunity to make weak jokes, etc. so I wondered if there was anything about the commune of Uchizy that would encourage me to buy the wine again in case a dinner guest became so dull that reciting 'interesting facts' associated with the wine might relieve the boredom. (I do appreciate that it would, most likely, only relieve the boredom for me, but under the circumstances that would be good enough.)
So here's what I found. Depending on where you find your facts, Uchizy is a small commune in the arrondissement of Macon with a population (in 2009) of 768 souls, not double counting students. This goes up and down a bit, but peaked in 2006 at 816. In 1999 there were 377 housing units, but this rose to 404 in 2007, but 36 were vacant. That's in addition to the 40 'second or occasional' homes. Makes you wonder why they were built.
One source informs me that Chardonnay, eponymous home of the grape, is 1.98km away, as the crow flies. Another source tells me it is 2.2km. The only explanation I can think of is that the wind had changed direction between the crow's first and second journeys, but I don't know whether the first was wind assisted or the second wind frustrated. Best plan on it being 2km, if you are tempted.
I also looked into 'places to visit in Uchizy', but it turns out most of them are 'somewhere else'. This probably a little harsh, as I did encounter some photographs that made the neighbourhood look very appealing. One if these was taken by A.M. Tourette, but it didn't say whether or not he's the famous one.
Right. Anyone want to come for dinner?
I thought it would be a good idea if this week I selected a specific Macon Villages, that is one with a village name on the bottle rather than just the more generic 'villages' which covers grapes from any of the qualifying villages, to see if there were subtle but interesting distinctions I could draw.
I appear to have painted myself into something of a corner, as the wine is very good, well made, and has a very similar profile to the more generically labelled product.
This one costs £2 more, which is still an acceptable price, but does it have enough to encourage me to pay the fare back to Uchizy?
One of the many pleasures I get from exploring the wines of the world is to stumble across interesting stories and facts associated with any of: the grapes, the locations, the winemakers, history, the weather, economics, politics, the opportunity to make weak jokes, etc. so I wondered if there was anything about the commune of Uchizy that would encourage me to buy the wine again in case a dinner guest became so dull that reciting 'interesting facts' associated with the wine might relieve the boredom. (I do appreciate that it would, most likely, only relieve the boredom for me, but under the circumstances that would be good enough.)
So here's what I found. Depending on where you find your facts, Uchizy is a small commune in the arrondissement of Macon with a population (in 2009) of 768 souls, not double counting students. This goes up and down a bit, but peaked in 2006 at 816. In 1999 there were 377 housing units, but this rose to 404 in 2007, but 36 were vacant. That's in addition to the 40 'second or occasional' homes. Makes you wonder why they were built.
One source informs me that Chardonnay, eponymous home of the grape, is 1.98km away, as the crow flies. Another source tells me it is 2.2km. The only explanation I can think of is that the wind had changed direction between the crow's first and second journeys, but I don't know whether the first was wind assisted or the second wind frustrated. Best plan on it being 2km, if you are tempted.
I also looked into 'places to visit in Uchizy', but it turns out most of them are 'somewhere else'. This probably a little harsh, as I did encounter some photographs that made the neighbourhood look very appealing. One if these was taken by A.M. Tourette, but it didn't say whether or not he's the famous one.
Right. Anyone want to come for dinner?
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