Battle of the Wines

First page of Battle of the Wines

The Battle of the Wines (fr. La Bataille des Vins), sometimes called "The Battle of the Blends" was a notable poem written by Henry d'Andeli in 1224 and tells the story of a famous wine tasting organized by the French king Philip Augustus. Over 70 samples from France and across Europe, including Cyprus, Spain and the Mosel region, were tasted and judged by an English priest.^[1] The priest classified the wines he tasted as either Celebrated for those which pleased him or Excommunicated for those that did not meet his standards. In the end a sweet wine from Cyprus (widely believed to be Commandaria^[2]) won the overall tasting^[1] and was awarded the supreme title of "Apostle".

Wines from France

Celebrated wines

Laon Clermont Crouy Soissons Montmorency Hautvillers Épernay Argenteuil Deuil Pierrefitte Marly Trilbardou Sézanne Saint-Yon Samois Orléans Jargeau

Tonnerre Auxerre Chablis Saint-Bris Vermenton Orchaise Vézelay Montrichard Lassay Sancerre Savigny Beaune Nevers Issoudun Châteauroux Buzançais Poitiers

Chauvigny Saint-Pourçain La Rochelle Montmorillon Saint-Jean-d'Angély Taillebourg Saintes Angoulême Saint-Émilion Bordeaux Moissac Montpellier Béziers Carcassonne Narbonne

Excommunicated wines

• Chambilly
• Le Mans
• Rennes
• Étampes
• Argences
• Beauvais
• Châlons-sur-Marne

References

1. Johnson, Hugh (1989). Vintage: The Story of Wine. Simon and Schuster. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-671-68702-1.
2. BBC.co.uk (May 21, 2002). Wine - the Last 1,000 Years

External links