The French Village Eguisheim - France Travel Guide
France is the cradle of modern viticulture and serves as a model for wine production internationally Even if it is only the size of Texas, France produces between 7 and 8 billion bottles a year and has the second largest area total vineyard in the world France was also made, developing and exporting their wines since the 6th century BC, and the country has been associated with winemaking since before Roman times.
The tradition and history surrounding French wines are not the only things that make them so treasured the fact of the matter is that the French vineyards produce some of the highest quality wines in the world France is also the source of many grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Black, Sauvignon Blanc, etc. that are now planted around the world, and french winemaking practices are copied in many other countries.
So for those of us who are not experts sommeliers or wine, let s Refresh some basic knowledge of French wines and the regions they come from.
French wine is divided into two categories different ways.
The wines are divided by land connecting it to the exact place where the style of wine grapes were grown and the Burgundy wine made, for example, is made in the Burgundy region.
Wines are also classified by the system AOC Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, which has strict rules defining the grape varieties and winemaking practices allowed in France in each of several hundred geographical indications defined A name can be as small as to a vineyard or a specific village or cover a region.
The Alsace region of France bordering Germany and is best known for its white and rosé wines Sweet sparkling wines are also produced in this area because cold temperatures are often best for bubbly.
Bordeaux This large region along the south Atlantic coast of France has a long history of exporting wines and is best known for its rich, complex red Actually, Bordeaux wines are usually a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, however while Bordeaux tends to be synonymous with the reds, the region is also well known for its famous sweet white wine Sauternes, most often associated with fatty liver.
Burgundy This area of France is known for its bold Pinot and Chardonnay Black Burgundy has the highest number of appellations in any other region of the country, and is often divided into smaller subdivisions The great wines of the region are in of the Gold Coast or Cote and because these wines command the highest prices, the name seems too appropriate.
The Beaujolais region of southern Burgundy near the Rhone valley, is lighter red wines, fruity, and is known for the famous Beaujolais Nouveau, a young red wine released every November and consumed by the new year.
A Chablis sometimes lumped with Burgundy region, the area between the Gold Coast and Paris produces crisp white wines.
Champagne This area close to Belgium and Luxembourg was the birthplace of sparkling wine; in recent decades, France has protected its signature bubbles by prohibiting sparkling wine producers to use the long-term champagne for wines not produced in this region of France The region has the perfect cold winter climate to produce Champagne and most famous champagne brands as Dom Perignon and Veuve Clicquot vineyards have here Languedoc-Roussillon This is the largest wine region by region in France, and is where the majority of France wines in cheap bulk products are which are still very well this area is sometimes called the Lake wine and winemakers here are known to be more open to adapt new technologies in winemaking You will often see wines from this region Vin de Pays d'Oc marked.
Loire This region stretches along the Loire Valley in central France and West and produces white wines of the highest quality of France's Haute-Loire is known for its Sauvignon Blanc, but the area is also known for its dry wines, sweet and sparkling and Touraine Chenin Blanc and its sweet red Saumur.
Provence France Southeast near the Mediterranean coast is one of the hottest regions of France, and therefore produces mainly white and rosé wines from the Rhone region Bordering the south, Provence has very similar wines, and also some prestigious wineries.
Rhone The Rhone Valley in France southeast along the Rhone is known mostly for its red wines and compete with Bordeaux as a producer and exporter of French red wines.
This Savoie region in neighboring French Alps of Switzerland is best known for its cheeses, great views of ski and mountain, but the region also produces excellent white wines Due to the cold mountain temperatures, Savoie grows grapes that are unique to the region and produce distinct wines.
Southwest France The South Oeust of France is known for its medieval fortresses such as Carcassonne and Citadels of Vertigo, as well as its rich food such as foie and candied foie gras and red wine similar to Bordeaux and sweet , white wines like Sauternes Many of the wines of this region do not have a rating AOC but are classified VDQS, which basically means they are wines in the waiting room for the prestigious AOC classification are some high quality wines in France without the size of the price tag If you want more information on these classifications, see my post on understanding the classification of French wines want to know what to pair these wines with good French food sure.
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