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French Wine Regions, French Wine Vineyards


Visitors Guide to the French Wine Regions



France has been producing wine since Roman times. In fact, wine in France dates back to the 6th century BC!

french-wine

Wine is an extremely important part of french culture and has been for centuries.

There are seven major french wine regions, producing some of the world's greatest wines: Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Beaujolais and Côtes du Rhône, Champagne, Loire valley and Languedoc Roussillon.

There are other, lesser known french wine vineyards as well, which all add up to a whopping 2 million acres of vineyards in France, producing around 8 billion bottles every year.

Taking a sip of fine french wine, grown from vineyards that are thousands of years old, is an amazing experience.

And exploring the wine regions of France is both fascinating and fun: each of the french wine regions are different and unique in their own way - not just in the grapes or techniques used, but in the scenery, food, and customs.

And you don't need to be an 'expert' on wine to appreciate it - just a basic understanding will go a long way.


french-wine-vineyards

French Wine Vineyards

If you'd like to learn more about the wine regions of france and french wine in general, we've put together some useful info on the following pages:


french-wine-vineyards

Alsace

  1. a beginners wine guide, types of french wine and a description of the different french wine regions;

  2. some of the terminology you might come across while in France;

  3. an explanation of how the wine classification works; and

  4. tips on wine tasting in france and when to go.




We'll also include some tips on heading off the main tourist trail and exploring some of the lesser known, smaller french wine vineyards - which can be a really unique and memorable experience.



The French Wine Regions

french-wine-regions-burgundy


The most well known french wine regions are Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, the Loire, Rhone Valley, and Languedoc Roussillon.

We've put together a list of our favourites here, which will give you a good overview of the wine of france (and don't forget to check out our french wine regions map, too!)


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wine-of-france Alsace Wineries

The Alsace wine region is known for producing clean, fresh white wines. Pretty countryside, friendly locals, and lots of german influences.






Bergerac

The wine region of Bergerac is one of our favourites - not as famous as the other regions. Bergerac is in a beautiful part of the country so lots of opportunities for sightseeing as well as wine tasting.






Bordeaux Wineries

Bordeaux is one of the most important wine producing regions in the world. You'll find a huge variety (and quantity) of wines (not just reds), for all budgets and tastes. St-Emilion is a must-see in the area.






Burgundy

Elegant red and white wines, often very expensive, however if you can venture off the beaten path a little, you'll find some bargains.






Cassis

Cassis produces excellent white wines (not cassis!) - dry and delicate.







Champagne

If you love your glass of bubbly, this is the ultimate french wine region. Experience the glitz of the big name houses or try Aube for a more down to earth experience.






Rhone Valley

A very diverse region, from the exclusive wines in the north, to the easy drinking reds of the Cotes du Rhone. Venture further south and sample the lesser known wines of Provence.





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French Wine Regions: Beginners Wine Guide, Types of French Wine

Here are some terms you may come across if you decide to explore the world of french wine.

  • An appellation is the identifying name of a wine - often a geographical place where the grapes for a wine are grown. This isn't a french term (it was first used in Hungary).

  • Terroir is originally a french term, and is used for wine, but also coffee and tea. Terroir refers to a combination of factors (such as climate, type of soil, location) that make the particular vineyard unique. It's tied closely with Appellation d'origine contrôlée (see below).

  • Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) means literally "controlled term of origin" and is a kind of certification granted by the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO) (a french government organisation responsible for regulating wine processing); it's applied not only to wines, but to other products such as cheese and butter. It's like a government certification which guarantees high quality.

  • Négociants are wine merchants who buy grapes/wines (in different stages of 'wine completion') off smaller growers, making their own blends and selling the wine under their own label.

  • As a very general rule, wines in France are named after the location of the vineyard - with the exception of Alsace wines, which are named after the type of grape.

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The Wine Classifications

french-wine-regions-cellar


The classification of wines in France is based on a strict (and confusing) set of criteria, and the labelling of wines and terminology will vary from region to region.

The classifications should be used as a guide only - you'll find some great french wine that are labelled as a 'lower' classification and some of the higher classification wines may not always be worth the cost).

  • Grand Cru or Premier Cru are the top wines; (cru means 'growth').

  • Cru Classé is for the top quality wines, but only used in a few areas including Bordeaux.

  • VDQS ( Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure) - the second highest classification - superior quality wine and also controlled by the INAO.

  • Vin de Pays - is a higher quality table wine.

  • Vin de Table - the basic french table wine. This is what you might be served in a carafe (pitcher) at family restaurants. Although it can be the cheapest, you can also drink some very good wine in this category.



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When to Go?

September/October is harvest time, and many vineyards are closed to visitors so it is best to avoid these months.

The best time to go would be spring or early summer - April, May or early June; July/August is fine but the more popular french wine regions can get very busy.


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Are wine tastings free?

wine-tasting-in-france


It really depends on where you go. Many of the larger wine houses will charge for a tour and/or tasting. (Degustation=tasting in french). You may also need to book, so if there is a particular vineyard you would like to visit, contact them in advance to check.

Some places may not charge however there might be an assumption that you are serious about buying a bottle or two.










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