French Wine Regions, French Wine Vineyards

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

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.

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:

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

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!)

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

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 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.

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

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.

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.

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

The Wine Classifications

When to Go?

Are wine tastings free?

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.