Travelling France

On the Atlantic coast you find the Bordeaux Castle Kingdom. Bordeaux left and right bank is the largest area in the world, for high quality wines.

East of Paris you find Champagne, the most prestigious wine district in the world.

On the German border you find Alsace, with its tasty white wines.

South of Paris you first meet Chablis with its dry white wines.

Then you go to Bourgogne with its great red and white wines.

Beaujolais separates Bougogne from the Rhône valley, with its fruity and full-bodied red wines.

The Loire district begins at the Atlatic sea where the Muscadet area produces dry and acidic white wines. Up the river you meet Rose d´Anjou (the quintessential off-dry rosé), and then at le Centre you meet the Sauvignon Blanc wines Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé.

On the Mediterranean coast you find beautiful Provence with its fresh and pink rosé wines.

Close to Spain you find Languedoc and Roussillon, the largest wine producing region in France.

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French Wine Regions

Each French wine region has its own unique terroir, unique grapes and unique winemaking traditions, contributing to the rich French wine culture.

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Bordeaux

Bordeaux is famous for producing some of the world's most prestigious red wines, blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

The region is divided into the Left Bank with Cabernet Sauvignon dominated wines, and the Right Bank with Merlot dominated wines.

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Champagne

Champagne is famous for its sparkling wine of the same name. Champagne is made primarily from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier grapes using the traditional méthode champenoise, which involves a secondary fermentation in the bottle to create bubbles.

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Bourgogne

Bourgogne is known for its terroir-driven Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines.

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Rhône Valley

The Rhône Valley is known for its diverse range of wines, including both red and white wines.

In the northern Rhône, Syrah and Viognier are dominant grapes. In the south, Grenache is the primary grape variety, used in blends with Syrah and Mourvèdre.

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Alsace

Alsace is bordering Germany. The region is known for its aromatic white wines, including Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris.

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Loire Valley

The Loire Valley is known for its diverse range of wine styles. The region's flagships are Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Muscadet.

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French Quality Hierarchy

The French wine law (1935) sets the standards for many wine-producing countries:

1. AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée)
2. VDQS (Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure)
3. VdP (Vin de Pays) / IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée)
4. VdT (Vin de Table) / VdF (Vin de France)

40% of French wines are AOC whith defined geographical origin, grapes, production method and alcohol content. The requirements for VDQS wines are less strict but still good.

Vin de Pays (country wine) are made in specific areas like Vin de Pays d'Oc from the Languedoc-Roussillon area in Mediterranean France.