WINES OF FRANCE

Wines of France

French wine is produced in throughout France, in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France is the world’s largest wine producer. French wine traces its history to the 6th century BC, with many of France’s regions dating their wine-making history to Roman times. The wines produced range from expensive high-end wines sold internationally to more modest wines usually only seen within France.

Two concepts central to higher end French wines are the notion of “terroir”, which links the style of the wines to the specific locations where the grapes are grown and the wine is made, and the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system. Appellation rules closely define which grape varieties and winemaking practices are approved for classification in each of France’s several hundred geographically defined appellations, which can cover entire regions, individual villages or even specific vineyards.
France is the source of many grape varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah) that are now planted throughout the world, as well as wine-making practices and styles of wine that have been adopted in other producing countries. Although some producers have benefited in recent years from rising prices and increased demand for some of the prestige wines from Burgundy and Bordeaux, the French wine industry as a whole has been influenced by a slight decline in domestic consumption, as well as growing competition from both the New World and other European countries.

Quality levels and appellation system:

In 1935 numerous laws were passed to control the quality of French wine. They established the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée system, which is governed by a powerful oversight board (Institut National des Appellations d’Origine, INAO). Consequently, France has one of the oldest systems for protected designation of origin for wine in the world, and strict laws concerning winemaking and production. Many other European systems are modelled after it.[9] The word “appellation” has been put to use by other countries, sometimes in a much looser meaning. As European Union wine laws have been modelled after those of the French, this trend is likely to continue with further EU expansion.

French law divides wine into four categories, two falling under the European Union’s Table Wine category and two falling under the EU’s Quality Wine Produced in a Specific Region (QWPSR) designation. The categories and their shares of the total French production for the 2005 vintage, excluding wine destined for Cognac, Armagnac and other brandies, were:[

Table wine:
• Vin de Table (11.7%) – Carries with it only the producer and the designation that it is from France.
• Vin de Pays (33.9%) – Carries with it a specific region within France (for example Vin de Pays d'Oc from Languedoc-Roussillon or Vin de Pays de Côtes de Gascogne from Gascony), and subject to less restrictive regulations than AOC wines. For instance, it allows producers to distinguish wines that are made using grape varieties or procedures other than those required by the AOC rules, without having to use the simple and commercially non-viable table wine classification. In order to maintain a distinction from Vin de Table, the producers have to submit the wine for analysis and tasting, and the wines have to be made from certain varieties or blends.
QWPSR:
• Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS, 0.9%) – Less strict than AOC, usually used for smaller areas or as a "waiting room" for potential AOCs. This category was abolished at the end of 2011.
• Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC, 53.4%) – Wine from a particular area with many other restrictions, including grape varieties and winemaking methods.

Reforms

The wine classification system of France has been under overhaul since 2006, with a new system to be fully introduced by 2012. The new system consists of three categories rather than four, since there will be no category corresponding to VDQS from 2012. The new categories are:[12]
• Vin de France, a table wine category basically replacing Vin de Table, but allowing grape variety and vintage to be indicated on the label.
• Indication Géographique Protégée (IGP), an intermediate category basically replacing Vin de Pays.
• Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP), the highest category basically replacing AOC wines.
The largest changes will be in the Vin de France category, and to VDQS wines, which either need to qualify as AOP wines or be downgraded to an IGP category. For the former AOC wines, the move to AOP will only mean minor changes to the terminology of the label, while the actual names of the appellations themselves will remain unchanged.
While no new wines will be marketed under the old designations from 2012, bottles already in the distribution chain will not be relabelled.
Wine styles, grape varieties and terroir

All common styles of wine – red, rosé, white (dry, semi-sweet and sweet), sparkling and fortified – are produced in France. In most of these styles, the French production ranges from cheap and simple versions to some of the world’s most famous and expensive examples. An exception is French fortified wines, which tend to be relatively unknown outside France.

In many respects, French wines have more of a regional than a national identity, as evidenced by different grape varieties, production methods and different classification systems in the various regions. Quality levels and prices vary enormously, and some wines are made for immediate consumption while other are meant for long-time cellaring.
If there is one thing that most French wines have in common, it is that most styles have developed as wines meant to accompany food, be it a quick baguette, a simple bistro meal, or a full-fledged multi-course menu. Since the French tradition is to serve wine with food, wines have seldom been developed or styled as “bar wines” for drinking on their own, or to impress in tastings when young.

Grape varieties

Numerous grape varieties are cultivated in France, including both internationally well-known and obscure local varieties. In fact, most of the so-called “international varieties” are of French origin, or became known and spread because of their cultivation in France.[ Since French appellation rules generally restrict wines from each region, district or appellation to a small number of allowed grape varieties, there are in principle no varieties that are commonly planted throughout all of France.
Most varieties of grape are primarily associated with a certain region, such as Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux and Syrah in Rhône, although there are some varieties that are found in two or more regions, such as Chardonnay in Bourgogne (including Chablis) and Champagne, and Sauvignon Blanc in Loire and Bordeaux. As an example of the rules, although climatic conditions would appear to be favourable, no Cabernet Sauvignon wines are produced in Rhône, Riesling wines in Loire, or Chardonnay wines in Bordeaux. (If such wines were produced, they would have to be declassified to Vin de Pays or French table wine. They would not be allowed to display any appellation name or even region of origin.)

Traditionally, many French wines have been blended from several grape varieties. Varietal white wines have been, and are still, more common than varietal red wines.
Wine regions of France

The recognized wine producing areas in France are regulated by the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine – INAO in acronym. Every appellation in France is defined by INAO, in regards to the individual regions particular wine “character”. If a wine fails to meet the INAO’s strict criteria it is declassified into a lower appellation or even into Vin de Pays or Vin de Table. With the number of appellations in France too numerous to mention here, they are easily defined into one of the main wine producing regions listed below:

Alsace

Alsace is primarily a white-wine region, though some red, rosé, sparkling and sweet wines are also produced. It is situated in eastern France on the river Rhine and borders Germany, a country with which it shares many grape varieties as well as a long tradition of varietal labelling. Grapes grown in Alsace include Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Muscat.
Alsace primarily produces white wine.
These wines, which for historical reasons have a strong Germanic influence, are produced under three different Appellations d’Origine Contrôlées (AOCs): Alsace AOC for white, rosé and red wines, Alsace Grand Cru AOC for white wines from certain classified vineyards and Crémant d’Alsace AOC for sparkling wines
Because of its Germanic influence, it is the only region in France to produce mostly varietal wines, typically from similar grapes as used in German wine.
Of the vineyard surface, 78% was classified for the production of AOC Alsace wines, 4% for AOC Alsace Grand Cru and 18% for AOC Crémant d’Alsace.[
About 90% of the wine produced is white

Wine styles
Almost all wines are white, except those made from the Pinot Noir grape which are pale red, often rosé,

Sparkling wines known as Crémant d’Alsace are also made.
Much of the white wines of Alsace are made from aromatic grape varieties, so many characteristic Alsace wines are aromatic, floral and spicy. Since they very seldom have any oak barrel aromas they tend to be very varietally pure in their character.
Almost all production in Alsace is of AOC wine, since there is no Vin de pays region which covers Alsace. Thus, the only alternative to producing AOC wine is to declassify it all the way down to Vin de table, which generally means that neither grape varieties, region of origin or vintage may be identified. However, this solution is mostly avoided since edelzwicker and gentil may be blended from several varieties, i.e. varieties that exceed the AOC rules in the concerned season.
Bottles

There is a legal requirement for bottling Alsace wine in tall bottles commonly called flûtes d’Alsace In the AOC rules, the bottle type is actually called vin du Rhin, i.e., “Rhine wine bottle”. Without being mandated by law, this bottle format is also common and traditional in many German regions, particularly for Riesling and other traditional white wine varieties.
Late harvest wines:

There are two late harvest classifications, Vendange Tardive (VT) and Sélection de Grains Nobles (SGN). Vendange Tardive means “late harvest” (which in German would be Spätlese), but in terms of must weight requirements, VT is similar to Auslese in Germany. Sélection de Grains Nobles means “selection of noble berries”, i.e. grapes affected by noble rot, and is similar to a German Beerenauslese. For both VT and SGN, Alsace wines tend to be higher in alcohol and therefore slightly lower in sugar than the corresponding German wines.
Grape varieties

Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, , Auxerrois Blanc, Pinot Noir , Sylvaner ,Pinot Blanc, Muscat varieties Chasselas, Chardonnay and Savagnin.
Out of the above mentioned grapes Riesling, Gewuratraminer, pinot Gris are the most planted varieties of grapes in Alsace.
Out of the above mentioned grapes Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Muscat and Pinot Gris are said to be noble varieties.

Edelzwicker: Refers to any combination of grapes from the AOC Alsace region. Commonly blended from several varieties in any proportions
Gentil : Unregulated older designation for blends that has been reintroduced. Consensus seems to be that a Gentil should have a minimum of 50% of the four noble grapes, and can therefore be thought of as a high-end Edelzwicker.

Bordeaux

Bordeaux is a large region on the Atlantic coast, which has a long history of exporting its wines overseas. This is primarily a red wine region, famous for the wines Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Latour, Château Mouton-Rothschild, Château Margaux and Château Haut-Brion from the Médoc sub-region; Château Cheval Blanc and Château Ausone in Saint-Émilion; and Château Pétrus and Château Le Pin in Pomerol. The red wines produced are usually blended, from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and sometimes Cabernet Franc. Bordeaux also makes dry and sweet white wines, including some of the world’s most famous sweet wines from the Sauternes appellation, such as Château d’Yquem.
A Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France, centred on the city of Bordeaux and covering the whole area of the Gironde department,
89% of wine produced in Bordeaux is red (called “claret” in Britain), with sweet white wines (most notably Sauternes), dry whites, and also (in much smaller quantities) rosé and sparkling wines (Crémant de Bordeaux) collectively making up the remainder. Bordeaux wine is made by more than 8,500 producers or châteaux. There are 54 appellations of Bordeaux wine.

‘Claret’, usage

Claret is a name primarily used in British English for red Bordeaux wine.
Claret derives from the French clairet, a now uncommon dark rosé, which was the most common wine exported from Bordeaux until the 18th century. The name was anglicised to “claret” as a result of its widespread consumption in England during the period in the 12th-15th centuries that Aquitaine was under the English crown. It is a protected name within the European Union, describing a red Bordeaux wine, accepted after the British wine trade demonstrated over 300 years’ usage of the term.

Climate and geography

The major reason for the success of winemaking in the Bordeaux region is the excellent environment for growing vines. The geological foundation of the region is limestone, leading to a soil structure that is heavy in calcium. The Gironde estuaries dominate the regions along with its tributaries, the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers, and together irrigate the land and provide an Atlantic Climate, also known as an oceanic climate, for the region.

These rivers define the main geographical subdivisions of the region:
• “The right bank”, situated on the right bank of Dordogne, in the northern parts of the region, around the city of Libourne.
• Entre-deux-mers, French for “between two seas”, the area between the rivers Dordogne and Garonne, in the centre of the region.
• “The left bank”, situated on the left bank of Garonne, in the west and south of the region, around the city of Bordeaux itself. The left bank is further subdivided into:
o Graves, the area upstream of the city Bordeaux.
o Médoc, the area downstream of the city Bordeaux, situated on a peninsula between Gironde and the Atlantic.

Grapes:

Red Bordeaux, which is traditionally known as claret in the United Kingdom, is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carménère. Today Malbec and Carmenere are rarely used,

As a very broad generalization, Cabernet Sauvignon (Bordeaux’s second-most planted grape variety) dominates the blend in red wines produced in the Médoc and the rest of the left bank of the Gironde estuary. Typical top-quality Chateaux blends are 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc & 15% Merlot. This is typically referred to as the Bordeaux blend.

Merlot (Bordeaux’s most-planted grape variety) and to a lesser extent Cabernet Franc (Third most planted variety) tend to predominate in Saint-Émilion, Pomerol and the other right bank appellations.

These Right Bank blends from top-quality Chateaux are typically 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc & 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.
White Bordeaux is predominantly, and exclusively in the case of the sweet Sauternes, made from Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle.
Typical blends are usually 80% Sémillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc.

Médoc

The Médoc (is a region of France, well known as a wine growing region, located in the département of Gironde, on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, north of Bordeaux.
With the exception of Château Haut-Brion from Graves, all of the red wines in the 1855 Classification are from the Médoc. Many of the Médoc wines that are not in this classification are classified using the (defunct as of 2007) Cru Bourgeois system.
Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855

The Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 resulted from the 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris, when Emperor Napoleon III requested a classification system for France’s best Bordeaux wines which were to be on display for visitors from around the world. Brokers from the wine industry ranked the wines according to a château’s reputation and trading price, which at that time was directly related to quality.
The wines were ranked in importance from first to fifth growths (crus). All of the red wines that made it on the list came from the Médoc region except for one: Château Haut-Brion from Graves. The white wines, then of much less importance than red wine, were limited to the sweet varieties of Sauternes and Barsac and were ranked only from first great growth to second growth.
First Growths (Premiers Crus)
• Château Lafite, now Château Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac
• Château Latour, Pauillac
• Château Margaux, Margaux
• Haut-Brion now Château Haut-Brion, Pessac, Graves
• Mouton now Château Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac
The White Wines of the Gironde
Superior First Growth (Premier Cru Supérieur)
• Yquem, now Château d’Yquem, Sauternes.
The Médoc appellations
• Médoc AOC
• Haut-Médoc AOC
o Saint-Estèphe AOC
o Pauillac AOC
o Saint-Julien AOC
o Listrac-Médoc AOC
o Moulis-en-Médoc AOC
The main red wines from this region are
1. Chateau Mouton Rothschild (Red) From the commune of Paulliac
2. Chateau Lafite Rothschild (Red) From the commune of Paulliac
3. Chateau Latour (Red) From the commune of Paulliac
4. Chateau Margaux (Red) From the commune of Margaux.

Graves: (from French: ‘gravelly land’).

Graves is situated on the left bank of the Garonne river, in the upstream part of the region, southeast of the city Bordeaux. The area encompasses villages including Sauternes, Pessac, Talence, Léognan, Martillac, Saint-Morillon, and Portets.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant grape variety, followed by Merlot for red wines and Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon are the main grapes for white wine. The white wines of this area are barrel fermented and aged on their lees.
The Graves appellations
• Graves AOC
• Pessac-Léognan AOC
• Cérons AOC
• Barsac AOC
• Sauternes AOC
Main wines of this area are:
1. Château Haut-Brion (Red) from the Pessac-Léognan commune This was the only wine to have been classifies as a First growth in the 1855 classification.
2. Château La Mission Haut-Brion (Red) from the Pessac-Léognan commune.
3. Château Laville Haut-Brion (Dry white) from the Pessac-Léognan appellation from the commune of Talence.

Sauternes and Barsac:

Sauternes is a subregion of Graves known for its intensely sweet, white, dessert wines such as the Premier Cru Supérieur classified Château d’Yquem. . The intense sweetness is the result of the grapes being affected by Botrytis cinerea, a fungus that is commonly known as noble rot.
In the autumn, the Ciron River produces mist that descends upon the area and persists until after dawn. These conditions are conducive to the growth of the fungus which desiccates the grape and concentrates the sugars inside. The three main grapes of this area are Sémillon, Sauvignon blanc and Muscadelle. The wine is then fermented in small oak barrels.
Main wine of this area is :
Château d’Yquem

Wines of Saint-Émilion :

Saint-Émilion is an Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) for wine in the Bordeaux wine region of France, where it is situated in the Libourne subregion on the right bank of the Dordogne.
The wines of Saint-Émilion are typically blended from different grape varieties, the three main ones being Merlot (60% of the blend), Cabernet Franc (nearly 30%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (around 10%).
The main wines of this area are:
1. Château Ausone (Red)
2. Château Cheval Blanc (Red)
The Saint Emilion wines were classified in the year 1955.

Wines of Pomerol:

Pomerol is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is located near Bordeaux. As with the neighbouering appellation of Saint Emilion, the predominant grape variety is Merlot often with Cabernet Franc and smaller quantity of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Unlike other Bordeaux regions, Pomerol has no official wine ranking or classification
The best wine from Pomerol are:
1. Château Pétrus
2. Château Le Pin
3. Château Lafleur
These wines are sometimes priced as expensive as the First Growth wines of Medoc or the Chateau Cheval Blanc of Saint Emilion.

WINES OF BURGUNDY

Burgundy wine (French: Bourgogne or vin de Bourgogne) is wine made in the Burgundy region in eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône River, a tributary of the Rhône. The most famous wines produced here—those commonly referred to as “Burgundies”—are red wines made from Pinot Noir grapes or white wines made from Chardonnay grapes. Red and white wines are also made from other grape varieties, such as Gamay and Aligoté, respectively. Small amounts of rosé and sparkling wines are also produced in the region. Chardonnay-dominated Chablis and Gamay-dominated Beaujolais are formally part of the Burgundy wine region, but wines from those subregions are usually referred to by their own names rather than as “Burgundy wines”.
Burgundy has a higher number of appellations d’origine contrôlée (AOCs) than any other French region, and is often seen as the most terroir-conscious of the French wine regions. The various Burgundy AOCs are classified from carefully delineated Grand Cru vineyards down to more nonspecific regional appellations. The practice of delineating vineyards by their terroir in Burgundy goes back to medieval times, when various monasteries played a key role in developing the Burgundy wine industry.
Wine characteristics and classification
Burgundy is in some ways the most terroir-oriented region in France; immense attention is paid to the area of origin, and in which of the region’s 400 types of soil a wine’s grapes are grown. As opposed to Bordeaux, where classifications are producer-driven and awarded to individual chateaux, Burgundy classifications are geographically-focused. A specific vineyard or region will bear a given classification, regardless of the wine’s producer. This focus is reflected on the wine’s labels, where appellations are most prominent and producers’ names often appear at the bottom in much smaller text.
The main levels in the Burgundy classifications, in descending order of quality, are: Grand crus, Premier crus, village appellations, and finally regional appellations.
The main areas of wine production in Burgundy are:
1. Chablis
2. Cote D’Or which is divided into A) Cote de Nuit and B) Cote de Buenos
3. Cote Maconnaise
4. Cote Chalonnaise
5. Beaujolaise

Chablis:

The grapevines around the town of Chablis are almost all Chardonnay, making a dry white wine renowned for the purity of its aroma and taste.
There are four different types of Chablis produced. They are:
a) Grand Cru Chablis – They are produced from 7 Grand Cru vineyards which are located on a single hillside near the town of Chablis. They must have a minimum alcoholic strength of 11%.
b) Premier Cru Chablis – These are produced from 40 designated vineyards covering an area of about 150 hectares. They should have a minimum alcoholic strength of 10.5 percent.
c) Chablis – These are produced from an area of about of about 2860 hectares. Should have a minimum alcoholic strength of 9.5%.
d) Petit Chablis—This is the lowest end of the classification and produced over an area of 1800 hectares.

All of Chablis’ Grand Cru vineyards and many of their better Premier Cru vineyards are planted on primarily Kimmeridgean soil which is believed to impart more finesse and structure to the wines. Other areas, particularly the vast majority of Petit Chablis vineyards, are planted on slightly younger Portlandian soil.
Côte d’Or

The Côte d’Or is a limestone escarpment in Burgundy, France that lends its name to the department which was formed around it. It stretches from Dijon in the north to the river Dheune to the south, overlooking the valley of the Saône to the east.

The northern half, the Côte de Nuits (centred around Nuits-Saint-Georges) produces red wine almost exclusively. The Côte de Beaune, around Beaune in the south, produces a mix of white wine and red wine.

Côte de Nuits

The Côte de Nuits is a French wine region located in the northern part of the Côte d’Or, the limestone ridge that is at the heart of the Burgundy wine region. It extends from Dijon to just south of Nuits-Saint-Georges, which gives its name to the district and is the regional center. Though some white and rosé wines are produced in the region, the Côte de Nuits is most famous for reds made from Pinot noir.
The Côte de Nuits covers fourteen communes. Six produce grand cru wines, in the central district between Gevrey-Chambertin and Nuits-Saint-Georges, with four lesser villages either side. The Grand Crus of the Cote de Nuits are some of the smallest appellations in France, less than a hectare in the case of La Romanée.
Main red wines of this area are:
1. La Chambertin
2. Mazis Chambertin
3. Chapelle Chambertin
4. Musigny
5. Clos Vougeot
6. Romanée-Conti
7. La Romanée
8. Richebourg
9. Romanée-Saint-Vivant

Côte de Beaune:

The Côte de Beaune area is the southern part of the Côte d’Or, the limestone ridge that is home to the great names of Burgundy wine.
The main wines from this area are:
Côte de Beaune area is the southern part of the Côte d’Or, the limestone ridge that is home to the great names of Burgundy wine.

1. Aloxe-Corton (Red wine from Pinot noir grapes)
2. Le Corton ( Red)
3. Pernand-Vergelesses (Red)
4. Pommard (Red)
The area also produces some great white wines also, particularly from the Chardonnay grapes.
1. Puligny-Montrachet
2. Chassagne-Montrachet
3. Chevalier Montrachet
4. Batard Montrachet
5. Corton Charlemagne
6. Meursault
The Hospices de Beaune are a charity based in the town, consisting of the Hôtel-Dieu hospital and the Hospices de la Charité. The Hospices are funded by their endowment of 55ha of vineyards on the Côte d’Or, and the auction of their wines on the third Sunday in November sets a benchmark for prices for that vintage.

Cote Maconnaise

The Mâconnais district lies in the south of the Burgundy wine region in France, west of the River Saône. It takes its name from the town of Mâcon. It is best known as a source of good value white wines made from the Chardonnay grape; the wines from Pouilly-Fuissé are particularly sought-after. Almost all the wine made in the Mâconnais is white wine. Chardonnay is the main grape grown; in fact there is a village of that name in the far north of the region. A little Pinot Noir is made into red Mâcon but only for local consumption.

Main wines from this area are:
1. Pouilly-Fuissé
2. Pouilly-Loché
3. Pouilly-Vinzelles.
4. Mâcon-Villages

Cote Chalonnaise:

Côte Chalonnaise is a subregion of the Burgundy wine region of France. Côte Chalonnaise lies to the south of the Côte d’Or continuing the same geology southward. It is still in the main area of Burgundy wine production but it includes no Grand cru vineyards. Like the Côte d’Or, it is at the western edge of the broad valley of the river Saône, on the rising ground overlooking the town of Chalon-sur-Saône which is about six kilometers out into the plain.

The Main wines of this area are:
1. Mercurey (Red wine)
2. Montagney ( White wine)
3. Givry ( Red wine)

Beaujolais:

Beaujolais Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) wine generally made of the Gamay grape which has a thin skin and is low in tannins. Like most AOC wines they are not labeled varietally. Whites from the region, which make up only 1% of its production, are made mostly with Chardonnay grapes though Aligoté is also permitted. Beaujolais tends to be a very light-bodied red wine, with relatively high amounts of acidity. In some vintages, Beaujolais produces more wine than the Burgundy wine regions of Chablis, Côte d’Or, Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais put together.
While administratively considered part of the Burgundy wine region, the climate is closer to the Rhône and the wine is unique enough to be considered separately from Burgundy and Rhône. The region is known internationally for its long tradition of winemaking, uniquely emphasized the use of carbonic maceration, and more recently for the popular.

Main wines of this area are:
• Beaujolais AOC
•Beaujolais Superieure
•Beaujolais Village

A large portion of these wines are sold as Beaujolais Nouveau. These are the basic wines from Beaujolais and are aged for a very brief period of time.
Following are the highest class of wine in Beaujolais. These wines are darker, heavier and significantly more aged. They are not allowed to be sold as Nouveau.

• Brouilly
• Moulin-à-Vent
•Saint-Amour
•Juliénas
•Chénas
•Fleurie
•Chiroub
•Morgon
• Régnié
•Côte de Brouilly

WINES OF COTES DU RHONE

The Rhône wine region in Southern France is situated in the Rhône river valley and produces numerous wines under various Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) designations. The region’s major appellation in production volume is Côtes du Rhône AOC.
The Rhône is generally divided into two sub-regions with distinct viticultural traditions, the Northern Rhône (referred to in French as Rhône septentrional) and the Southern Rhône (in French Rhône méridional). The northern sub-region produces red wines from the Syrah grape, sometimes blended with white wine grapes, and white wines from Marsanne, Roussane and Viognier grapes. The southern sub-region produces an array of red, white and rosé wines, often blends of several grapes such as in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Northern Rhône:

Syrah is the only red grape variety permitted in red AOC wines from this sub-region .The grape, which is believed to have originated in or close to the Rhône region, is also widely known as Shiraz, its name in Australia and much of the English-speaking world, and has recently become very popular with consumers around the world.
From north to south the appellations in the northern Rhône are:
• Côte-Rôtie AOC – reds from Syrah and up to 20% Viognier.
• Condrieu AOC – whites from Viognier only.
• Château-Grillet AOC – whites from Viognier.
• Saint-Joseph AOC – reds from Syrah and blended with up to 10% Marsanne and Roussanne; whites are made from only Marsanne and Roussanne.
• Crozes-Hermitage AOC – reds are made from Syrah and blended with up to 15% Marsanne and Roussanne; whites are made from only Marsanne and Roussanne.
• Hermitage AOC – reds are made from Syrah and blended with up to 15% Marsanne and Roussanne; whites are made from only Marsanne and Roussanne.
• Cornas AOC – reds of Syrah only.
• Saint-Péray AOC – sparkling and still whites of only Marsanne and Roussanne.
Northern Rhône reds are often identified by their signature aromas of green olive and smoky bacon.

Southern Rhône:

The southern Rhône’s most famous red wine is Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a blend containing up to 13 varieties of wine grapes (eight red and five white) as permitted by the Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC rules. Châteauneuf-du-Pape is traditionally cited as allowing thirteen grape varieties to be used, but the 2009 version of the AOC rules in fact list eighteen varieties, since blanc (white), rose (pink) and noir (black) versions of some grapes are now explicitly listed as separate varieties. Also in the previous version of the appellation rules, Grenache and Picpoul were associated with different pruning regulations in their noir and blanc versions, bringing the number of varieties previously mentioned from thirteen to fifteen.
In reality, most Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines are blends dominated by Grenache. Only one of every 16 bottles produced in the region is white wine.
Southern Rhône appellations:

• Côtes du Vivarais AOC
• Côtes du Rhône AOC
• Côtes du Rhône Villages AOC
• Côtes du Rhône Villages (named villages)
• Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC
• Gigondas AOC
• Beaumes de Venise AOC
• Tavel AOC
• White wines from the southern Rhône sub-region, such as in Châteauneuf-du-Pape whites, are also typically blends of several wine grapes. These may include Ugni Blanc, Roussanne, Bourboulenc, Picpoul, and Clairette. Since about 1998 Viognier is increasingly being used and is also appearing as a single varietal.
• Tavel AOC, produced in the special microclimate of the sillon rhodanien (the furrow of the Rhône) by some thirty producers including Château d’Aqueria, Domaine Maby, , is an elite rosé only, which has been referred to as ‘the wine of kings”.

Côtes du Rhône

Côtes du Rhône AOC is an AOC that covers both the northern and southern sub-regions of Rhône. Typically it is only used if the wine does not qualify for an appellation that can command a higher price. Therefore, almost all Côtes du Rhône AOC is produced in southern Rhône, since the northern sub-region is covered by well-known appellations and also is much smaller in terms of total vineyard surface. This AOC is also used by the commercial blenders (négociants) who buy grapes in bulk from various parts of the region to bottle, distribute, and export on an industrial scale. This nevertheless makes it the most commonly known, produced, and distributed appellation of the region. Produce from vineyards surrounding certain villages including Cairanne, Rasteau and others may be labeled Côtes du Rhône-Villages AOC.
Red Côtes du Rhône is usually dominated by Grenache.

WINES OF LOIRE VALLEY

The Loire Valley wine region includes the French wine regions situated along the Loire River from the Muscadet region near the city of Nantes on the Atlantic coast to the region of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé just southeast of the city of Orléans in north central France. In between are the regions of Anjou, Saumur, Bourgueil, Chinon, and Vouvray.
While the majority of production is white wine from the Chenin blanc, Sauvignon blanc and Melon de Bourgogne grapes, there are red wines made (especially around the Chinon region) from Cabernet franc. In addition to still wines, rosé, sparkling and dessert wines are also produced. With Crémant production throughout the Loire, it is the second largest sparkling wine producer in France after Champagne.

Wine regions:
The Loire Valley is often divided into three sections. The Upper Loire includes the Sauvignon blanc dominated areas of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé.
The Middle Loire is dominated by more Chenin blanc and Cabernet franc wines found in the regions around Touraine, Saumur, Chinon and Vouvray.
The Lower Loire that leads to the mouth of the river’s entrance to the Atlantic goes through the Muscadet region which is dominated by wines of the Melon de Bourgogne grape.
There are two generic designation that can be used across the whole of the Loire Valley:
1. The Crémant de Loire which refers to any sparkling wine made according to the traditional method of Champagne.
2. The Vin de Pays du Jardin de la France refers to any varietally labeled wine, such as Chardonnay, that is produced in the region outside of an AOC designation.
The main wines of this region are:

1. Vouvray—White wine made from Chenin Blanc
2. Sancerre – Red, white and rose wine
3. Pouilly-Fumé –Only produces white wine from Sauvignon blanc grapes
4. Pouilly or Pouilly-sur-Loire are often made from the Chasselas grape
5. Cabernet d’Anjou– Rosé wines based on the Cabernet franc grapes.
6. Rosé d’Anjou– Rosé wines based on the Cabernet franc grapes
7. Chinon – Produces red wine with Cabernet Franc grapes.( Also called as Breton grapes in this area)
8. Bourgueil– Produces red wine with Cabernet Franc grapes. .( Also called as Breton grapes in this area).
9. Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil– Produces red wine with Cabernet Franc grapes. .( Also called as Breton grapes in this area).
10. Muscadet—Produces white wines from Melon de Bourgogne grapes.