Regions and Grapes

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
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 labeling. Grapes grown in Alsace include Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc,Pinot Noir, and Muscat.

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.

Burgundy or Bourgogne
In eastern France is a region where red and white wines are equally important. Probably more terroir-conscious than any other region, Burgundy is divided into the largest number of appellations of any French region. The top wines from Burgundy's heartland in Côte d'Or command high prices. The Burgundy region is divided in four main parts:

The Cote de Nuits (from Marsannay-La-Cote down to Nuits-Saint-Georges)
The Cote de Beaune (from north of Beaune to Santenay)
The Cote Chalonnaise
The Maconnais

Two parts of Burgundy that are sometimes considered as separate regions are:

Beaujolais in the south, close to the Rhône Valley region, where mostly red wines are made in a fruity style that is usually consumed young. "Beaujolais Nouveau" is the only wine that can be legally consumed in the year of its production (Third week end of November)
Chablis, halfway between Côte d'Or and Paris, where white wines are produced on chalky soil giving a more crisp and steely style than the rest of Burgundy.

There are two main grape varieties used in Burgundy - Chardonnay for white wines, and Pinot Noir for red. White wines are also sometimes made from Aligoté, and other grape varieties will also be found occasionally .

Champagne
Situated in eastern France, close to Belgium and Luxembourg, is the coldest of France's major wine regions and home to its major sparkling wine. Champagne wines can be both white and rosé. A small amount of still wine is produced in Champagne (as AOC Coteaux Champenois) of which some can be red wine.

Corsica
Is an island in the Mediterranean the wines of which are primarily consumed on the island itself. It has nine AOC regions and an island-wide vin de pays designation and is still developing its production methods as well as its regional style.[1]

Jura
A small region in the mountains close to Switzerland where some unique wine styles, notably Vin Jaune and Vin de Paille, are produced. The region covers six appellations and is related to Burgundy through its extensive use of the burgundian grapes Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, though other varieties are used. It also shares cool climate with Burgundy.[2]

Languedoc-Roussillon
Is the largest region in terms of vineyard surface, and the region in which much of France's cheap bulk wines have been produced. While still the source of much of France's and Europe's overproduction, the so-called "wine lake", Languedoc-Roussillon is also the home of some innovative producers who combine traditional French wine and international styles while using lessons from the New World. Much Languedoc-Roussillon wine is sold as Vin de Pays d'Oc.

Loire valley
Is a primarily white-wine region that stretches over a long distance along the Loire River in central and western France, and where grape varieties and wine styles vary along the river. Four subregions are situated along the river:

Upper Loire is known for its Sauvignon Blanc, producing wines such as Sancerre AOC, but also consisting of several VDQS areas;
Touraine produces cold climate-styled white wines (dry, sweet or sparkling) from Chenin Blanc in Vouvray AOC and red wines from Cabernet Franc in Bourgueil AOC and Chinon AOC;
Anjou-Saumur is similar to the Tourain wines with respect to varieties, but the dry Savennières AOC and sweet Coteaux du Layon AOC are often more powerful than their upstream neighbours. Saumur AOC and Saumur-Champigny AOC provides reds; and
Pays Nantais is situated closest to the Atlantic, and Muscadet AOC produces white wines from the Melon de Bourgogne grape.

Provence
In the southeast and close to the Mediterranean. It is perhaps the warmest wine region of France and produces mainly rosé and red wine. It covers eight major appellations led by the Provence flagship, Bandol.[3] Some Provence wine can be compared with the Southern Rhône wines as they share both grapes and, to some degree, style and climate.[3][4][5]Provence also has a classification of its most prestigious estates, much like Bordeaux.[6]

Rhone Valley
Primarily a red-wine region in southeastern France, along the Rhône River. The styles and varietal composition of northern and southern Rhône differ, but both parts compete with Bordeaux as traditional producers of red wines.

Savoy or Savoie
Primarily a white-wine region in the Alps close to Switzerland, where many grapes unique to this region are cultivated.

South West France or Sud-Ouest
A somewhat heterogeneous collection of wine areas inland or south of Bordeaux. Some areas produce primarily red wines in a style reminiscent of red Bordeaux, while other produce dry or sweet white wines. Areas within Sud-Ouest include among other:

Bergerac and other areas of upstream Dordogne;
Areas of upstream Garonne, including Cahors;
Areas in Gascony, also home to the production of Armagnac, Madiran, Côtes de Gascogne, Côtes de Saint-Mont, Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh and Tursan;
Béarn, such as Jurançon; and
Basque Country areas, such as Irouléguy.

There are also several smaller production areas situated outside these major regions. Many of those are VDQS wines, and some, particularly those in more northern locations, are remnants of production areas that were once larger.

References:

Parts extracted from:.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_wine

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.[7] Many other European systems are modelled after it.[8] 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:[9]

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 Superieure (VDQS, 0.9%) - Less strict than AOC, usually used for smaller areas or as a "waiting room" for potential AOCs. This category will be 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.

The total French production for the 2005 vintage was 43.9 million hl (plus an additional 9.4 million hl destined for various brandies), of which 28.3% was white and 71.7% was red or rosé.[9] The proportion of white wine is slightly higher for the higher categories, with 34.3% of the AOC wine being white.

In years with less favourable vintage conditions than 2005, the proportion of AOC wine tends to be a little lower. The proportion of Vin de table has decreased considerably over the last decades, while the proportion of AOC has increased somewhat and Vin de Pays has increased considerably.

In 2005 there were 472 different wine AOCs in France.[10]

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:[11]

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.[12] 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.[13]

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.[14] 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 favorable, 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.

At the 2007 harvest, the most common grape varieties were the following:[15][16]
Common grape varieties in France (2007 situation, all varieties over 1 000 ha)
Variety Colour Area (%) Area (hectares) 1. Merlot   red 13.6% 116 715 2. Grenache   red 11.3% 97 171 3. Ugni Blanc   white 9.7% 83 173 4. Syrah   red 8.1% 69 891
5. Carignan   red 6.9% 59 210
6. Cabernet Sauvignon   red 6.7% 57 913
7. Chardonnay   white 5.1% 43 887
8. Cabernet Franc   red 4.4% 37 508
9. Gamay   red 3.7% 31 771
10. Pinot Noir   red 3.4% 29 576
11. Sauvignon Blanc   white 3.0% 26 062
12. Cinsaut   red 2.6% 22 23
13. Melon de Bourgogne   white 1.4% 12 483
14. Sémillon   white 1.4% 11 864
15. Pinot Meunier   red 1.3% 11 335
16. Chenin Blanc   white 1.1% 9 756
17. Mourvèdre   red 1.1% 9 494
18. Colombard   white 0.9% 7 710
19. Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains   white 0.9% 7 634
20. Malbec   red 0.8% 6 291
21. Alicante Bouschet   red 0.7% 5 680
22. Grenache Blanc   white 0.6% 5 097
23. Viognier   white 0.5% 4 111
24. Muscat de Hambourg   red 0.4% 3 605
25. Riesling   white 0.4% 3 480
26. Vermentino   white 0.4% 3 453
27. Aramon   red 0.4% 3 304
28. Gewurztraminer   pink 0.4% 3 040
29. Tanna t   red 0.3% 3 001
30. Gros Manseng   white 0.3% 2 877
31. Macabeu   white 0.3% 2 778
32. Muscat d'Alexandrie   white 0.3% 2 679
33. Pinot Gris   grey 0.3% 2 582
34. Clairette   white 0.3% 2 505
35. Caladoc   red 0.3% 2 449
36. Grolleau   red 0.3% 2 363
37. Auxerrois Blanc   white 0.3% 2 330
38. Marselan   red 0.3% 2 255
39. Mauzac   white 0.2% 2 077
40. Aligoté   white 0.2% 1 946
41. Folle Blanche   white 0.2% 1 848
42. Grenache Gris   grey 0.2% 1 756
43. Chasselas   white 0.2% 1 676
44. Nielluccio   red 0.2% 1 647
45. Fer   red 0.2% 1 634
46. Muscadelle   white 0.2% 1 618
47. Terret Blanc   white 0.2% 1 586
48. Sylvaner   white 0.2% 1 447
49. Piquepoul Blanc   white 0.2% 1 426
50. Villard Noir   red 0.2% 1 399
51. Marsanne   white 0.2% 1 326
52. Négrette   red 0.2% 1 319
53. Roussanne   white 0.2% 1 307
54. Pinot Blanc   white 0.2% 1 3 04
55. Plantet   white 0.1% 1 170
56. Jacquère   white 0.1% 1 052
All white varieties   30.1% 259 130   All r pink and grey varieties   69.9% 601 945 Grand total   100.0% 861 075

References

Extracted from; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_wine

1.^ J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg 203-204 Oxford University Press 2006 ISBN 0198609906
2.^ J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition p. 378 Oxford University Press 2006 ISBN 0198609906
3.^ a b E. McCarthy & M. Ewing-Mulligan "French Wine for Dummies" pg 224-228 Wiley Publishing 2001 ISBN 0764553542
4.^ K. MacNeil The Wine Bible pg 306-311 Workman Publishing 2001 ISBN 1563054345
5.^ http://www.vins-rhone.com/pages/page.asp?lng=en&rub=2563%7CRhône wine
6.^ T. Stevenson "The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia" pg 243-247 Dorling Kindersley 2005 ISBN 0756613248
7.^ Dorling Kindersly Wines of the World. Dorling Kindersly, London 2004, p. 52
8.^ Clarke, Oz & Spurrier, Steven Fine Wine Guide. London, Websters International Publishers Ltd., 2001, p. 21
9.^ a b INAO statistics of vineyard surfaces and production volumes for the 2005-2006 campaign, accessed on May 26, 2008
10.^ INAO: overview of AOC wine production in 2005, accessed on May 26, 2008
11.^ What are the future developments for Alsace AOCs?, Sommelier International - 574 (2008)
12.^ Johnson, Hugh; Jancis Robinson (2001). World Atlas of Wine (5th ed.). London: Mitchell Beazley. p. 125. ISBN 1-84000-332-4
13.^ Jancis Robinson, ed (2006). "France". Oxford Companion to Wine (Third Edition ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 281. ISBN 0-19-860990-6.
14.^ a b Clarke, Oz & Spurrier, Steven Fine Wine Guide. London, Websters International Publishers Ltd., 2001, p. 20
15.^^ Viniflhor stats 2008: Les cepages noirs dans le vignoble
16.^ Viniflhor stats 2008: Les cepages blanc dans le vignoble