If you love wine, or perhaps you’re just considering a relationship with wine, you will certainly come in contact with the wines of France. Many Americans are deeply intimidated by French wines. That’s understandable, as the names are foreign to American eyes and ears, and the all-familiar grape names are missing. These French – it’s like they speak another language.
In general terms, Old World wine-producing nations, like France, name their wines by region or appellation, while the New World winemakers name theirs by the grape varietal. Again, this is very general, but it’s a great starting point.
This is why the Old World wine producers and wine devotees are quick to point to the concept of terroir. Terroir is just a fancy way of saying that a product like wine, tea, vegetables, and even cheese has unique characteristics due to environmental factors such as soil, temperature, wind, sun exposure, and proximity to water.
This is a sound and logical concept, as everyone can agree that Chardonnay grown in Sonoma County, California, will naturally taste different than the same grape grown in Michigan’s Lake Michigan Shore AVA. In short, French wines taste as they do largely because of where they are grown.
The French produce their wines under the guidance of a very strict set of rules set out by the Appellation d’origine contrôlée, or simply AOC. The AOC regulations regarding wine are based on the very sound belief that certain places, given the environmental factors previously discussed, are better suited to growing certain grape varietals and less well suited to others. While this may sound intimidating, it’s a blessing for those seeking to know French wines.
For example, red wines from Bordeaux must be made from a strict set of grape varieties; chief among them are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. You may find Bordeaux scary, but I bet you do know Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. This rules-based system makes it easy to understand French wines of any given region.
A typical American wine drinker might feel comfortable with Napa wines while feeling intimidated by Sancerre. I think the opposite: Sancerre is a superb appellation in France’s Loire Valley that produces white wines from Sauvignon Blanc, red wines, and rosé made from Pinot Noir. When describing Napa wines, I must consider that more than 40 grape varieties are grown here, produced in every style, from whites to fortified wines, across 16 sub-regions. It’s incredibly complex.
The secret is that you are already familiar with French wines (via their native grapes), but you just don’t know it.
Many of the grape varietals you know so well, like Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Sauvignon Blanc, are all French in origin. All you have to do now is learn the regions that feature these (and other) well-known varietals. You’re already halfway there.
Don’t forget to download our French Wine Varietal infographic. Learn more about French Varietals.
French Wine Regions
Alsace – Tucked away in the Northeast corner of France, with Germany to the East and Switzerland to the South, a visitor to the region would be forgiven for believing that they had drifted into Germanic territory. The culture, dialect, architecture, food, and, of course, the wines all embody a careful hybrid of French and German influences. As in Germany, white wines are king, with varietals like Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Blanc adorning the labels. Even the bottles of Alsace wines are tall and slender, as they are in Germany.
Unlike in most of France, grape names are prominently displayed on the labels in Alsace. In a cool climate, the wines tend to be moderate in alcohol, floral and aromatic, and possess vibrant acidity. These are lovely wines to sip, but their natural acidity and complex flavors beg to be included at the dinner table.
The majority of wines produced in Alsace are white, while red wines made from Pinot Noir are available in relatively small quantities. Also, Alsace is known for its refreshing sparkling wines, made in the Champagne method, known as Crémant d’Alsace. Most Alsace wines are dry or off-dry, though there are also great dessert wines. Two late-harvest classifications exist: Vendage Tardive (late harvest) and Sélection de Grains Nobles (SGN), the rarest of the Alsace wines. These SGN wines are quite sweet and made from grapes affected by “noble rot” (a fungus that removes water from the grape while imparting unique flavors).
Bordeaux – Without question, Bordeaux is one of the world’s most famous wine regions, primarily known for its world-class red wines. Located in southwestern France, near the Atlantic and greatly influenced by the Gironde River estuary, which divides Bordeaux into its unofficial “left bank” and “right bank” zones. On the left bank, you will find the Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated wines of the Médoc subdivided into iconic appellations such as Margaux, St. Julien, and Pauillac. On the right bank, you will find Saint-Émilion and Pomerol among other appellations that favor Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The best red wines from Bordeaux are all sturdy and complex, often capable of aging for decades.
While Bordeaux is world-famous for its red wines, the region also produces incredible white wines (made with Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon) and one of the world’s most famous sweet wines, Sauternes. Dry white wines are made in the Bordeaux region, with the Graves appellation home to many of the most highly regarded and expensive whites, while Entre-Deux-Mers offers many refreshing, simple whites frequently sold at bargain prices.
Burgundy – In the English-speaking world, Burgundy was once (and still is to a small degree) a generic term for red wine. In truth, Burgundy is a complex and vast region that produces some of the world’s greatest red and white wines. Across much of Burgundy’s appellations, Pinot Noir is king, being the sole grape varietal permitted in many of the region’s most famous red wines.
Burgundy runs north to south, with Dijon at the north and Lyon to the south. Burgundy has six distinct sub-regions: Chablis (detached and northern), Côte de Nuits (home of the famous reds), Côte de Beaune (home of the famous whites), Côte Chalonnaise (relative bargain reds and whites), Maconnais (famous whites of Pouilly-Fuissé), and Beaujolais (a region in its own right).
The greatest red exception is found in the southernmost reaches of Burgundy, in the Beaujolais appellation. Here in Beaujolais, the Gamay grape produces wines that are typically fruitier and less age-worthy than the sturdy Pinot Noir wines made elsewhere in Burgundy.
The whites of Burgundy are made with Chardonnay and range in style from the steely, subtle wines of Chablis in the North to the rich, silky wines of Meursault and Montrachet. The wines of Chablis exhibit bright acidity, and they are typically unoaked or given a subtle dose of oak. Meursault and Montrachet are made in the Côte de Beaune and tend to be rich, barrel-fermented, and expensive.
Both the reds from Pinot Noir and the whites from Chardonnay are considered the pinnacle of these two great grape varietals.
Champagne – Pretty much every wine from Champagne bubbles, while not all wines that bubble are Champagne. Got it? (See our Sparkling Wine Primer.)
Champagne is a very well-defined region in the north of France that is known for producing the world’s most famous and arguably the best sparkling wine. While most of the sparkling wines are pale in color, two-thirds of the permitted grapes in Champagne are red (Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier), and the sole white grape is Chardonnay. The unique sparkling wines of Champagne get their signature effervescence from a secondary fermentation in the bottle. These bubbles, which are a natural byproduct of fermentation, are trapped in the bottle and forcibly absorbed by the wine, since they have nowhere else to go.
Types or classes of Champagne are important to note and greatly impact the price. The majority of Champagne is non-vintage, meaning it is made from a blend of vintages to maintain consistency. You won’t often see the words “non-vintage” on the label, but you will note the absence of a vintage (year). Next, there is vintage Champagne, which, as the name suggests, is made entirely from the stated vintage and is more expensive than non-vintage Champagne. At the top of the pyramid is the Prestige Cuvée, the producer’s top bubbly. A famous example would be Moët & Chandon’s Dom Pérignon. If you have to ask the price, you can’t afford it.
Champagne styles include: Blanc de Noir (white from black), indicating the wine is made entirely from red grapes; Blanc de Blancs (white from white), made entirely from Chardonnay; and Rosé Champagne, which is soft pink to ruby in color and is most often dry.
Champagne labels will also indicate sweetness. Most Champagne is dry, but there are varying degrees. These are the terms that you will encounter listed in order from driest to sweetest: Brut Zero, Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry, Sec, demi-sec, and Doux.
Loire – The Loire Valley region is one of France’s most diverse and picturesque, as it follows the Loire River from the Muscadet appellation, near the Atlantic coast, to the iconic Sauvignon Blanc wines of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé near the central city of Orléans. The region is best known for its white wines, but it does produce a respectable number of reds, most notably Chinon (Cabernet Franc) and Sancerre Rouge (Pinot Noir).
The Loire also produces lovely rosé wines, sparkling wines, and world-class dessert wines. The Loire is second only to Champagne in sparkling wine production. When exploring the Loire, you get a strong sense of how regional French wine is.
Vouvray famously produces pleasing and world-class white wines from Chenin Blanc in styles ranging from dry to very sweet. While Sauvignon Blanc originates from Bordeaux, many believe that the grape’s truest expressions can be found in Loire’s Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé appellations. The wines of Sancerre are bone-dry, with a delicate, fruity core and mineral accents. The wines of Pouilly-Fumé are a bit more structured with a distinctive flinty or smoky character. The Sauvignon Blanc wines from the Loire are far less herbaceous than those from New Zealand or even California.
Rhône – The Rhône wine region runs north to south along the river of the same name. The Rhône is commonly divided into two primary sub-regions with very distinct winemaking styles.
The wines of the Northern Rhône showcase reds made primarily or exclusively with Syrah. Syrah, or Shiraz as it is known in other parts of the world, is a very popular French varietal. In the New World, Syrah is often known for making wines that are super rich, dense, and juicy. The Syrahs of the Northern Rhône are powerful as well, but quite dry, earthy and austere when compared to their global counterparts.
The wine appellations of Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage are among the most famous and expensive Syrah-based wines of the North. Saint-Joseph, Cornas, and Crozes-Hermitage tend to be better values, but not by much. The Northern Rhône also produces one of the world’s most famous white wines — Condrieu. Condrieu wines are made primarily with Viognier, and the best wines of this appellation can be aged for a decade or more.
In the Southern Rhône, the wines are more fruit-forward due to warmer temperatures and the extensive use of two Spanish grapes: Grenache and Mourvédre. The most famous wine from the South is Châteauneuf-du-Pape, while the neighboring appellations of Gigondas, Rasteau, Lirac (see our Lirac feature), and Vacqueyras use the same grapes and share a similar, though not identical, terroir.
However, perhaps the greatest gem from the Southern Rhône may be the region’s all-encompassing wine appellation of Côtes du Rhône. While these wines can come from the North, the great majority are Grenache-forward wines from the South that offer rich, complex flavors and a price tag that thrills bargain hunters.
Other regions of note include Languedoc-Roussillon, and its better-known appellations of Languedoc, Corbiéres, and Minervois produce a wide range of wines, many of which are offered at great value. The South West France region offers a wide array of wines. The ancient appellation of Cahors and its dense Malbec-based wines are perhaps the most famous, while Madiran in Gascony is on the rise — or at least it should be.
I hope that this French wine primer has given you the confidence to explore the subject further. There are so many layers to discover as each region’s appellations have their internal variation, and each producer brings their unique interpretation as well. Most of all, have fun.
Do you want to better understand wine? May we suggest Be A Beverage Expert (BABE), a guide to understanding wine, beer, spirits, and cocktails.