In terms of wine, France is undoubtedly a standard, a tradition, and an ideology. La Grand Nation du Vin has been a leading wine nation for centuries. And even though Spain has much more planted vineyard area, and the Italians surpass them in quantity, France is the country that embodies the word "wine."
France boasts approximately 800,000 hectares planted with vineyards (compared to about 60,000 in Bulgaria), from which an average of 8 billion bottles are produced annually. Most of the world's popular wine varieties are French: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah, and there isn't a wine lover who doesn't know this. For years, wine nations have prided themselves on producing wines in the French style. This is slowly changing with the rediscovery of more and more local varieties, especially in the Old World of wine, but France still remains the benchmark.
Geographically speaking, the country, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, has an exceptionally favorable position for winemaking. Located between 42° and 50° North latitude, French wine regions have an incredible diversity of styles, varieties, and consequently, terroirs.
In addition, France has millennia of experience in wine production, with the official beginning marked by the founding of Marseille as a Greek colony in the 6th century BC. For the French, wine is a tool of civilization, but at the same time, it is also art, cult, and tradition. Monks in the Middle Ages maintained and mapped vineyards not only in France but wherever their orders had monasteries.
The modern French system for classifying vineyards is the basis for the laws of many other wine countries around the world. Appellation d’origine contrôlée is based on the idea of geographical origin and is managed by the Institut national des appellations d’origine (INAO). It is responsible for ensuring compliance with the laws by which the state strictly defines the permitted practices in the vineyards and in the cellar.
The French are zealously protective of their regions and print their names on every bottle, rather than the grape variety. Therefore, it is good to know the main ones. Burgundy is the benchmark for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Bordeaux is the mecca of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, Rhône is the birthplace of Syrah, but also Grenache, and in the Loire Valley, you will find stunning wines from Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Alsace produces Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Gewürztraminer, and in Provence, you will discover incredible rosés from Cinsault, Grenache, or Mourvèdre.
