Despite a labeling system that is often confusing to many outside of
France, French wine still gives the greatest pleasure of any wine
producing region. The style of French wine echoes that of the French
themselves—elegant, well-dressed, showing an appreciation for the good
things of life but never to excess. French wines go best with food,
never overpowering either in flavor or in alcohol, always well-mannered,
often beautiful.
The fact that, today, the quality of even the least expensive French
wine has improved impressively, means that there is a whole new range of
wines open to wine drinkers.
All these qualities make it worthwhile to spend some time to get to
know French wine and to appreciate its many facets. The country produces
all styles of wine, from the cool wines of the Loire Valley, the
stylish whites of Alsace, through the classics of Bordeaux and Burgundy,
to the more powerful, muscular offerings of the Rhone, to the warm
wines of Languedoc and Roussillon, suffused with sun. And unique in their northern fastnesses are the great Champagnes.
In a world of international brands, where origin doesn’t matter, France
offers an alternative ethos. There is much talk of terroir, of the
place and the culture from which a wine comes. It makes every wine
different, makes many of them special. There is no homogeneity here.
France is an ordered country, and despite the seeming chaos of French
wine, there is order in the system. Wines come from places, and these
places are designated appellations. An appellation—appellation controlee
on a wine label—is not a guarantee of quality. It is a guarantee of
origin, and a guarantee that the wine has been made following certain
rules specifying grape varieties, soil, planting, yields, and
winemaking. The wine has also passed a sensory test which approves its
style and its typicity for the appellation.
There are nearly 280 appellations in France, ranging from the
huge—Bordeaux appellation, or Champagne—to the tiny, single-vineyard
appellations of Coulée de Serrant in the Loire and Romanée-Conti in
Burgundy. There are regional appellations, there are district
appellations, and there are appellations which cover only one commune.
A good example of this hierarchy is in Burgundy.
The main appellation of the region is plain and simple: red and white,
Bourgogne Rouge or Bourgogne Blanc. Climbing up the hierarchy are
district appellations such as Chablis, for white wines, Mâcon for white and red wines, Côte de Beaune for reds, and so on.
Rising again in quality while the area of the appellation gets smaller
are village appellations: Vougeot, Auxey-Duresse, Pommard,
Nuits-St-Georges. In these villages, certain superior vineyards are
designated premier cru—and you will find the name of the vineyard on the
label. At the top of the quality heap are the single vineyard
appellations, the Grand Cru: Clos de Vougeot being perhaps the most
famous.
There is one other category of wine which is in some ways the most
interesting and exciting: Vin de Pays. These are the everyday,
ready-to-drink wines which offer some of the best values in the world.
The labels, unlike appellation wines, will show grape varieties. Coming
generally from the warm south of France, the wines will be warm, ripe,
and fruity. The best known example is Vin de Pays d’Oc.
Having established some of the ground rules for French wine, let’s
examine the fascinations of the different regions in more detail.
By far the largest, the most important, and one of the best, both for great wines and for bargains, is Bordeaux.
Great reds from the great chateaux are what make the headlines, but
Bordeaux is so big, that there is plenty of choice. Appellation with the
name Côtes in the title are always worth seeking out, as are the white
wines (yes, Bordeaux makes whites, both dry and sweet). And the general
level of quality has improved dramatically. The reds are fruity, but
never over-alcoholic, always with a layer of tannin which makes them
great food wines. The whites are fresh, the best with wood flavors to
give complexity. They may all be called “chateau this”, “chateau that”,
but that’s simply a way of saying that many Bordeaux wines come from one
individual property.
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot Cabernet Franc are the main red grapes; Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon
for the whites. But most Bordeaux is not a single varietal wine—it is
more often a blend, which makes these wines more than the sum of their
individual parts.
Burgundy is the other big French wine. It is a fifth the size of the
Bordeaux region, and produces correspondingly more expensive wines, with
fewer bargains, and more disappointments. The best way to buy Burgundy
is to follow the best producers, and reliable reviews from buying guides
or wine magazines. If you take that advice, the most seductive wines
(red from Pinot Noir, white from Chardonnay, always 100 percent) are in
your glass. It’s not just chance that the Burgundy bottle has rounded
sides, the Bordeaux bottle has straight: Burgundy appeals to the senses,
Bordeaux to the intellect.
Much larger in scale than Burgundy is the Rhône valley. From the alcoholic and powerful highs of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, through the dense elegance of the Syrah wines of appellations like Côte-Rôtie
and Hermitage, this is red wine country. Rich and generous, these wines
appeal to wine drinkers used to California reds. And, just like
Bordeaux, there is also great value to be found in this region: wines
labelled Côtes du Rhône. If they have a village name attached (Rasteau
and Seguret are among the best), they will be that much better even if
more expensive.
Bordeaux, Burgundy, and the Rhône are the best known wine regions of
France except for Champagne. This sparkling wine from the chalk slopes
east of Paris is France’s best answer to a global brand. It is the drink
of celebration, of success, and the best way to drown sorrows. And,
unlike the still French wines, which have been successfully copied
around the world, Champagne remains
inimitable, despite thousands of attempts. The combination of cool
climate, chalk soil and—there’s no other word for it—terroir are just so
special.
As a complete contrast, there are the hot, sun-drenched vineyards of
the south. Languedoc and Roussillon don’t just produce tanker loads of
inexpensive wine. Some areas such as Corbières, Minervois, Coteaux du
Languedoc, Côtes de Roussillon offer a magic mix of great value,
history, and some fascinating herbal and fruity flavors.
After these greats, come the Loire and Alsace regions, which produce
some of the greatest and most fascinating wines in France. Bordeaux and
the Rhône are known for reds, Burgundy for reds and whites. The two cool
climate areas of Loire and Alsace are where the whites shine. Discover
more about the Loire in our piece, Decode the Wines of the Loire Valley
Alsace
is unique in France in that producers are allowed to put the grape
variety on the label of an appellation wine. It is also unique in that
the grapes are a mix of German and French: Riesling and Gewurztraminer, Muscat and Pinot Gris.
These are not light wines, but they have a fruitiness and a richness
that is quite different from the German models just across the Rhine
river. At the top of this list are the Alsace Grand Cru vineyards,
single vineyards which can produce astonishing quality and longevity.
The Loire
is a complete mix. Every style of wine can be found along its six
hundred mile length. The greatest styles are the Sauvignon Blanc of
Sancerre and Pouilly Fume, the models for Sauvignon Blanc around the
world. And the Chenin Blancs of the central Loire—the sweet wines of
Vouvray and Anjou—have a poise and acidity which allows them to age for
decades, yet be fresh when young. The dry Chenins of Savennières
are the purest expression of their granite soil to be found anywhere.
Finally to complete the mix are the reds of Chinon and Bourgueil and the
fresh, easy whites of Muscadet.
It’s obvious from this brief list that France has variety, in profusion
perhaps, but it does mean that there is never a dull moment when
reaching for a bottle of French wine. If your wish is to have the same,
safe bottle of wine every day, then non-European brands are the better
option.