Posts Tagged ‘wine regions of france’

There are 9 principle wine regions in France. They are Burgundy, Beaujolais, Rhone, Provence, Languedoc-Roussillon, Bordeaux, Loire, Champagne and Alsace.

Many of the internationally prominent grapes are native to these regions and they are as follows:

-Burgundy: Pinot Noir or Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay
-Rhone: Syrah
-Bordeaux: Merlot, Canernet Sauvignon
-Alsace: Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewurztraminer

Some would question as to why these grapes from France are grown and utilized for wine making in different wine regions of the world instead of their own native grapes. Well, study shows that many of wine regions like North America, Argentina, South Africa, etc. do not have a variety of native grapes that can be used to produce wine. Additionally, since the French winemakers have always been the authority in wine making throughout the world with the exception of the Italians, who use pretty impressive methods to produce high quality and award winning wines, have been able to influence wine making in widely known wine regions of the world and use native French grapes to produce wine in these regions. Now, whether or not, these grapes always result in tasty wines in these regions totally depends on the expertise of the wine maker, the terrain and the climate.

In any event, the 9 wine regions of France tend to produce wines that are very much typical to those regions and not characterized by the types of grape that are used to make them. For example in France you usually don’t see the name of the grape written on the bottle of the wine, rather you see the region where the wine was produced that has a specific characteristic coming from the climate, the terroir and lastly the type of grape used in that region. That is why, Chassagne Montracher has a different taste and characteristic than Nuits Saint George but both regions use Pinot Noir or Pinot Blanc to produce their wines!

So, in France wines are characterized and known by their regions rather than by their grapes.

I will get into details about each wine producing regions of France in my upcoming articles.

Author: Mike Samii
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Bumper guardian

Many wines with household names are produced in France – from the sparkling pleasures of champagne to the deep red wines of Bordeux, and much in between.

Most of the wine regions are also known as important tourist destinations (and would be even if wine was not grown nearby). Some of the regions that are best known for both fine wines and for tourist attractions include:

Alsace

You will be impressed by the photogenic houses and villages of much of Alsace, and a common way to plan a visit is to follow the Alsace Wine Route which runs north to south through the highlights of the region.

Bergerac

Best known for medium red wines, Bergerac is located in the Dordogne department – one of the most popular tourist destinations in France, with a myriad of ancient villages and castles to explore, and the beautiful scenery of the river and region itself.

Bordeaux

Renowned for some of the greatest names in wine, especially full-bodied red wine, you could visit several wine chateaux a day here and still barely scratch the surface. When you tire of wine tasting, the other local attractions include the UNESCO listed village of Saint Emilion, the ‘city of culture’ itself at Bordeaux, the pleasant Atlantic resort at Arcachon, and the biggest sand dune in Europe!

Burgundy

The Burgundy region is one of tradition, and of historical wealth, and includes many highlights from the medieval hospital at Beaune to the unspoiled countryside of Morvan – combined with some of the highly regarded wines produced in the region, this makes for a very inviting French destination.

Loire

Perhaps best known for the magnificent castles that follow the Loire as it heads westwards towards the Atlantic, there are also many fine wines (especially white wines) that are grown along the quiet Loire Valley. Note that the river itself is also a listed UNESCO world heritage site, and is one of the prettiest rivers in France.

Provence

Wine isn’t the main attraction in Provence – that honour is reserved for the Cote d’Azur, the perched villages of Luberon, the lavender fields of Drome Provencal…but be sure to find time to enjoy some of the local fine wines while enjoying the scenery of this lovely part of France.

Author: Marcus Smith
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty rate