Some of the best fine wines from France include Pinot Blanc from the region of Alsace, Bordeaux, the Corton from the Burgundy regions, Champagne, the Merlot and Chardonnay from the Languedoc-Roussillon region, the Chenin Blanc and Pinot Noir from the Loire regions, and the Carignan and Clairette wines from the Rhone regions.

The Pinot Blanc is a full-bodied white wine grape, its origins coming from the well known Pinot Noir. The majority of these grapes are grown in the Alsace region. It’s complexion while on the vine is said to resemble that of the Chardonnay grape. Lamb, beef, or some soft cheeses go well with the Pinot Blanc.

The Corton is a Grand Cru wine. It can be made into a white and red wine, the red wine variety being one of the most powerful of the Cote de Beaune reds. This is not for early drinking, as it goes better with that of later dinner parties.

The Merlot is a red wine grape. It is one of the most popular of the fine wines of France, especially in the United States. This wine dates all the way back to the late eighteenth century. Pastas, stews, and duck go well with Merlot.

The Chardonnay is a white wine grape, grown almost anywhere wine is made. It is used in a variety of sparkling wines. The Chardonnay is the second most widely grown white grape in all of France, just behind Ugni Blanc. It goes quite nice with roast chicken or turkey.

The Chenin Blanc is a white wine grape. It is of a great variety, used to make anything from a dry wine to a dessert wine. In France, this is one of the more expensive wines, but is well worth the cost. The Chenin Blanc goes well with sushi and pork.

The Carignan is a red wine grape. It is blended with many different wines, including the aforementioned Merlot. It has many different flavors and aromas, including cherry and strawberry.

The Clairette is a white wine grape. It is one of the oldest of the southern grape varieties. Unlike some of the previous wines, this one is high in alcohol and low in acidity.

Whether you are looking for a white wine or a red wine, a dry wine or a dessert wine, this list of some of the finest wines from France is sure to delight the taste buds of anyone wanting to dabble in the tasting of a delicious wine.

Author: Ian Pennington
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Kind of a limited thinking, don’t you think? Either that, or we just don’t know what wine to buy! Is it cool to admit that, and try to learn more about other wines too, or no, we don’t need to admit anything, we have the best wines from California and other regions and that’s all there is to it?

Do you really believe that? Is that REALLY true?

The unbiased facts are as as follows: Even though we do stumble on to good wines from California, Oregon, Washington and other parts of North America, we have to logically realize that most of these wines produced here in the U.S. and Canada are made with French grapes, pinot noir, cabernet, merlot, syrah, etc. Now if we have chosen to utilize the cepage or the grapes from France to produce wines, which by the way, have completely different taste from the native regions of these grapes due to climate and terrain, then these grapes must be good enough to make wines in their own native regions. Is that a fair assessment? Logically and unbiasedly the answer has to be a yes. If we are sensible and logical people, then would it be fair to say, we also need to examine the wines produced by these grapes in their native land where they first came in to existence. Logically and unbiasedly the answer has to be a yes.

Now, if the above statement makes sense to most of us wine drinkers, then lets put some of these French wines to test and find out for ourselves if they’re good or not.

Here is a small list of French wines available in our markets that are friendly to our pocket books:

Red: Perrin Reserve(producer) or Parrallele(producer) Cote du Rhone from the Rhone valley, Montagne St. Emillion from Bordeaux

White: Muscadet Sevre et Maine from the Loire valley, Sancerre from the Loire valley

Rose’: Rose’ d’Anjou from the Loire valley

Put these wines to test at your own convenience, and please comment on this article. Thank you.

Author: Mike Samii
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White wines
Many will already be familiar with German wines. The Alsace-Lorraine area is inspired by some of that tradition. There are some very well-known grapes that give excellent white wines:

* Chardonnay

* Pinot Blanc

* Sauvignon Blanc

Just as I mentioned the German impact upon some white wines from France, the Riesling grape is very popular. There are many low-price wines (rather sweet), but certainly also some very fine Rieslings. Served chilled while the sun is baking is a lovely thing. Something you may want to remember for summer next year.

Red wines
There are quite a few grapes that provide interesting red wines:

* Cabernet Sauvignon

* Syrah

* Grenache

One of my personal favourites among pricey wines are either the Chinon wines from the Loire Valley or the especially the wine from 2004 entitled “Chteauneuf-du-Pape Cuve Grande Garde Saint-Benoit”. It’s a wine priced at roughly 12 here in Denmark, but truly fantastic. Amazing, however, that you can get wines in the Loire Valley at one third this price (ranging from 3,60-4,50 that will be just as good), but “Chteauneuf-du-Pape” signifies papal wine, and truly one can say that the papacy has had good taste in wine.

Facetiously one could say that since they can’t concentrate as much on lovely ladies, at least an interest in wine can be a very enjoyable experience.

Ross
There are many grapes that give ros wines you will want to taste:

* Grenache Gris

* Clairette

* Cinsault

Ross truly surprised me when we took our first vacation to France in 2006. In Denmark we might have ten-fifteen types of ros from mainly Spain and California – and later we began to see French ross also. But I was truly amazed when one of my very best friends, Cyril showed me a local supermarket called Gant. They had several rows of ross. You can imagine that for a couple like ours, where I have always preferred mature red wines and my wife previously liked semi-sweet white wines, then ross have taken both of us by storm. Previously I only knew of the Zinfandel ros wines from California, but I have taken both Greek and French ross very much to heart.

Voltaire’s philosophy
Notice this: there is no doubt that many abuse alcohol. In our society it is very easy to fall prey for that, but in moderation it is a true enjoyment. Voltaire once declared that “there was more philosophy in a bottle of wine than in many books”. He is truly right, but one needs to be mindful never to overdo that passion.

Good luck in discovering the same beauty as we have. When you visit France you owe it to yourself to take home many different bottles so you can experience some of the variety the French have truly implemented in many even smaller supermarkets. They don’t drink much of the wines that are exported, and guess what? I think they are wise enough even to export some of it so they can avoid digesting it themselves.

Author: Henrik Blunck
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The country of France has been one that has always taken pride in its food, and French wines are a very important part of that. Professional chefs have long been highly regarded in French society, and this has been true for hundreds of years. During the Middle Ages, lavish banquets were common, and during the time of Napoleon the ability of personal cooks and chefs to produce new and exotic dishes was almost revered. The French celebrated virtually everything with large meals and painstakingly prepared dishes, and enjoyed rich food for their everyday meals as well. To this day the French still consider food preparation and the making of wine an art form and go to great lengths to maintain a very high standard for the rest of the world.

Wine is also commonly enjoyed in France, and not saved for special occasions the way it is with some cultures. This no doubt has contributed to the reasons why French wines are of such high quality; after all, if you’re going to enjoy a beverage every day, it would only make sense that you would do everything to improve upon it and its varieties. Think of what happened with coffee in the United States in the last few years – since so many enjoy it every day, why not spruce it up a bit with some new varieties and improve the quality as much as possible?

Many grapes used by other winemakers actually originated in France and have long been a part of real wines from France. This means that many wines from other parts of the world are trying to imitate these wines from France. Some of the most well-known winemaking practices and processes were perfected on French wines before they were pursued by other winemakers around the world. The names of many regions such as Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne are well-known throughout the world, and have become synonymous with fine wines.

In the past few years, French wines have faced stiff competition from other regions around the world when it comes to the winemaking industry. It’s interesting to note however that French wines are available in such wide varieties from such diverse growers that some vineyards have suffered quite a bit due to this competition while other, more established wineries have been hardly affected at all. Some of the smaller, less quality, table wines have had a hard time keeping up while the most popular and more expensive wines are virtually untouched when it comes to their sales figures.

So it seems that French wines will always be considered the best when it comes to the winemaking industry, and since the French take such great pride in all things they produce, it’s really no wonder.

Author: David Cowley
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All kinds of wine are made in France, including the erroneous champagne; a sparkling wine can only be referred to as champagne is produced in the specific French region as the same name. This is just one clue to the dominance of France in the wine market in general, and another good example of how the regions of the country differ in their production.

Red wine and France are two concepts that go together effortlessly. Though the country is a fantastic manufacturer of white wine – with the Alsace region being much celebrated amid wine afficianados, thanks to the sweetness of the wine produced – it is with this wine that France really steps into the spotlight. Many of the red wines in the New World take their inspiration from the French wine makers, many of whom have been in operation for hundreds of years. French wine may not be as avant garde and exciting as that produced in California, but it has a touch of class to it that few can measure. It is the traditional of wine making and history in a glass.

France were the first country to coin the use of the phrase ‘terroir’, which is used to describe the type of land vines are planted in. The French have an absolute understanding of terroir, particularly in terms of which terrains and climates will produce the best wine. The French wine regions are thus mapped out according to the terroir of a particular area, with some regions specialising in a particular type of wine over any others. Though the word terroir may not be used as regularly, this understanding of the ground and soil’s effects on the quality and taste of wine has continued into the New World market.

The French red wines are particularly celebrated, with the most dominant red wine region being Bordeaux on the Atlantic coast. Numerous famous red wines are produced in this region, including instantly recognisable names such as Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, Chateau Latour and Chateau Margaux.

The Bordeaux French wines are typically a blend of some of the most popular red grape varieties; both Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon feature heavily. Cabernet Sauvignon is also produced as a varietal in Bordeaux, which is said to be among the best versions of the grape in the world.

With the exception of white wine dominant Alsace, all of the French regions have some production of red wine – the trick to finding the true gems is to go where red wine is the dominant in production. As a rule of thumb, the most southerly the region the more likely it is to produce excellent wine; Rhone and Provence are two other key examples. However, there is likely to be red wine produced locally in most of the regions, and with the French red wines endlessly enjoyable, there is much to see and try in the spiritual home of the wine making industry.

Author: Caterina Christakos
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Over the last several hundred years, French wines have been slowly becoming the most revered and most well known wines in the world. France produces, to many, some of the most familiar varietals, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah. Additionally, the names of many French wine regions such as Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne are also well-known throughout the world. The quality, techniques and styles used by French wine makers have been the benchmark for wine making in most wine-producing countries for many years.

Perhaps French wines are so loved by the world because the French so love their wine. French wine plays an important role in French identity and pride. However, over the last few decades, international competition in the wine industry has become more aggressive, and France’s status has been challenged both by new wine makers and by traditional wine countries in southern Europe. This fact combined with decreased domestic consumption of wine has forced some French vineyards to deal with struggling wine sales.

The complex regulations and traditions behind French wine making can be hard to understand, and the labels can be impossible to decipher. The central concept to understanding French wine is to know the difference between terroir wines and AOC wines. “Terroir wines” are designated by their place of origin, which is specified on labels of French wine. AOC rules closely define which grape varieties and winemaking practices are allowed in different winemaking regions also referred to as appellations. Each of France’s several hundred geographically defined appellations has a different list of wines it is allowed to produce. The rules must be followed by all producers who wish to use an AOC label on their wines.

Perhaps once of France’s most popular wines, Bordeaux is produced in a large wine making region on the Atlantic coast. The Bordeaux region has a long history of exporting its wines overseas, making in one of the most well-known French wines around the world. Bordeaux wines are known for having powerful, tannic flavors. And have become some of the most collected and treasured wines in the world. Although its red wines are the most loved, wine makers in the Bordeaux region also make some sweet white wines.

Author: Candis Reade
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