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French Wine Label Basics:<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. Vintage Now that we have covered the basics, let’s highlight some of France’s most prominent wine regions, the grapes grown there, and the styles of wine produced, along with specific regional phraseology. <\/p>\n Bordeaux<\/strong> Primary Red Grapes – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Carmenere The region is divided by the Gironde Estuary. The regions to the West, or “Left Bank,” of the river produce wines based upon Cabernet Sauvignon, while the regions to the East, or “Right Bank,” of the river produce wines based primarily on Merlot.<\/p>\n Major Left Bank Regions<\/em> – M\u00e9doc, St. Julien, Pauillac, St. Estephe, Margaux, Graves, Pessac-L\u00e9ognan Burgundy<\/strong> Primary Grapes – Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gamay There are five main sub-regions of Burgundy, each with its own distinct style. From North to South: Nowhere else in the world are single parcels and vineyards so prized as in Burgundy. The two highest levels of quality in Burgundy are based solely around single vineyard wines, emphasizing the distinct characteristics of that particular place.<\/p>\n Grand Cru – the 33 most famous single vineyards in Burgundy Alsace<\/strong> Primary Grapes – Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Muscat Alsace also utilizes a “grand cru” designation with over 50 of its top vineyards classified as such. Although most of the wines produced here are crisp, un-oaked whites, there are two tiers of high quality dessert wine, as well: Vendange Tardive and S\u00e9lection de Grains Nobles.<\/p>\n Rh\u00f4ne<\/strong> Primary Grapes – Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Viognier The Rh\u00f4ne Valley is a tapestry of sub-regions, each with its own specific style and blending requirements. With a scorching climate, the sub-regions of the Southern Rh\u00f4ne are based around blending the grapes, Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre (GSM). The cooler temperatures of the Northern Rh\u00f4ne allow for single varietal wines of great purity, primarily Syrah for red and Viognier for white.<\/p>\n Major N. Rh\u00f4ne Regions<\/em> – Hermitage, Cornas, Cote Rotie, Condrieu Not to be confused with the Chardonnays from the Pouilly-Fuiss\u00e9 region of Burgundy, Pouilly-Fum\u00e9 is made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes.<\/p>\n Loire<\/strong> Primary Grapes – Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Melon de Bourgogne Similar to the Rh\u00f4ne region, the Loire is comprised of many sub-regions, each focusing on specific grapes and styles.<\/p>\n Dry, crisp Sauvignon Blanc<\/em> – Sancerre, Pouilly-Fum\u00e9 French Wine Label Basics: 1. Vintage 2. Producer 3. Appellation title or “sub-region” 4. Region and style 5. Translates as “bottled at the estate” 6. Alcohol content 7. Winery address 8. Volume Now that we have covered the basics, let’s highlight some of France’s most prominent wine regions, the grapes grown there, and the styles…<\/p>\n
\n2. Producer
\n3. Appellation title or “sub-region”
\n4. Region and style
\n5. Translates as “bottled at the estate”
\n6. Alcohol content
\n7. Winery address
\n8. Volume<\/p>\n
\nLocated in the southwest corner of France, this region’s bold red blends, based around Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, are the benchmarks by which all other wines of this style are compared. Although there are dry and sweet white wines made primarily of Sauvignon Blanc and S\u00e9millon, this is predominately a red wine region.<\/p>\n
\nGeneral Style – full-bodied, dry, earthy red wines<\/p>\n
\nMajor Right Bank Regions<\/em> – Pomerol, St. \u00c9milion<\/p>\n
\nLocated far inland near the eastern border of France, Burgundy is the one region equally famous for both its reds and whites. Comprised of dozens of small villages and vineyards that were sectioned off by the Cistercian monks hundreds of years ago, Burgundy is the most intricate vineyard land in the world.<\/p>\n
\nGeneral Style – elegant, light-bodied, dry reds and expressions of Chardonnay that range from steely and crisp to richly oaked.<\/p>\n
\nChablis <\/em>– crisp, generally un-oaked Chardonnay
\nC\u00f4te d’Or<\/em> – further subdivided into two regions, the C\u00f4te de Nuits in the North (primarily Pinot Noir) and the C\u00f4te de Beaune in the South (primarily Chardonnay). This is where most of Burgundy’s top vineyards or grand crus are located.
\nC\u00f4te Chalonnaise<\/em> – high quality reds and whites
\nMaconnais<\/em> – good quality Chardonnay, most famously from Pouilly-Fuiss\u00e9
\nBeaujolais<\/em> – focused on the Gamay grape<\/p>\n
\nPremier Cru (or 1er Cru) – over 500 single vineyards of exceptional quality
\nVillage Wine – wines made from grapes surrounding a single village, where the village is actually the name of the wine (examples: Pommard, Mercurey, Rouilly, Volnay)
\nBourgogne – wines made from any grapes grown anywhere in Burgundy<\/p>\n
\nLocated in the far northeast corner of France, bordering Germany, this region has a long history of Germanic influence with respect to grape varietals, while the winemaking reflects a distinctively French influence. These are the easiest labels within France to understand: they are mostly labeled by grape varietal.<\/p>\n
\nGeneral Style – crisp, dry whites, with some delicious dessert wines<\/p>\n
\nLocated in the southeast corner of France, the Rh\u00f4ne River flows through some of the country’s most diverse vineyard land on its way to the Mediterranean Sea. This is a region of extremes, from the searing hot regions in the Southern Rh\u00f4ne to the frigid windswept mountains of the Northern Rh\u00f4ne.<\/p>\n
\nGeneral Style – wild, gamey reds; rich, aromatic whites; and bone-dry ros\u00e9s<\/p>\n
\nMajor S. Rh\u00f4ne Regions<\/em> – Ch\u00e2teauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Vacqueyras
\nMajor Ros\u00e9-producing Regions<\/em> – Tavel, Provence<\/p>\n
\nLocated in the heart of France, the Loire is the country’s longest river. Draining from the Central Massif mountain range, the Loire river runs steadily west, passing through over fifty sub-regions on its way to the Atlantic. This is the most difficult region in France to learn, as virtually every possible style of wine is made here.<\/p>\n
\nGeneral Style – racy, herbaceous, mineral-driven reds and whites, as well as a large quantity of sparkling, sweet, and ros\u00e9 wines<\/p>\n
\nWild, savory Cabernet Franc<\/em> – Chinon, Bourgueil
\nFruity, dry ros\u00e9s and high quality sparkling wines<\/em> – Anjou-Saumur
\nRich, yeasty Melon de Bourgogne<\/em> – Muscadet
\nDramatic Chenin Blanc, from sweet to dry<\/em> – Savennieres, Vouvray<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"