A PATH THROUGH FRENCH WINE
Explore French wine
in 4 stages.
From geography and appellation reviews, move on to regional comparisons and producer winemaking choices.
You can proceed in order or start from any chapter you wish to review.
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ORIENTATION
Organize geography and appellations.
Analyze regions in terms of sea, mountains, and rivers, and distinguish between AOC, AOP, and classification systems.
3 ARTICLES- Overview↗
France from the perspective of sea, mountains, and rivers
Bordeaux, Alsace, the Loire, and the Rhône: Even within France, the sea’s influence, the position of the mountains, and the riverine terrain differ. Check the regions on a map and compare the environments in which grapes grow.
- Appellations & winemaking↗
AOC, AOP, IGP, and region-specific classifications
AOC, AOP, Grand Cru, château classifications. Separate what label terms indicate: area, production conditions, vineyard, or producer.
- Appellations & winemaking↗
Interpreting climat and Cru
In Burgundy, Climat does not refer to general climate but to a named vineyard plot. Read without conflating place name, classification, and ownership.
CONNECTIONS
Link major varieties to regions.
Learn about the main grape varieties for white and red, as well as key regions and differences in blending and winemaking.
8 ARTICLES- Grapes↗
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
The two Bordeaux varieties can be compared not only with descriptive adjectives but also based on their ripening times and vineyard conditions. Confirm what remains constant in the blends and what changes.
- Grapes↗
Pinot Noir
Burgundy produces reds, while Champagne also produces white sparkling wines. How to handle black grape skins links the different wine styles from the same variety.
- Grapes↗
Chardonnay
Chablis, Côte de Beaune, Champagne. Even though all these white wines are made from Chardonnay, site conditions, fermentation vessels, and whether or not the wine is sparkling all differ.
- Grapes↗
Sauvignon Blanc
Comparing Loire and Bordeaux whites means there are occasions to consider the same variety on its own and as a blend.
- Grapes↗
Chenin Blanc
Dry, sweet, and sparkling. With Chenin from the Loire, you can study differences in harvest and fermentation using a single grape.
- Grapes↗
Syrah and Grenache
Two black grape varieties that link the Northern and Southern Rhône. Compare differences in grape varieties, as well as differences between single-varietal wines and blends separately.
- Grapes↗
Riesling
White grape varieties in Alsace vineyards. After adding place names and dry/sweet information to the grape variety name, compare them.
- Grapes↗
Gamay
From the name Nouveau to Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent. Even for the same Gamay grape, choices regarding vineyard and extraction or maturation will differ.
EXPLORATION
Around the 14 regions and winemaking
From the Atlantic side to inland, the Mediterranean, and the islands. Interpret varieties, appellations, and winemaking specific to each region.
16 ARTICLES- Regions↗
Bordeaux
Once you’ve learned Left and Right Bank, link rivers and blends. Bordeaux includes not just reds, but also dry and sweet whites.
- Regions↗
Burgundy
Even with the same Pinot Noir or Chardonnay, the place name on the label can range from regional to village to vineyard. First line up the places the name refers to by scope.
- Regions↗
Champagne
Champagne is both a region name and an appellation. The term cannot be used based solely on the method of secondary fermentation in bottle.
- Regions↗
Loire
From Muscadet at the river mouth, to Anjou, Saumur, Touraine, and the Central Vineyards. As you follow the river, both the white grape varieties and the wine styles change.
- Regions↗
Rhône
Northern Rhône Syrah-based blends, and Southern Grenache-based blends. Even along the same river, the landscape and grape composition change.
- Regions↗
Alsace
Vineyards extending east of the Vosges Mountains. In addition to noting that this is a northeastern region, read about the conditions where the mountains block rainfall.
- Regions↗
Beaujolais
Do not memorize Gamay’s regions only by Nouveau. Let names such as Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent guide you towards vineyard and maturation differences.
- Regions↗
Provence
When you see a pale rosé, do not determine its lightness or sweetness by color alone; check the variety and how the skins are handled. Conditions also differ between coastal and inland vineyards.
- Regions↗
Languedoc
From coastal plains to inland hills. Compare broad Languedoc and more restricted appellations, distinguishing the range of place names.
- Regions↗
Roussillon
Banyuls and Rivesaltes sweet wines, alongside dry reds, whites, and rosés. In Roussillon, how fermentation is handled, as well as the grape varieties, is key for comparison.
- Regions↗
Jura
Savagnin is a grape variety; Vin Jaune is a wine defined by its production and requirements. Differentiating the two names is the starting point for comparing Jura whites.
- Regions↗
Savoie
Alpine wines are not always from vineyards at high peaks. Vineyards of Jacquère, Altesse, Mondeuse and others are scattered on slopes near valleys and lakes.
- Regions↗
Southwestern region
Malbec in Cahors, Tannat in Madiran, and Manseng varieties in Jurançon. Do not consider the South-West simply as an extension of Bordeaux.
- Regions↗
Corsica
Niellucciu, Sciacarellu, Vermentinu. Understand the Mediterranean island through its indigenous names and vineyard locations.
- Appellations & winemaking↗
Champagne process breakdown
The sugar added at tirage and the dosage sugar serve different purposes. Trace the steps in order: second fermentation, aging on lees, disgorgement, and finishing.
- Appellations & winemaking↗
Compare mechanisms by which sweetness is retained
Late harvest, noble rot, drying, mutage. Vocabulary for sweet wine production includes both manipulations that change the grapes and interventions in the fermentation process.
DEEPER READING
Compare vineyard and producers.
From the Chablis area, Margaux plots, red and white Clos des Mouches, and Bollinger’s blends.
4 ARTICLES- Regions↗
Chablis
Chablis is not the name of a grape, but of a place and appellation in northern Burgundy. From that shared Chardonnay, explore site and classification differences.
- Producers↗
Château Margaux
Even at the same château, the blend and harvest timing differ between 2021 and 2022. Link the Cabernet Sauvignon percentages of 87% and 92% to vineyard decisions and selection criteria.
- Producers↗
Joseph Drouhin
Use Clos des Mouches to demonstrate separating the vineyard name and producer. Comparing Drouhin’s red and white, and Chanson’s white shows that differences worth considering can remain even with the same name.
- Producers↗
Bollinger
Pinot Noir 60% in the Special Cuvée, and 61% in the La Grande Année 2014. Even with similar varietal percentages, the comparison focus shifts based on how the harvest years are combined and the winemaking and aging.
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