INTERNATIONAL WINES

France

AN INTRODUCTION
The wines range from very expensive high end wines popular all around the world to regular table wines that are sold only in France. Two concepts central to higher end French wines are the notion of "terroir", which links the style of the wines to the specic locations where the grapes are grown and the wine is made, and the Appellation d'Origine Contrle (AOC) system.

THE WINE REGIONS

Alsace Bordeaux Burgundy Champagne Corsica Jura Languedoc-Rousillon Loire Provence Rhone Savoy South-West France

GRAPE VARIETIES
Merlot Grenache Ugni Blanc Syrah Cabernet Sauvignon Chardonnay

QUALITY STANDARDS
Appellation rules closely dene which grape varieties and winemaking practices are approved for classication in each of France's several hundred geographically dened appellations, which can cover entire regions, individual villages or even specic vineyards.

QUALITY STANDARDS
4 Categories

Table Wines

QWPSR

Vin de Table

Vin de Pays

Vin Delimite de Qualite Superieure

Appellation dOrigine Controlee

QUALITY STANDARDS
Vin de Table: Requires only the producer and the designation that it is from France on the bottle. Vin de Pays: Carries with it a specic region within France and is less restrictive than AOC wines. eg. Cote du Rhone.

QUALITY STANDARDS
VDQS: Less strict than AOC, usually used for smaller areas or as a "waiting room" for potential AOCs. This category will be abolished at the end of 2011. AOC: Wine from a particular area with many other restrictions, including grape varieties and winemaking methods.

THE CONCEPT OF TERROIR

In many respects, French wines have more of a regional than a national identity, as evidenced by different grape varieties, production methods and different classication systems in the various regions. The concept of Terroir, which refers to the unique combination of natural factors associated with any particular vineyard. It includes such factors as soil, underlying rock, altitude, slope of hill or terrain, orientation toward the sun, and microclimate (typical rain, winds, humidity, temperature variations, etc.). Even in the same area, no two vineyards have exactly the same terroir, thus being the base of the Appellation d'origine contrle (AOC) system that has been model for appellation and wine laws across the globe.

READING THE WINE LABEL

READING THE WINE LABEL

READING THE WINE LABEL

THE WINE REGIONS

BORDEAUX: Bordeaux is a large region on the Atlantic coast, which has a long history of exporting its wines overseas. This is primarily a red wine region, famous for the wines Chteau Late-Rothschild, Chteau Latour, Chteau Mouton-Rothschild, Chteau Margaux and Chteau Haut-Brion from the Mdoc sub-region; Chteau Cheval Blanc and Chteau Ausone in Saint-milion; and Chteau Ptrus and Chteau Le Pin in Pomerol. The red wines produced are usually blended, from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and sometimes Cabernet Franc. Bordeaux also makes dry and sweet white wines, including some of the world's most famous sweet wines from the Sauternes appellation, such as Chteau d'Yquem. The red wines from the Bordeaux region are also called as clarets due to their historoical popularity at the court of the Queen of England.

THE WINE REGIONS

BURGUNDY: Burgundy or Bourgogne in eastern France is a region where red and white wines are equally important. Probably more terroir-conscious than any other region, Burgundy is divided into the largest number of appellations of any French region. The top wines from Burgundy's heartland in Cte d'Or command high prices. The Burgundy region is divided in four main parts: The Cote de Nuits (from Marsannay-La-Cote down to Nuits-Saint-Georges) The Cote de Beaune (from north of Beaune to Santenay) The Cote Chalonnaise The Maconnais Two parts of Burgundy that are sometimes considered as separate regions are: Beaujolais in the south, close to the Rhne Valley region, where mostly red wines are made in a fruity style that is usually consumed young. "Beaujolais Nouveau" is the only wine that can be legally consumed in the year of its production (Third week end of November) Chablis, halfway between Cte d'Or and Paris, where white wines are produced on chalky soil giving a more crisp and steely style than the rest of Burgundy. There are two main grape varieties used in Burgundy Chardonnay for white wines, and Pinot Noir for red. White wines are also sometimes made from Aligot, and other grape varieties will also be found occasionally.

THE WINE REGIONS

BURGUNDY

THE WINE REGIONS

CHAMPAGNE: Situated close to Luxembourg on the Eastern side of France, Champagne is home to some of the worlds best known sparkling wines. Usually wines are white or rose and some still wine is also produced. CORSICA: This island situated in the Mediterranean mainly produces table wines which are locally consumed. It has 9 AOC appellations.

THE CHAMPAGNE METHOD

THE WINE REGIONS

JURA: It is a small region in the mountains close to Switzerland where some unique wine styles, notably Vin Jaune and Vin de Paille, are produced. The region covers six appellations and is related to Burgundy through its extensive use of the Burgundian grapes Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Languedoc-Roussilon: It is the largest region in terms of vineyard surface, and the region in which much of France's cheap bulk wines have been produced.