The Wine of France

WINEMAKING IN FRANCE dates back to pre-Roman times, although it was the Romans who disseminated the culture of the vine and the practice of winemaking throughout the country. The range, quality and reputation of the fine wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Rhone, and Champagne in particular have made them role models the world over. France's everyday wines can be highly enjoyable too, with plenty of good value wines now emerging from the southern regions.

WINE REGIONS ~ each of the 10 principal wine-producing regions has it own identity, based on grape varieties, climate and local culture. Appellation controlee laws guarantee a wine's origins and style.

HOW TO READ A WINE LABEL ~ Even the simplet label will provide a key to the wine's flavour and quality. It will bear the name of the wine and its producer, its vintage if there is one, and whether it come from a strictly defined area (appellation controlee or VDQS) or is a more general vin de pays or vin de table. It may also have a regional grading, as with the crus classes in Bordeaux. The shape and colour of the bottle is also a guide. Most good-quality wine is bottled in green glass, which helps to protect it from light.

HOW WINE IS MADE ~ Wine is the product of the juice of freshly picked grapes, after natural or cultured yeast have converted the grape sugars into alcohol during the fermentation process. The yeast, or lees, are normally filtered out before bottling.


Early drinking wines may be filtered straight into their bottles, but barrels are used to age many finer wines. The flavours imparted by the oak are an integral part of many wines' identities - for example, the tobaccoey, "wood-shavings" character of red Bordeaux.