France is long known to produce some of the best wines in the world. A wide variety of grapes are grown throughout the French appellations. We are all familiar with their refreshing and crisp white wines such as Chablis, Riesling and Pinot Gris, and the soft and elegant, but yet complex reds. We know that the best champagne and the finest cognacs come from France and each year, in late November, customers flood stores to purchase the traditional bottle of Beaujolais Nuevo. 

But, what’s in a bottle of Beaujolais? What is a Burgundy or Bordeaux? We know that a California Chardonnay is made from, the Chardonnay grape, but what goes into a Rhone or Alsace? French bottle labels can be a mystery because most don’t tell us what grapes are used to make the wine and we are left to guess. Some bottles will tell us they contain Chablis, while others say Chardonnay. In fact, both wines are made from the Chardonnay grape.

Before we go into some details of French grape varieties let’s look at a typical bottle label. Remember the typical California bottle label? Easy to read, straight forward and all the info you want, producer, varietal, vintage, alcohol contents, state and region, and vintage. The French government strictly controls all wine production and labeling, but nowhere do they state that the varietal, i.e. Merlot or Chardonnay, must appear anywhere on the label.

Unless you are a French wine Connosoire, you may have to guess what you will be drinking when you grab that French bottle of wine.

Before we look at some on the French wine regions, let's take a quick look at a typical French wine bottle label.

The following information is required by French or U.S. import laws to appear on each bottle of imported wine.

1. Alcohol strength – 12.5 by Vol. 
2. Country of origin – France 
3. Vintage – 2001
4. Volume – 750ml. 
5. Winery – Chateau De Pizay
6. Region of origin – Beaujolais – Appellation Beaujolais Controlee 
7. Name and address of bottler  - Mis en bouteille Au Chateau – par S.C.E.A. Domaine Chareau Pizay – Proprietaire-Recolant a Pizay-en-Beaujolais – 69220 France. (In this case the wine was produced and bottled by Pizay, but in some instances the producer and bottler may not be the same).
Not Shown: Name and address of importer – Imported by: U.S.A. Wine Imports, New York, NY. This information can be found on the back label, but on some bottles it is printed on the front. 

French Wine Regions
Let’s take a quick look at each wine region and see what is being produced there. A word of caution here for the “expert” reader. This overview is not intended to go into the excruciating details of specific classification such as: "crus paysans", "crus artisans" or "crus bourgeois ordinaires". 

Alsace
Alsace produces wine since the Roman conquest and is located in the Northeast corner of France. An area that is only1-3 miles wide and about 70 miles long. On the East the river Rhine separates it from Germany.

 Vineyards produce excellent refreshing white wines and their production is limited and exclusive among French production.

Grape varieties of the region:
White: Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Muscat d'Alsace,
Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc & Cremant d'Alsace
Red: Pinot Noir

Bordeaux
Most of the red grapes grown in this region are Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc which give vigour, tannin and good keeping qualities, and Merlot which brings softness and suppleness. White wines are primarily produced from Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle.

Bordeaux is the largest wine-producing region in the world, with an annual production of approximately 600 million bottles.

Predominant grapes grown:
Red: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec & Petit Verdot
White: Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle & Colombard. 

Bourgogne (Burgundy)
“The other” famous wine region in France, next to Bordeaux. Burgundy has had vineyards for more than 2,000 years and is one of the oldest wine regions in France. Burgundy has five wine districts that are famous and each creates its own distinct type of wine. There is Chablis, Côte d’Or, the Côte Chalonnaise, Mâconnais and Beaujolais. Let’s take a close look at two of them.

Beaujolais is one district of Burgundy. While technically part of Burgundy, the wines produced in this region are not taken as serious as other 
 

Burgundies. It produces one of the most famous red wines in the world. Beaujolais is, generally, light and fruity. It should be tasted slightly fresh and young.

There are four categories of wines in Beaujolais: 

1. Cru Beaujolais, in Brouilly

2. Beaujolais 

3. Beaujolais Supérieur, same as Beaujolais, but one degree more of alcohol.

4. Beaujolais-Village is a wine blended from some of the 39 designated villages. This wine is usually a dollar or two more per bottle, but well worth it.

Predominant grapes grown:
Red: Pinot Noir & Gamay
White: Chardonnay & Aligoté

Chablis is also a region within Burgundy and is located in the northern area. Chablis, the wine, is a white wine, made from the Chardonnay grape. 
Romans invading the area in the 500s brought along wine and in order to ensure a steady supply planted the first Chablis.
Through the next 1500 years the region experienced many wars and vine diseases like phylloxera.  It almost wiped out all the vines throughout Europe in the 1600th.
Chablis was set aside as an Appellation d'origine around 1937 - 1938. 
There are around 7,500 acres of land in the Chablis region, and four appellations. 
Grape varieties of the region:
Chablis and Beaujolais.

Champagne
Home to the famous champagne producer Moet-Chandon the largest of the Champagne houses. The next largest houses are Verve Clicquot, Mumm, Vranken, Pommery, Lanson and Vranken. 

Though Champagne is primarily a white wine, it is made from a blend of red and white grapes. The red grapes come from the valley of the Marne and the Montagne de Reims. The white grapes come from the Côte de Blancs.

All Champagne comes from France. All other Sparkling wines are just that, Sparkling Wines. They may be made using the same process as the wines of Champagne (Methode Champenoise), but they are not Champagne unless they come from the Champagne region.

Champagne is made according to strict rules regarding vineyard practices, vinification, maturation & marketing. Rosé or pink Champagne is made by adding a red Champenois wine to the blend or by a rosé vinification process using red grapes.

The region also produces a small volume of white and red wines (Coteaux Champenois) & rosé wines made from Pinot Noir in the Riceys region.

Appellations and special Champagne designations
Blanc de Blancs on the label indicate that the wine is made only from Chardonnay.
Premier or Grand Cru indicates that the grapes are from the best areas of the appellation. If the cuvée contains grapes from a single year, it will be vintage dated.

Grape varieties of the region:
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier

Corsica
Corsica island, off the French South coast, is affectionately called "L'île de beauté" (The beautiful island).

The wines produced on the island are generally delicious and only a handful is produced for export. Corsica offers subtle rosé and dry white wines.

They should be consumed young, fresh, as aperitif or to accompany a light meal.

Grape varieties of the region:
Red: Grenache, Cinsaut, Syrah, Nielluccio, Sciacarello
White: Vermentino, Russula Bianca

Jura
A small region, located in the Middle Eastern part of France, it is well know to good food, in particular cheeses, and good wine.
Winters are cold and ideal winter sports, but summers are plenty warm enough to grow and cultivate grapevines. Growth has shrunk however from about 19,000 acres just a hundred years ago, to “only” 1500 acres today.
The typical grapes found in this area is first Chardonnay and then Savignon. 

Grape varieties of the region:
Red: Poulsard & Trousseau, Pinot Noir
White: Chardonnay & Sauvignon

Loire 
The Loire Valley is a strip of land about 70 miles long, running from the middle western edge to below Paris. The region is best known for Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Most wineries are concentrated along the Loire River. The two wine types most recognize from this region are Sancerre, which is made from the Sauvignon Blanc grapes and Vouvray from the Chenin Blanc grapes

Wines from these grapes can be made in many different styles, in particular the Chenin Blanc (Vouvray), which can be dry or sweet, still or sparkling wines. 

Grape varieties of the region: Chening Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc.

Languedoc
Until recently and debatably still today, most French wines are produced in this area. The region is not known to make great wines, but technical improvements over the past few years have produced better grapes and winemaking skills. Apparently the region has caught the eyes of the U.S. producer Kendall-Jackson and Robert Mondavi as well trying to cash in on the potentials.

Grape varieties of the region:
Red: Cinsaut, Grenache, Carignan, Syrah & Mourvedre
White: Picpoul & Macabeu.

Cotes Du Rhone
Located in the southeastern area of France, this region produces well-made dry red wines. 

The Côte du Rhône (Rhône Valley) region is a long narrow area, which stretches along the Rhône banks. It begins just south of Lyon and finishes 125 miles further, just south of Avignon.

The climate is hot and sunny, more constant than in the other French wine producing regions. The soil is stony, mainly granitic.

Over 90% of Côtes du Rhône wines are red. They are generally thick, robust and the alcoholic content higher than that of most French wines.

Côtes du Rhône goes well with every day cooking, dishes based on chicken and not too strong cheeses.

Grape varieties of the region:
Red: Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault
White: Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier, Picpoul, Bourboulenc, Clairette

A Visit to Temecula Valley
When we think of wines from California, Napa Valley and Sonoma County come to mind first, but there is another valley that is less known, but produces equally well made wines and that is Temecula Valley.

Over the past year I had the opportunity to travel several times to the San Diego area. These are the kind of business trips nobody else wants. Long days, rough work and no time to play (these words are for my boss in the event he reads this). Being an efficient worker I did find a few hours on each trip to drive the 45 minutes to the Temecula Valley to visit two or three of the 16 or so wineries in that area.

Temecula Valley is nestled between rolling hills, approximately 50 miles east of San Diego. A few miles past the border patrol checkpoint on Highway 15 signs indicate directions to the “Wine Country”. There you’ll find approximately 16 or so wineries, some large and others small. 

I visited and tasted wines at Callaway, Falkner, Baily, Churon and many others. Some I visited multiple times because I liked the experience and atmosphere. Before hitting the tasting rooms I usually stop by at Callaway for something to eat. The restaurant overlooks part of their vineyards and provides a nice atmosphere and food. 

One winery that truly stands out from all the others is Cilurzo Vineyard and Winery. All wineries charge a small fee for tasting their wines. Depending on how many you wish to taste the fee can range between $5 and $25. At Cilurzo the fee is only $2, but even that the hostesses don’t demand in advance. They provide a very relaxed environment, are very knowledgeable about wines and it is a great experience to taste their wines. I totally agree with their motto "The Best Little Winery in Temecula Since 1968".  I was truly impressed with the quality of Cilurzo’s wines and it is a pity that they are not represented in Maryland. Their 2001 Chardonnay was enjoyable to drink, with lots of tropical fruit and touch of toast. I also tried their 1999 Petite Sirah Reserve. Full-bodied, with lots of herbs and spices. Probably goes very well with dark meats.

Another great experience is to visit Wilson Creek & Vineyards, but that’s not where it stops. People are friendly in most places and it’s easy to strike a conversation about your favorite grape. I highly recommend that the next time you are in the southern California area to take a day visit and learn about wines from the Temecula Valley. Details and driving directions can be obtained at www.temeculawines.org.