French wines

France is one of the strongest wine-producing countries, with a history dating back to 600 BC and which owes its impulse to the Gallic population, who first planted the vine in the colony of Massalia, present-day Marseille, in Provence . Thanks to a focus placed immediately on the quality and evolution of winemaking techniques, French wines have become over time a reference model that anyone who wanted to produce wine has tried to imitate as well as an essential source of inspiration from which to draw.

Among the fundamental stages of the French contribution to international enology there is certainly the introduction of a legislative system for the protection of quality, in which the wines with denomination of controlled origin, the so-called Appellation of Origin Contrôlée , are distinguished by higher quality (AOC) from which the Italian DOC wines also originate, and to descend the wines of superior quality, the Vins Délimités of Qualité Superieure , the local wines or Vin de Pays and the table wines or Vin de Table . But the most stringent definition of the concept of terroir is also among the merits of the French , understood as the magical combination that is created between climate and soil capable of generating distinctive characteristics in the final wine, unrepeatable elsewhere.

The importance of the link with the territory is such that in France it is possible to recognize 14 distinct wine regions.

The first region to mention is the incomparable Bordeaux , whose fame is driven by legendary wines born within the historical estates (or château ), almost all of which come from the Haut-Médoc , 60 of the 61, "classified" in 5 levels or growths in 1855 during the Paris Universal Exposition. All 61 "classified" wines are recognized as Grand Cru Classés . The First Growths recognized all over the world are Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Latour, Château Margaux and Château Haut-Brion, to which was added in 1973 the C hâteau Mouton-Rothschild , exceptionally fished by Second Growths for the quality level achieved and his constancy. Among the French wines classified, the only sweet wine in this exceptional ranking should not be forgotten, namely Sauternes Château d'Yquem . Great wines that still retain their prestige today and continue to be appreciated by all wine connoisseurs. Bordeaux is the classic Bordeaux blend, whose main varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot , accompanied by Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec , in various proportions. Furthermore, in the Bordeaux region, particular recognition is reserved for individual vineyards, considered more suitable than others, to which the name of Premier Cru or Grand Cru is assigned, in increasing order of quality of the grapes produced.

Another pillar of French oenology is undoubtedly Burgundy , a land of wines with a strong territorial connotation, where marked differences a few meters between one plot and another give life to wines with unique characteristics. The attention paid to the construction of quality and the rarity of these bottles do the rest. In Burgundy we find areas famous for red wines, entirely made with grapes of the Pinot Noir variety, such as the Côte d'Or , which can be broken down into Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune, and excellent whites with a characteristic hint of flint like Chablis . Here too there is a distinction in Premier Cru and Grand Cru, although intended in the opposite direction, but unlike Bordeaux, these additional terms are integrated into the regulatory system.

Beaujolais, a region technically annexed to Burgundy, but for practical reasons considered in itself, it is characterized by the production of delicious red, exuberant and fruity wines, also including 10 Beaujolais Cru from which originate wines that obtain a superior consideration by of experts.
Another area renowned for the production of reds is the sunny and warm Rhone Valley from which full and robust red wines made from Grenache grapes originate, sometimes in co-presence with Syrah in the blend to give more gritty expressions. The districts best known to the general public are undoubtedly Hermitage and Cornas in the northern part, while in the southern part Châ teauneuf-du-Pape , home of great rich and concentrated red wines that are round and ripe at the same time. Also from the Rhone are the rosé Tavel and Lirac, which accompany the great rosé wines of Provence appreciated all over the world.

On the white wines front, in addition to the aforementioned Chablis of Burgundy, the Loire Valley , where the Sauvignon Blanc grape variety finds two areas of choice in Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé , often confused with white entirely made from Chardonnay grapes Pouilly-Fuissé , instead coming from the district of Mâ con, in Burgundy. And then Alsace , where splendid white grape varieties, such as Riesling , Pinot Grigio, Pinot Blanc and Gewürztraminer , which find favorable conditions for their growth here, combine with a characteristic flavor of spices, offering truly extraordinary results.

The abbot Dom Pérignon was responsible for the invention of the champenoise method used to make one of the most fascinating and prestigious sparkling wines in the world: Champagne . The only absolute that it is possible to produce only in this region, for the incredible marriage between the production technique and the pedo-climatic characteristics of this territory, resulting among the most refined bubbles in the world, and for this reason it is often combined with the concepts of luxury and of opulence. The vines used are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, often accompanied by Pinot Meunier. The champagne of white grapes only takes the name of Blanc de Blancs , while those of black grapes only, of Blanc de Noirs. Each champagne is the result of the range in which it is produced: there are 4 areas in which the region is divided, Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, C ô te des Blancs / C ô te de Sézanne and C ô te des Bar , some more suitable than others, within which you can find more suitable particles than others, identifiable through the mentions Premier Cru and Village Grand Cru. And the style of each house, celebrated in the Brut dosage and exalted in the maximum expression called Cuvée de Prestige . The perfect union of both these elements gives rise to high-sounding names, of the caliber and allure of Louis Roederer , author of the famous Cristal, Dom Pierre Pérignon, Krug Clos d'Ambonnay, Bollinger, Ayala, Billecart-Salmon , Charles Heidsieck , Salon.

Other excellent quality sparkling wines are found among the illustrious Crémants of Burgundy and Alsace, who see the most important vines of these different regions brought to levels of excellence in the sparkling version.

Other wine - growing regions such as Languedoc-Roussillon , Corsica , Jura and Savoy , South-West France, accompany each of the aforementioned ones, each with peculiar wines, to be known, which will surely observe a rebirth and renewed interest in the next future.