The Major French Wine Regions and the Grape Varieties Used to Produce Their Wines

French wine can be so confusing since most French wines identify the region in which they are produced on the label and usually don’t show the grape varietal used to make the wine.

So, here are several of the major wine regions in France and the grapes used in their wines:

Alsace: Wines of this region include Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer. Contrary to most of France, wine labels on Alsace wines list the grapes used.

Bordeaux: The Gironde Estuary divides the Bordeaux region into the Right Bank and the Left Bank. The Bordeaux region produces nearly 90% red wines that are usually blends. The Right Bank is dominated by Merlot while the Left Bank is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon. Additionally, their red wine blends may include Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenère. In January of 2021, the governing body in Bordeaux allowed four new red varieties, including Touriga Nacional, Marselan, Castets, and Arinarnoa. But, these grapes may only account for five percent of the planted vineyard area, and a maximum of ten percent of a wine blend.

Burgundy: A red Burgundy is a Pinot Noir while a white Burgundy is a Chardonnay.

Beaujolais: While considered its own growing region, Beaujolais is also considered part of Burgundy. This region produces wines from the Gamay grape. Legally, most producers may use up to 15% of white varieties in the blend, but almost all the region's red wine is 100% Gamay.  Less than 2% of Beaujolais wine are white, being produced with Chardonnay.

 Chablis: All white wines produced in Chablis are made exclusively from the Chardonnay grape.

Champagne: The Champagne region is best known for their sparkling wine which is most commonly produced by blending Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.

Languedoc-Rousillon: This region is best known for Grenache and Carignan blends.

Loire Valley: More than half of the Loire Valley wines are white, mostly from Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc grapes. Red wines are produced from the Cabernet Franc grape.

Provence: This region produces crisp, dry roses and red blends. The grapes include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Vernentino (a.k.a. Rolle).

Rhone Valley: The red wines from the Rhône Valley are focused on Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre grapes and commonly a blend of the three which is often referred to as GSM.  The white wines may include Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, Clairette, Bourboulenc and Grenache Blanc.

French Wine - Simplified

One of the most confusing subjects for American consumers is trying to understand wines from France. The wine labeling system in France is mostly based on region or appellation, not by the type of grape used to produce the wine.

So, here are some broad generalities regarding the wines from the various regions in France:

Bordeaux - The majority of wines from Bordeaux are red blends. The Left Bank wines are generally based on Cabernet Sauvignon while the Right Bank wines are based on Merlot. These blends may include Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot and Malbec and Carmenère. Bordeaux's white wines are generally blends of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc. Muscadelle may also be used in small quantities.

Champagne - This is the name of the world’s most famous sparkling wine. And, yes, it’s from the Champagne region of France. Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier (both of which are purple grapes) and Chardonnay are the primary grape varieties used to make Champagne.

Burgundy - The red wines from Burgundy are Pinot Noir and the white wines are Chardonnay.

Beaujolais - This region is famous for wines made from the Gamay grape.

Loire Valley - This region’s red wine is dominated by Cabernet Franc but the Loire Valley also grows Pinot Noir, Malbec (you may see it as Côt) and Gamay. White wines are Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Muscadet (also known as Melon de Bourgogne) and Chardonnay.

Rhone Valley - This region is best known for its red blends of Granache, Syrah and Mourvèdre (GSM) and white blends of Marsanne and Roussanne.

There are plenty of books completely devoted to the study of French wines. But, if you’re just walking down the wine aisle trying to decide on a French wine, I hope these simple notes help. Cheers!

More on the Wine Term "Cru" regarding the French Regions of Burgundy and Bordeaux

Last time we started exploring the word “Cru” as it relates to wine. The simple translation of Cru is growth. This is really referring to a special or unique wine growing area. While this area can be a single growing site, it can also be a larger region of land that includes many vineyards and wineries. Again, that’s the simple explanation. Now, let’s explore the term Cru at the next level - a Cru in France. Specifically, Burgundy and Bordeaux.

The wine classification system in Burgundy is somewhat simple. All vineyards in Burgundy are classified into a Cru hierarchy. The ‘Grand Cru’ is the highest level. There are 33 Grand Crus in Burgundy that are their own appellation. Premier Cru wines are a step below the Grand Cru and hence are less expensive and typically a much better value. Below the Premier Cru are the ‘Village’ wines and the generic Bourgogne category at the bottom of the hierarchy. As I said, pretty simple.

Then there’s Bordeaux. Unfortunately, the term Cru is used much differently in Bordeaux.

Bordeaux uses a system called the Grand Cru Classé quality classification system, and it’s tied to a specific Chateau or Estate (i.e., winery), rather than a vineyard. This system was established in 1855 and applies only to Left Bank Chateaus in the regions of Médoc, Graves and Sauternes. In these three regions, vineyards are ranked from first to fifth growths. And, believe it or not, these rankings are based on the vineyards’ value as they were in 1855!

So, the first growths are called Premiers Crus, while second through fifth growth Crus are individually numbered Crus classés. Are you still with me?

Then, there’s the Right Bank of Bordeaux. While the Pomerol region isn’t classified at all, the Saint-Émilion region really steps up the confusion level one more notch.

St.-Émilion has two Chateau-based quality classifications, except that there’s a separate third category. At the top of the system is Premier Grands Crus Classés followed by Grands Crus Classés. The third category, Cru Borgeois, is not tied to a specific chateau or geographical subzone.

So, if you made it this far in this discussion of the French Crus of Burgundy and Bordeaux, thank you. If your head is spinning, don’t worry. Me too! This is a bit of a complex subject.

For more information on the wines of Burgundy and Bordeaux, please follow these links.

Cheers!

Ever Wonder What the Wine Word "Cru" Means?

If you’ve every shopped for French wine, you’ll find their wine labels can be quite different than those in the U.S. And, somewhat confusing. With French wines, and others, the term Cru can show up on the label. So, let take a look at what that term means.

Simply translated, Cru means growth. Typically, it refers to a special or unique growing area. Somewhat like an American AVA (e.g., Napa Valley), a French Cru can be a growing site or it can be a larger region of land that includes many vineyards and wineries. This term is also closely tied to the French term terrior that sums up the entirety of the location, soil, climate and elevation of a wine growing region.

The term Cru can also have different meaning within France’s wine regions, just as it can also be applied differently in other countries. And to make things even more confusing, the term isn’t regulated outside of France.

So, next time we’ll look at how the term Cru is applied to wines from Burgundy and Bordeaux. Until then, Cheers!

Try A Different Wine for a Change

I just took a week-long trip to the east coast. Not a wine-focused trip. But, nonetheless, I did pick up a couple bottles to enjoy in the evenings. Being a Californian, it's really easy to immediately look on the shelves for a nice California wine.  But, this time I decided to try a different wine for a change.

Being on the east coast, and a bit closer to Europe (well, nearly halfway there!), I decided to pick one bottle of wine from France and one from Italy. While it can seem really tough to pick out French and Italian wines, I came at it from a simple approach. I simply looked for wines any wines that were in my typical price range. 

I started with the French wines.  I spotted several upper-shelf wines that fit the price range. But, then I spotted a Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  Knowing that great red blends come from this region, I picked up the bottle.

Then, I turned my attention to the Italian wines.  Again, scanning the upper shelves, I spotted several bottles of Chianti.  And, seeing a 2012 Chianti Classico Riserva (and spotting the Black Rooster), I picked it up. (And, yes, the 'Riserva' truly distinguishes it from the more common Chianti.)

In both cases, I was very pleased with each bottle of wine.  The Châteauneuf-du-Pape (a blend of up to 13 varietals) was rich and flavorful while the Chianti had wonderful bright cherry flavor.

I could have gone with a couple of bottles of go-to wine from California, but I'm really glad I tried something a bit different. And, you should too. It's a fun way to get exposed to some different flavors. And, you'll probably be pleasantly surprised with your choices.

Cheers!