Wines from France

About wines from France

No other country in the world produces more excellent wine. Wine is so embedded in national culture and local traditions here that one could almost speak of a spiritual relationship. Even though per capita wine consumption has halved in the last 50 years and the national winegrowing area has also significantly decreased, France plays a unique role in the wine world. Bordeaux, Burgundy, and, of course, Champagne are world-renowned, yet the country boasts not just three, but 300 wine-growing regions.

Terroir - a controversial concept

France is also the birthplace of the term "terroir," for which no exact translation exists in any language. It defines wine as an expression of soil, climate, and human-created culture. This concept is viewed with considerable ambivalence in the wine world. Non-European wine-producing countries, in particular, see it more as a marketing ploy designed to cement the status of the "Old World" and France as the world's leading winemaker. A plausible perspective with some truth, but not enough to disqualify the concept. What would Pinot Noir be without Burgundy and its Cistercian monks? What would Cabernet Sauvignon be without the permeable gravel soils of Bordeaux? What would Champagne be without its chalky soils and the medieval experiments of Dom Pérignon? From our perspective, terroir describes the individual conditions of winemaking, its origins, and history, which are responsible for the respective characteristics in the glass—not just in France, but everywhere where wine is produced.

A turbulent history

French wine probably originated with the first vine plantings by the Greeks around 600 BC. The Romans were ultimately responsible for its systematic spread in Gaul, beginning in the Rhône Valley and expanding from the 2nd century onwards to Burgundy and Bordeaux. The spread of viticulture went hand in hand with Christian missionary work: the churches needed communion wine, and the monks saw it as their pious duty to cultivate it. With the Renaissance, it became a means of social distinction among the nobility and the wealthy middle classes, and demand within Europe rose sharply. By the 17th century, France had three times as much vineyard area as it does today.

In 1855, the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce compiled a classification of the numerous Bordeaux châteaux, which remains valid to this day. Around the same time, a fungal disease with devastating consequences appeared in French vineyards for the first time: Oidium (downy mildew) caused massive damage, almost leading to a total failure of the 1854 harvest. The only effective treatment – ​​sulfur, still used today – only averted the danger for a short time, as the next threat to French viticulture quickly emerged: phylloxera. Most likely introduced from America, this nasty insect attacks the roots of the vines, causing them and the entire plant to die. From 1863 onwards, it spread throughout France and almost completely destroyed the vines. It wasn't until 1910 that a cure was found in the form of grafting onto American rootstocks, but several grape varieties had already been eradicated.

The subsequent new plantings represented a new beginning that continues to be groundbreaking today. Starting in 1936, a precise geographical definition of growing areas was established, and strict production rules were established. The larger the area, the more generous the regulations. The smaller the so-called appellation, the stricter the rules regarding grape varieties, yield, and quality. The AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) system was born. Today, there are approximately 1,000 of these appellations; the rest are simply designated as "Landwein" (local wines) or IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée). In particular, the limitation of quantities imposed by new regulations led to more quality rather than quantity.

The global role model

Few winemakers today would deny that they have been influenced by the great wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, or the Rhône. France is the birthplace of several varietal-specific styles that are reproduced around the world or at least used as inspiration: Chardonnays or Pinot Noir from Burgundy; Bordeaux blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot; Sauvignon Blanc from the banks of the Loire; and, of course, the world-famous Champagne. Aging in French oak, aging on the fine lees, lees stirring, and malolactic fermentation are variations of vinification that are repeatedly used to bring wines to absolute refinement. But also Riesling, Sylvaner, and Gewürztraminer from Alsace; Beaujolais from southern Burgundy, Jura, Sud Ouest, and Provence—all names that stand for unique styles and outstanding qualities. Even the quantitatively important south of the country, with the Languedoc and Roussillon regions, has experienced a drastic increase in quality in recent decades. Thus, France preserves and celebrates its highly respected heritage while also reinventing and developing itself in the tension between tradition and modernity.