France is among the largest producers of wine with over ten thousand winegrowers.

Wines from France

France and Wines – An Overview

France has more than sixty various winegrowing appellations. We can learn from this, that France has a unique collaboration with wines and wine production.

If we see the quantity of winemaking in France, we’ll be stunned to know that the country is producing almost fifty to sixty hectoliters (equals seven to eight billion bottles) each year.

The wines that are being produced in the country range from modest wines to top-end varieties that are world famous.

The country is the native place for several varieties of wine grapes that are currently planted all around the planet.

Several of the winemaking methods, as well as styles, are all adopted by the world from France!

Why so many Varieties of Wines in France?

You may wonder why the country has so many varieties of wines. But the reason for this diversity is the broad range of climatic conditions in the country.

For instance, you can see that the climate of Champagne, which is located in the northern part of France, is the coolest. In contrast to this, Bordeaux, which forms the southwest part of the country, has a more or less maritime climate.

Apart from the climatic conditions, geology and topography also play major roles for the diversity of wines.

The huge number of wine regions, as well as the sub-regions in the country, reflects the diversity of soil types and their landscapes.

Each and every sub-region in France can be defined by its unique geography and it is attributed to be responsible for the special characteristics of wines produced in these regions.

The Appellation System for French Wines

The history of appellation system for wines that are being produced in France can be dated back to 1935 when several laws came into force for controlling the quality of wines.

The appellation system for French wines is called Appellation d’origine contrôlée system being governed by Institut national des appellations d’origine, (INAO).

However, this system was under revision since the year 2006 to bring the new system into force from the year 2012.

The newly reformed appellation system for French wines consists only three categories instead of four which was in the former system.
The categories that are included in the new system are:

• Vin de France: This is the category of table wines which replaced the former Vin de Table. This category allows grape variety, as well as vintage, to be specified on the label.
• Indication géographique protégée (IGP): This is an intermediate category of French wines that came as a replacement for Vin de Pays.
• Appellation d’origine protégée (AOP): This is the highest category of French wines that came as a replacement for Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) wines.

What are the Wine Styles available in France?

In France, almost all the common wine styles are available. They are namely:

• Red wines
• Rosé wines
• White wines:
  • Dry
  • Semi-sweet
  • Sweet
• Sparkling wines
• Fortified wines

France produces low-cost versions, simple versions and also the world famous versions in most of the above-mentioned styles except for the fortified wines which are available only within the country.

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