French wine is produced throughout all of France in quantities between 50 and 60 million per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France is one of the largest wine producers in the world.
Two concepts central to the better French wines are the notion of terroir, which links the style of the wines to the locations where the grapes are grown and the wine is made, and the Protected designation of origin ( Appellation d'Origine Protégée, AOP) system, named Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) until 2012. Appellation rules closely define which grape varieties and winemaking practices are approved for classification in each of France's several hundred geographically defined appellations, which can cover regions, villages or vineyards.
France is the source of many grape varieties (such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot noir, Sauvignon blanc, Syrah) that are now planted throughout the world, as well as wine-making practices and styles of wine that have been adopted in other producing countries. Although some producers have benefited in recent years from rising prices and increased demand for prestige wines from Burgundy wine and Bordeaux wine, competition from New World wines has contributed to a decline in the domestic and international consumption of French wine to 40 liters per capita.
History
French wine originated in the 6th century BCE, with the colonization of Southern
Gaul by
ancient Greeks settlers.
Viticulture soon flourished with the founding of the Greek colony of
Marseille. Wine has been around for thousands of years in the countries on the Mediterranean but France has made it a part of their civilization and has considered wine-making as art for over two thousand years. The Gauls knew how to cultivate the vine and how to prune it. Pruning creates an important distinction in the difference between wild vines and wine-producing grapes. Before long, the wines produced in Gaul were popular all around the world.
[ Medieval France: an encyclopedia, William Westcott Kibler, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, p. 964.] The Roman Empire licensed regions in the south to produce wines. St. Martin of Tours (316–397) spread Christianity and planted
.
[Patrick, Charles H. Alcohol, Culture, and Society. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press, 1952, pp. 26–27.] During the
Middle Ages,
monks maintained vineyards and, more importantly, conserved wine-making knowledge and skills during that often turbulent period. Monasteries had the resources, security and inventiveness to produce a steady supply of wine for Mass and profit.
[Babor, Thomas. Alcohol: Customs and Rituals. New York: Chelsea House, 1986, p. 11.] The best vineyards were owned by the monasteries and their wine was considered to be superior.
[Patrick, Charles H. Alcohol, Culture, and Society. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press, 1952, p. 27.] The nobility developed extensive vineyards but the French Revolution led to the confiscation of many vineyards.
[Seward, Desmond. Monks and Wine. London: Mitchell Beazley, Publishers, 1979.]
The advance of the French wine industry stopped abruptly as first mildew and then Phylloxera spread throughout the country and the rest of Europe, destroying vineyards. Then came an economic downturn in Europe, followed by two world wars; the French wine industry was depressed for decades.
Quality levels and appellation system
In 1935, laws were passed to control the quality of French wine. The
Appellation d'origine contrôlée system was established, governed by a powerful oversight board (
Institut national des appellations d'origine, INAO). France has one of the oldest systems for protected designation of origin for wine in the world and strict laws concerning winemaking and production; many European systems are modeled after it.
The word "
appellation" has been put to use by other countries, sometimes in a much looser meaning.
European Union wine laws have been modeled after those of the French.
French law divides wine into four categories, two falling under the European Union Table Wine category and two the Quality Wines Produced in Specified Regions (QWPSR) designation. The categories and their shares of the total French production for the 2005 vintage, excluding wine destined for Cognac, Armagnac and other brandies, were
Table wine:
-
Table wine (11.7%) – Carries with it only the producer and the designation that it is from France.
-
Vin de Pays (33.9%) – Carries with it a specific region within France (for example Vin de Pays d'Oc from Languedoc-Roussillon or Vin de Pays de Côtes de Gascogne from Gascony), and subject to less restrictive regulations than AOC wines. For instance, it allows producers to distinguish wines that are made using grape varieties or procedures other than those required by the AOC rules, without having to use the simple and commercially non-viable table wine classification. In order to maintain a distinction from Vin de Table, the producers have to submit the wine for analysis and tasting, and the wines have to be made from certain varieties or blends.
[ INAO statistics of vineyard surfaces and production volumes for the 2005–2006 campaign, accessed 26 May 2008.]
QWPSR:
-
Vin délimité de qualité supérieure (VDQS, 0.9%) – Less strict than AOC, usually used for smaller areas or as a "waiting room" for potential AOCs. This category was abolished at the end of 2011.
-
Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC, 53.4%) – Wine from a particular area with many other restrictions, including grape varieties and winemaking methods.
The total French production for the 2005 vintage was 43.9 million hl (plus an additional 9.4 million hl destined for various brandies) of which 28.3% was white and 71.7% was red or rosé.[ INAO: overview of AOC wine production in 2005, accessed 26 May 2008.]
Reforms
The wine classification system of France was revised in 2006, with a new system fully introduced by 2012. The newer system consists of three categories rather than four, with no category corresponding to VDQS. The new categories are:
-
Vin de France, a table wine category, basically replacing Vin de Table, but allowing grape variety and vintage to be indicated on the label.
-
Indication géographique protégée (IGP), an intermediate category, basically replacing Vin de Pays.
-
Appellation d'origine protégée (AOP), the highest category, basically replacing AOC wines.
The largest changes were in the Vin de France category, and to VDQS wines, which either need to qualify as AOP wines or be downgraded to an IGP category. For the former AOC wines, the move to AOP involved only minor changes to the terminology of the label, while the actual names of the appellations themselves will remain unchanged. Pre-2012 bottles in the distribution chain are not relabelled.
Wine styles, grape varieties and terroir
All common styles of wine –
Red wine, rosé,
White wine (dry, semi-sweet and
Sweet wine),
Sparkling wine and
Fortified wine – are produced in France. In most of these styles, the French production ranges from cheap and simple versions to some of the world's most famous and expensive examples. An exception is French fortified wines, which tend to be relatively unknown outside France.
In many respects, French wines have more of a regional than a national identity, as evidenced by different grape varieties, production methods and different classification systems in the various regions. Quality levels and prices vary enormously, and some wines are made for immediate consumption while other are meant for long-time cellaring.
If there is one thing that most French wines have in common, it is that most styles have developed as wines meant to accompany food, be it a quick baguette, a simple bistro meal, or a full-fledged multi-course menu.
Grape varieties
Numerous grape varieties are cultivated in France, including both internationally well-known and obscure local varieties. In fact, most of the so-called "international varieties" are of French origin, or became known and spread because of their cultivation in France.
Since French appellation rules generally restrict wines from each region, district or appellation to a small number of allowed grape varieties, there are in principle no varieties that are commonly planted throughout all of France.
Most varieties of grape are primarily associated with a certain region, such as Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux and Syrah in Rhône, although there are some varieties that are found in two or more regions, such as Chardonnay in Bourgogne (including Chablis) and Champagne, and Sauvignon blanc in Loire and Bordeaux. As an example of the rules, although climatic conditions would appear to be favorable, no Cabernet Sauvignon wines are produced in Rhône, Riesling wines in Loire, or Chardonnay wines in Bordeaux. If such wines were produced, they would have to be declassified to Vin de Pays or French table wines; they would not be allowed to display any appellation name or even region of origin.
Traditionally, many French wines have been blended from several grape varieties. Varietal white wines have been, and are still, more common than varietal red wines.
At the 2007 harvest, the most common grape varieties were the following:[ Viniflhor stats 2008: Les cepages noirs dans le vignoble.][ Viniflhor stats 2008: Les cepages blanc dans le vignoble.]
|
|
| 116 715 |
| 97 171 |
| 83 173 |
| 69 891 |
| 59 210 |
| 57 913 |
| 43 887 |
| 37 508 |
| 31 771 |
| 29 576 |
| 26 062 |
| 22 239 |
| 12 483 |
| 11 864 |
| 11 335 |
| 9 756 |
| 9 494 |
| 7 710 |
| 7 634 |
| 6 291 |
| 5 680 |
| 5 097 |
| 4 111 |
| 3 605 |
| 3 480 |
| 3 453 |
| 3 304 |
| 3 040 |
| 3 001 |
| 2 877 |
| 2 778 |
| 2 679 |
| 2 582 |
| 2 505 |
| 2 449 |
| 2 363 |
| 2 330 |
| 2 255 |
| 2 077 |
| 1 946 |
| 1 848 |
| 1 756 |
| 1 676 |
| 1 647 |
| 1 634 |
| 1 618 |
| 1 586 |
| 1 447 |
| 1 426 |
| 1 399 |
| 1 326 |
| 1 319 |
| 1 307 |
| 1 304 |
| 1 170 |
| 1 052 |
| 259 130 |
| 601 945 |
| 861 075 |
Terroir
The concept of terroir, which refers to the unique combination of natural factors associated with any particular
vineyard, is important to French
vignerons.
It includes such factors as
soil, underlying rock, altitude,
slope of hill or terrain, orientation toward the sun, and microclimate (typical rain, winds, humidity, temperature variations, etc.). Even in the same area, no two vineyards have exactly the same terroir, thus being the base of the
Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) system that has been a model for appellation and wine laws across the globe. In other words: when the same grape variety is planted in different regions, it can produce wines that are significantly different from each other.
[André Dominé (ed) "Wein" pp. 88–89 Tandem Verlag GmbH, Königswinter 2004 .] In France the concept of
terroir manifests itself most extremely in the Burgundy region.
The amount of influence and the scope that falls under the description of
terroir has been a controversial topic in the wine industry.
[Robinson (2006), pp. 693-695]
Labelling practices
The amount of information included on French wine labels varies depending on which region the wine was made in, and what level of classification the wine carries. As a minimum, labels will usually state that classification, as well as the name of the producer, and, for wines above the Vin De Table level, will also include the geographical area where the wine was made. Sometimes that will simply be the wider region where the wine was made, but some labels, especially for higher quality wines, will also include details of the individual village or commune, and even the specific vineyard where the wine was sourced. With the exception of
Alsace wine, France had no tradition of labelling wines with details of the grape varieties used. Since New World wines made the names of individual grape varieties familiar to international consumers in the late 20th century, more French wineries started to use varietal labelling. In general, varietal labelling is most common for the Vin de Pays category, although some AOC wines now also display varietal names. For most AOC wines, if grape varieties are mentioned, they will be in small print on a back label.
Labels will also indicate where the wine was bottled, which can be an indication as to the quality level of the wine, and whether it was bottled by a single producer, or more anonymously and in larger quantities:
-
"Mis en bouteille ..."
[ Gilles Garrigues, "Oenologie: conseils pratiques".]
-
"... au château, au domaine, à la propriété": these have a similar meaning, and indicate the wine was "estate bottled", on the same property on which it was grown or at a cooperative (within the boundary of the appellation) of which that property is a member.
-
"... par ..." the wine was bottled by the concern whose name follows. This may be the producing vineyard or it may not.
-
"... dans la région de production": the wine was not bottled at the vineyard but by a larger business at its warehouse; this warehouse was within the same winemaking region of France as the appellation, but not necessarily within the boundary of the appellation itself. If a chateau or domaine is named, it may well not exist as a real vineyard, and the wine may be an assemblage from the grapes or the wines of several producers.
-
"... dans nos chais, dans nos caves": the wine was bottled by the business named on the label.
-
"Vigneron indépendant" is a special mark adopted by some independent wine-makers, to distinguish them from larger corporate winemaking operations and symbolize a return to the basics of the craft of wine-making. Bottles from these independent makers carry a special logo usually printed on the foil cap covering the cork.
If varietal names are displayed, common EU rules apply:
-
If a single varietal name is used, the wine must be made from a minimum of 85% of this variety.
-
If two or more varietal names are used, only the displayed varieties are allowed.
-
If two or more varietal names are used, they must generally appear in descending order.
Wine regions of France
The recognized wine-producing areas in France are regulated by the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO). Every appellation in France is defined by INAO, in regards to each individual region's particular wine "character". If a wine fails to meet the INAO's strict criteria it is declassified into a lower appellation, or Vin de Pays or Vin de Table. There are a great many appellations in France, easily classified into one of the main wine-producing regions listed below:
Alsace
Alsace wine is primarily a white-wine region, though some red, rosé, sparkling and sweet wines are also produced. It is situated in eastern France on the river Ill and borders Germany, a country with which it shares many grape varieties as well as a long tradition of varietal labelling. Grapes grown in Alsace include
Riesling,
Gewurztraminer,
Pinot gris,
Pinot blanc,
Pinot noir, and Muscat.
Beaujolais
Beaujolais wine is primarily a red-wine region generally made from the
Gamay grape. Gamay is characterized by an early ripening and acidic variety. Due to the carbonic maceration that producers use during the wine-making process Beaujolais wines are brightly colored with a low level of soft tannin. They usually have an intense fruity flavor of raspberry and cranberry. Apart from Gamay grape some white and sparkling rosé are also produced.
Beaujolais region is situated in central East of France following the river Saone below Burgundy and above Lyon. There are 12 appellations in Beaujolais including Beaujolais AOC and Beaujolais-Villages AOC and 10 Crus: Brouilly, Regnié, Chiroubles, Cote de Brouilly, Fleurie, Saint-Amour, Chénas, Juliénas, Morgon and Moulin-a-Vent. The Beaujolais region is also notorious for the Beaujolais Nouveau, a popular vin de primeur which is released annually on the third Thursday of November.
Bordeaux
Bordeaux wine is a large region on the Atlantic coast, which has a long history of exporting its wines overseas. This is primarily a red wine region, famous for the wines Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Latour, Château Mouton-Rothschild, Château Margaux and Château Haut-Brion from the Médoc sub-region; Château Cheval Blanc and Château Ausone in Saint-Émilion; and Château Pétrus and Château Le Pin in
Pomerol. The red wines produced are usually blended, from Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot and sometimes
Cabernet Franc. Bordeaux also makes dry and sweet white wines, including some of the world's most famous sweet wines from the Sauternes appellation, such as Château d'Yquem.
The Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 resulted from the Exposition Universelle de Paris, when Emperor Napoleon III requested a classification system for France's best that were to be on display for visitors from around the world. Brokers from the wine industry ranked the wines according to a château's reputation and trading price.
Brittany
Brittany is not an official wine region anymore, but it has a rich history related to grapegrowing and winemaking and has recently been demonstrating a revival of its
viticulture. Several small recreational vineyards were established in the last two decades e.g. in Rennes, Quimper, Morlaix, Le Quillo, Cléguérec, Sain Sulliac, Le Folgoët, etc.
Burgundy
Burgundy wine or
Bourgogne in eastern France is a region where red and white wines are equally important. Probably more terroir-conscious than any other region, Burgundy is divided into the largest number of appellations of any French region. The top wines from Burgundy's heartland in Côte d'Or command high prices.
The Burgundy region is divided in four main parts:
-
The Cote de Nuits (from Marsannay-La-Cote down to Nuits-Saint-Georges)
-
The Cote de Beaune (from north of Beaune to Santenay)
-
The Cote Chalonnaise
-
The Maconnais
There are two parts of Burgundy that are sometimes considered as separate regions:
-
Beaujolais in the south, close to the Rhône Valley region, where mostly red wines are made in a fruity style that is usually consumed young. "Beaujolais Nouveau" is the only wine that can be legally consumed in the year of its production (Third week end of November)
-
Chablis wine, halfway between Côte d'Or and Paris, where white wines are produced on chalky soil giving a more crisp and steely style than the rest of Burgundy.
There are two main grape varieties used in Burgundy – Chardonnay for white wines, and Pinot noir for red. White wines are also sometimes made from Aligoté, and other grape varieties will also be found occasionally.
Gustave Henri Laly, a renowned wine producer from Burgundy, supplied the French General Assembly with his Montrachet produced at Mont Dardon around the turn of the 20th century.
Champagne
Champagne, situated in northeastern France, close to Belgium and
Luxembourg, is the coldest of France's major wine regions and home to its major sparkling wine. Champagne wines can be both white and rosé. A small amount of still wine is produced in Champagne (as AOC Coteaux Champenois), some of which is red.
Corsica
Corsica wine is an island in the Mediterranean the wines of which are primarily consumed on the island itself. It has nine AOC regions and an island-wide vin de pays designation and was still developing its production methods as well as its regional style.
[Robinson (2006), pp. 203-204]
Île-de-France
Île-de-France is no longer an official wine region. Yet it has a rich history related to growing grapes and making wine and has had a revival of its
viticulture. Five villages of Ile de France (north-east of the Seine et Marne department) are part of the
Champagne, area and more than 200 small recreational vineyards were established in the last decades covering about 12 hectares altogether.
Jura
Jura wine, a small region in the mountains close to Switzerland where some unique wine styles, notably
Vin Jaune and
Vin de Paille, are produced. The region covers six appellations and is related to Burgundy through its extensive use of the Burgundian grapes Chardonnay and Pinot noir, though other varieties are used. It also shares cool climate with Burgundy.
[Robinson (2006), pp. 378]
Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon is the largest region in terms of vineyard surface and production, hence the region in which much of France's cheap bulk wines have been produced. So-called "
wine lake", Languedoc-Roussillon is also the home of some innovative producers who combine traditional French wine like blanquette de Limoux, the world's oldest sparkling wine, and international styles while using lessons from the
New World. Much Languedoc-Roussillon wine is sold as Vin de Pays d'Oc.
Loire
The Loire valley is a primarily white-wine region that stretches over a long distance along the Loire River in central and western France, and where grape varieties and wine styles vary along the river. Four sub-regions are situated along the river:
-
Upper Loire is known for its Sauvignon blanc, producing wines such as Sancerre AOC, but also consisting of several VDQS areas;
-
Touraine produces cold climate-styled white wines (dry, sweet or sparkling) from Chenin blanc in Vouvray AOC and red wines from Cabernet Franc in Bourgueil AOC and Chinon AOC;
-
Anjou-Saumur is similar to the Tourain wines with respect to varieties, but the dry Savennières AOC and sweet Coteaux du Layon AOC are often more powerful than their upstream neighbours. Saumur AOC and Saumur-Champigny AOC provides reds; and
-
Pays Nantais is situated closest to the Atlantic, and Muscadet AOC produces white wines from the Melon de Bourgogne grape.
Normandy
Normandy is not an official wine region anymore. Yet it has a rich history related to grapegrowing and winemaking and has recently been demonstrating a revival of its
viticulture. Several small recreational vineyards were established in the last two decades and at least one operates on a commercial scale in Grisy near Caen.
Picardy
Picardy is not an official wine region anymore. Yet it has a rich history related to grapegrowing and winemaking and has recently been demonstrating a revival of its
viticulture. 40 villages of Picardy (south of the Aisne department) are now part of the
Champagne area and several small recreational vineyards were established in the last two decades e.g. in Coucy le Château, Gerberoy, Gouvieux, Clairoix, etc.
Provence
Provence wine is in the south-east and close to the Mediterranean. It is perhaps the warmest wine region of France and produces mainly rosé and red wine. It covers eight major appellations led by the Provence flagship, Bandol.
[E. McCarthy & M. Ewing-Mulligan "French Wine for Dummies", pp. 224–28, Wiley Publishing 2001 .] Some Provence wine can be compared with the Southern Rhône wines as they share both grapes and, to some degree, style and climate.
[K. MacNeil The Wine Bible pp. 306–11 Workman Publishing 2001 ] Provence also has a classification of its most prestigious estates, much like Bordeaux.
[T. Stevenson "The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia", pp. 243–47, Dorling Kindersley 2005 .]
Rhône
The Rhône Valley, primarily a red-wine region in south-eastern France, along the Rhône River. The styles and varietal composition of northern and southern Rhône differ, but both parts compete with Bordeaux as traditional producers of red wines.
Savoy
Savoy wine or
Savoie, primarily a white-wine region in the Alps close to Switzerland, where many grapes unique to this region are cultivated.
South West France
South West France or
Sud-Ouest, a somewhat heterogeneous collection of wine areas inland or south of Bordeaux. Some areas produce primarily red wines in a style reminiscent of red Bordeaux, while other produce dry or sweet white wines. Areas within
Sud-Ouest include among other:
-
Bergerac and other areas of upstream Dordogne;
-
Areas of upstream Garonne, including Cahors;
-
Areas in Gascony, also home to the production of Armagnac, Madiran AOC, Côtes de Gascogne, Saint-Mont, Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh and Tursan;
-
Béarn, such as Jurançon; and
-
Basque Country areas, such as Irouléguy.
There are also several smaller production areas situated outside these major regions. Many of those are VDQS wines, and some, particularly those in more northern locations, are remnants of production areas that were once larger.
Trends
France has traditionally been the largest consumer of its own wines. However, wine consumption has been dropping in France for 40 years. During the decade of the 1990s, per capita consumption dropped by nearly 20 percent. Therefore, French wine producers must rely increasingly on foreign markets. However, consumption has also been dropping in other potential markets such as Italy, Spain and Portugal.
The result has been a continuing wine glut, often called the wine lake. This has led to the distillation of wine into industrial alcohol as well as a government program to pay farmers to pull up their grape vines through vine pull schemes. A large part of this glut is caused by the re-emergence of Languedoc wine.
Immune from these problems has been the market for champagne as well as the market for the expensive ranked or classified wines. However, these constitute only about five percent of French production.
French regulations in 1979 created simple rules for the then-new category of Vin de pays. The Languedoc-Roussillon region has taken advantage of its ability to market varietal wines.
Organizations
L'Office national interprofessionnel des vins, abbreviated
ONIVINS, is a French association of
.
See also
-
List of Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée wines
-
List of VDQS wines
-
Winemaking
-
Wine label
-
History of wine
-
List of Vins de Primeur
-
Old World wine
-
Geographical indications and traditional specialities in the European Union
External links
