Champagne

The most sparkling of all French wines is the essential guest at any large event, wherever you are in the world. Even the name, "Champagne", evokes a magical reaction in everyone, conjuring up ideas of prestige, pleasure and celebration across the globe.

The Champagne winegrowing region is about 150 km from Paris, located on the land that was once known as the province of Champagne. It extends eastwards towards France's Grand Est region covering five departments, the Aube, Marne, Aisne, Haute-Marne and Seine-et-Marne. It has 319 crus or communes, with 17 villages benefiting from the long-standing "grand cru" denomination and 42 enjoying the "premier cru" designation.

Wines from Champagne provide work for 16,000 people over some 34,300 hectares, with growers usually having two hectares of land each. Champagne growers represent 4% of French wine producers and 0.5% of vineyards worldwide. On average, 310 million bottles of champagne are produced every year.

TERROIR

Champagne is influenced by oceanic air currents, bringing rain that no mountain range can prevent. The chalk that makes up Champagne's subsoil is exceptional for two reasons -excess water absorption and heat retention. The cold autumn months enable the grapes to ripen slowly and the region has everything required to attain the perfect acidity level to make great sparkling wines.
Vines are cultivated between altitudes of 120 and 300 metres, on slopes with excellent exposure. There are four main winegrowing areas within the Champagne region:

CHAMPAGNE'S FOUR WINEGROWING AREAS

MONTAGNE DE REIMS : the Montagne de Reims area runs northwest of Reims as far as Épernay, set on a wide, low-relief plateau overlooking chalky plains. Its highest point is Mont Sinaï, reaching 286 metres in altitude.
VALLÉE DE LA MARNE : The Vallée de la Marne stretches from the east of Épernay to the west of Château-Thierry and is the largest champagne region.
CÔTE DES BLANCS : Travel through Côte des Blancs and you will discover historic towns such as Épernay, with its 110 km of cellars, and various other villages in this wine-producing region.
CÔTE DES BAR : In Celtic, "Bar" means "the pinnacle" but the region also takes its name from its surroundings. Steep terrain has been carved out by the various rivers that criss-cross the landscape, extending from Bar-sur-Aube to Bar-sur-Seine while skirting the Langres plateau. Sumptuous countryside and ancient heritage are plentiful in this vast Champagne winegrowing area.

CHAMPAGNES TO SUIT ALL TASTES

Not only is each champagne unique, but each has its own particular soul.

 
Brut Non-Vintage (NV): Made from a blend of grape varieties and wines from different years. It remains ageing in the cellar for at least 15 months.
Blanc de Blancs: Produced exclusively from Chardonnay reserve wines and presents a flavour of great finesse.
Blanc de Noirs: Crafted only from Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier reserve wines and offers more structured aromas.
Rosé: The winemaker can choose from one of these methods:
- Blending: involves blending red wine fermented in the Champagne appellation with a white wine.
- Maceration or saignée method: whole black grapes are left to macerate long enough to reach the desired shade of pink.
Vintage: Created from a blend of wines from the same year (various crus and/or grape varieties) when the vintage is outstanding. It has to undergo at least three years of cellar ageing.
Prestige Cuvée: Crafted with exceptional reserve wines from selected plots, old vines or exceptional hillside locations.

PRIMARY GRAPE VARIETIES:  

Red: 38% Pinot Noir, 32% Pinot Meunier
White: 30% Chardonnay

Burgundy

The combination of microclimates and ancestral know-how make Burgundy an exceptional region that specialists consider to be THE reference in viticultural genius. Burgundy produces wines of remarkable finesse with rich flavours and aromas, which are what make them internationally renowned.

Located at the crossroads of Mediterranean, continental and oceanic influences, Burgundy's vineyards benefit from an exceptional location, thanks to ideal climatic and geographical conditions.

Divided among five main regions of production that lie between Auxerre and Mâcon (Chablis, Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune, Côte Chalonnaise, Mâconnais), the 150-km stretch of winegrowing Burgundy offers some 29,000 hectares of terroirs that boast extraordinary diversity.

Burgundy cannot be considered without speaking about its climats. This term, recently recognized as a part of UNESCO's World Heritage, designates a plot of vines that was meticulously delimited and named centuries ago, which has a real history and benefits from particular geological and climatic conditions. There are approximately 1,500 climats in all.

The wealth of Burgundy's wines can be found in its 84 AOCs (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée), which are classified according to a 4-tiered hierarchy. Regional appellations are found at the base of the pyramid after which come the Village appellations, followed by the Premier Crus and finally the Grand Crus of which there are 33 in all.

In Burgundy, the vast majority of the wines are single varietal wines. Such purity of expression allows for the wine from each plot and from each vintage to boast its own personality and unique characteristics.

 • Regional appellations: 7
 • Village appellations: 44
 • Premier Cru appellations: 640
 • Grand Cru appellations: 33

Locations of the vineyards: Yonne, Côte d'Or, Saône-et-Loire

Principal varietals:    
Red: Pinot Noir, Gamay
White: Chardonnay, Aligoté

Burgundy wines are essentially crafted from 2 world-renowned grapes: Pinot Noir is the king varietal of red wines and Chardonnay is its white equivalent. Nowhere else do these two varietals express themselves with such finesse and precision.

The vineyards of Burgundy also produce Gamay and Aligoté grapes. The other varietals (Sauvignon Blanc, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon, etc.) represent approximately 1% of the surface area under vine.

Beaujolais

Far from urban areas, this hilly region - a paradise for the Gamay grape whose vines are planted on slopes - has managed to preserve a landscape that is as untouched as it is bucolic. Lovers of nature and gastronomy particularly appreciate the area.

Located along the Saône River, just a 4-hour drive from Paris and a few kilometres from Lyon, the vineyards of the Beaujolais have always benefitted from an advantageous location for the trading of wine.

Today, the Beaujolais exports its wines throughout the world after having won over Paris long ago, in whose renowned bistros Brouilly quickly became one of the favourites. Further to the south, Lyon's equally famous "bouchons" are restaurants that devote a large part of their wine lists to the Beaujolais Crus which, it is true, are the perfect match for their specialty dishes such as tablier de sapeur (breaded tripe), Lyonnais salad with poached egg and bacon, or rosette salami.

In the Beaujolais, there are 12 AOCs: 2 regional (Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages) and 10 village appellations or Crus: Moulin-à-Vent, Chiroubles, Fleurie, Chénas, Morgon, Brouilly, Côte de Brouilly, Juliénas, Saint Amour and Régnié.

The arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau each year on the third Thursday of November is an event that has been received with resounding success. This primeur (new) wine is soft and has undergone short maceration that encourages suppleness and fruitiness in a wine intended for rapid consumption. Each year, it is exported to 110 countries over a two-week period.

The Gamay grape, which thrives in the Beaujolais, accounts for 99% of the region's vines. This varietal produces wines that stand out for their intense fruitiness and softness and that can boast remarkable complexity and truly good ageing potential when the grapes are grown in the top-quality granitic terroirs of the 10 Crus.  

Still little known, white Beaujolais wines made from the Chardonnay grape are pleasing wines that will certainly amaze you ... if you are lucky enough to come across them...

Locations of the vineyards: Rhône and Saône-et-Loire

Principal varietals:
Red: Gamay
White: Chardonnay

Rhone Valley

The Rhone Valley houses some of France's oldest vineyards. A majority of red wines is produced, which are often warm, supple and well suited to laying down. The vineyards also produce high-quality white wines such as Hermitage and Condrieu. With Tavel, the region offers the oldest rosé appellation.

The vineyards of the Rhone Valley represent the 2^nd biggest region in France for the production of AOC wines. It stretches 250 km from north to south, following the majestic Rhone River, traversing six departments: the Rhone, Loire, Ardèche and Gard on the right bank, and the Drôme and Vaucluse on the left.

The winegrowing region is divided into two large, very distinct subdivisions between which the Rhone River is the only link, the federating element between these contrasting terrains:

·         The northern Rhone Valley, from Vienne to just south of Valence, stands out for its temperate climate that features a continental influence and its primarily granitic or schistous soils covering slopes that can be very steep. Its wines are, for the most part, crafted from a single grape: Syrah, the emblematic red varietal for this sub-region's red wines (Côte-Rôtie, Saint-Joseph, Hermitage, Cornas...), while the white wines are exclusively crafted from Viognier (Condrieu), Marsanne and Roussanne (Saint-Joseph, Hermitage...) grapes. 

·         On the other hand, the southern Rhone Valley, from Montélimar to Avignon where the valley widens, is bordered by several mountain ranges - the Alpilles and Luberon ranges to the south, which mark the border with the winegrowing region of Provence, the plateaus of the Ardèche to the west, and the Baronnies hills and Mont Ventoux to the east. The vineyards derive their character from the prevailing Mediterranean climate, highly varied soils that are predominantly composed of calcareous clay and their blended wines, which often feature a high proportion of Grenache. In addition to this king varietal, many other grapes (Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault, Mourvèdre...), can be included in the composition of the red wines from this sub-region, among the most famous of which is Châteauneuf-du-Pape that can contain up to thirteen varietals. The white wines, which are rather rare in this region, are principally crafted from Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc and Viognier. They stand out for their roundness and rich aromas and flavours.

Location of the vineyards: Rhône, Loire, Isère, Ardèche, Drôme, Vaucluse and Gard

Principal varietals: 
Red: Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre, Cinsault...
White: Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Clairette...

Languedoc-Roussillon

Composed of a mosaic of terroirs that cover more than 240,000 hectares stretching from the Mediterranean coast to the foothills of the Massif Central and Pyrenees mountains, and as far as the right bank of the Rhone River to the east, the Languedoc is France's largest wine-producing regions in addition to being one of the oldest...

Such a vast surface area is the theatre for a great diversity of terroirs, each of which has different soil profiles, climates and grape varieties, the combination of which make for some very unique wines. Near the seaside, the soil tends to be sandy, calcareous and even clayey. Where the small mountains and valleys start to form, the soils are schistous and marly featuring vast terraces strewn with rounded stones. The climate is generally Mediterranean, but the further one ventures inland, the more it can take on oceanic characteristics. The grape varieties in the Languedoc are just as diverse, which, along with the diversity of the terroirs, leads to harvests that can last up to 10 weeks!

The history of viticulture in the Languedoc began as early as the 5th century B.C. when the Greeks introduced vines to the region. Yet, it was under Roman rule that the cultivation of grapes really began to take off. Since then, viticulture, which has undergone many ups and downs over the centuries, has always played a vital role in the region's economy.

However, it is since the early 1980s that the Languedoc's vineyards have been undergoing their biggest change, as much as far as quantity and quality are concerned. A new generation of winegrowers supported by a handful of young, very dynamic negociants has undertaken a major restructuration of the vineyards and growing methods. In addition to pulling out lower-quality vines, typical Mediterranean varietals are being cultivated and traditional varietals are being readapted while the different terroirs are being showcased, yields are restricted and vinification methods have been improved.

The era of "plonk" has come to an end and has given way to a vast range of red wines that can be deep, velvety, spicy, round or smooth.

More recently, the region has resolutely undertaken the production of fresh, delectable rosés in the aim of attaining the same status as its illustrious neighbour, Provence, in the production of this very trendy colour.

This major restructuration of the vineyards has also taken into account environmental concerns - today, the Languedoc produces 36% of organic French wine and 7% on an international level.  

Location of the vineyards: Aude, Hérault, Pyrénées-Orientales and Gard.

Principal varietals:
Red: Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Merlot, Mourvèdre, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Pinot Noir...
White: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat, Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Macabeu, Piquepoul...

Provence

Graced with lavender fields and the song of cicadas, this sun-drenched region - world renowned for its art of living and distinctive landscapes - produces exceptional rosés that are fresh, mineral and precise, among the finest in the world.  

Provence's vineyards, stretching 200 kilometres between the Alps and the Mediterranean Sea, and the Rhône River and the Italian border, are the oldest in France.

The hot, dry Mediterranean climate is particularly well suited to viticulture. The vigorous Mistral wind is actually beneficial to the vines, protecting them from diseases caused by humidity, while the mildness of the Mediterranean Sea curtails the effects of aridness.

For several years now, rosé de Provence has made a name for itself among consumers around the world thanks to its lively, limpid, elegant style. The region also offers a wide choice of powerful, complex red wines and soft, flavourful whites.

Provence's vineyards exhibit exceptional topography in which two large geological ensembles coexist:

-         one, calcareous in the West and in the North of Provence, where the vines cling to the hillsides on small terraces - this is where the Sainte-Victoire and Sainte-Baume mountains are found

-         the other, crystalline in the East, borders the coves and beaches of the Maures and the volcanic Estérel mountain ranges, or weaves through the valleys of the hinterland.

Locations of the vineyards: Bouches-du-Rhône, Var, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Alpes-Maritimes

Principal varietals:
Red: Syrah, Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tibouren
White: Ugni Blanc, Rolle, Grenache Blanc, Sémillon, Clairette, Bourboulenc