Wine production in France dates back to the Roman Empire era and has gone through many changes both in quality, drinking habits and mode of grape cultivation over the years. French wine production is widely spread in almost all the regions in the country due to the rich climatic conditions and hilly topography. There are major growing regions that vary depending on the quality and quantity of output from each region.
Bordeaux, located in the southwest part of France around the Bordeaux city near the Atlantic Ocean is the most important and famous wine producer in the world. Its proximity to the ocean and availability of rivers Gironde Garrone and Dordogne provides a humid and temperate climate suitable for a variety of grapes. The region is famous for both fully and medium-bodied red wines and both dry and sweet wines. The major wines from this region are saint Emillion, Bordeaux Superieur, Medoc, Saint Julien, and Listrac among others.
Burgundy region lies between Lyon and Dijon on the southern part of Paris. It is famous for producing some of the finest wines both red and white. The major wines from the region are fully-body red wines such as Pommard and Corton; medium-body red wines such as Beaune and white dry wines such as Chablis, Chassagne and Montrachet among others. Alsace lies at the border of Germany along the Rhine River and North East of France. It has a semi-continental climate suitable for its unique grape variety and specializes in white wines. The major dry and sweet wines from the region are Alsace Riesling, Pinot Blanc, and Alsace Gewurztraminer among others.
Loire region, one of the most beautiful wine regions falls around the Nantes area near the Atlantic Ocean and along the Loire River. The region specializes in white wines but also produces some fruity and pleasant red wines. The major white wines from the region are Bourgueil Rouge, Saumur, and Muscadet among others. Champagne region lies at the North East of France and borders Alsace to the west. It is most famous for the spackling wine champagne and grow grapes of a variety Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. Other major wine-producing regions are Cotes du Rhone associated with exquisite white wines and fruity red wines; Corsica Island which produces rose wines and white dry wines; and Rousillon region which produces mainly the red wines.
France has been highly regarded as an important wine-producing country in the world for centuries mostly due to quality, favorable climatic conditions, topography and soil fertility, all of which are collectively referred with the term ‘terror’. In addition, France wine industry leads the pack in terms of quality, controlling about 21% of total output according to 2001 statistics. Moreover, France is one of the main campaigners of quality control standards and laws that established the rule of branding wines according to the growing region.
Due to the high quality of production, French wines are highly regarded in the market and with the current global competition, most of the emerging wine producers are exerting a lot of their resources in producing high quality wines that compete well with French wines. Moreover, major international investors in the world are opting in investing in French wines or acting as intermediaries in the global market.