French Wine Regions

There are 10 French wine growing regions, namely Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Côtes du Rhône, Languedoc Roussillon, Loire Valley, Provence, Corsica and South West.

Alsace:
Located north east of France, between the Vosges and the Rhine River. More than 90% of wines produced in Alsace are white wines, the most popular being Riesling and Gewürztraminer. Also produced there are Pinot Blanc, Tokay Pinot Gris, Sylvaner and Crémant d’Alsace, a sparkling wine.

Bordeaux:
This is probably the most prominent wine making area in France and the entire world! Bordeaux is situated in the south west of France, near the Atlantic coast. 21 appellations are produced from the grapes Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Semillon and Sauvignon.

Burgundy:
The French wine region of Burgundy produces two of the most popular wines in France, Beaujolais and Chablis, are produced in Burgundy. It is located south of Paris, between Dijon and Lyon, and stretches on 360kms. Grapes found here are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Champagne:
The French wine producing region of Champagne is situated east of Paris and west of Alsace. Its grapes are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Sparkling wine, a festive wine, is probably the most popular in the world.

Côtes du Rhône:
Probably the most diverse region in France due to the weather, it is situated in the Rhône Valley, south of Lyon to the Mediterranean Sea. The grapes are Grenache and Clairette.

Languedoc Roussillon:
This is the largest wine region in the world! It is located on the border of the Mediterranean Sea, from the Rhône River to the Pyrénées Mountains and Spain. Mostly red wine is produced here and wine grapes include Carignan, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Languedoc produces over 2 billion bottles of wine!

Loire Valley:
This is probably one of the most beautiful wine regions and is famous fro its white wines. The location of the Loire Valley is from the Massif Central to the Atlantic coast around Nantes. The Loire wine region follows the Loire River in its valley. Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon are mostly used.

Provence:
Consisting of three appellations, namely Côtes de Provence, Bandol and Bellet.

Corsica:
Corsica Island, off the French South coast, is affectionately named “L’île de beauté” – the beautiful island. Wines produced here are generally rose or dry white and better drunk while young and fresh. (See Wine Facts)

South West:
Situated between the Bordeaux region and the Pyrénées the grapes found here include Cabernet, Merlot and Tannat, and in the white category Semillon, Sauvignon and Ugni Blanc.