France is one of the most important wine regions in the world, whose history has very ancient origins. There are 14 major wine-growing and wine-producing areas in France, which thanks to the extreme difference between terroir, climate and soil offer us wines with completely different organoleptic characteristics from one area to another.
The history of viticulture in France dates back to the ancient Greeks, even if it is thanks to the Romans that it grew and developed as we know it today. In the Middle Ages the great protagonists of French oenology were the Abbeys, in particular that of Cluny, Pontigny and Hautvillers who developed new techniques in the vineyard and in the cellar.
In 1850 the advent of phylloxera completely destroyed the French vines that in the following centuries were completely replanted giving less attention to the quantitative yield in favor of the qualitative one.
Unlike the Italian wines that are produced throughout the country, in France the production is limited to 14 areas and in each area are used specific grape varieties very often vinified individually.
The region of Burgundy is one of the most important wine regions in the world, famous for its French white wines based on Chardonnay and its red wines based on Pinot Noir that are disputed by wine lovers around the world, in just 52 km are produced different wines even between neighboring terroirs.
Champagne, homeland of the homonymous bubbles, world symbol of luxury and class, is the northernmost region of France at the limit of the climatic range suitable for the ripening of grapes. Loire Valley, west of Bourgogne, is the homeland of the great French white wines based on Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc which, thanks to the influence of the homonymous river, give results impossible to find elsewhere.
In the Rhône Valley the main grape variety is Syrah, protagonist of the great French red wines such as Hermitage and Saint Joseph in the northern part, while in the Southern Rhône the most important wine is Châteauneuf-du-Pape, famous for being a blend of more than 13 different grape varieties.
The great French red wines come from the Bordeaux area, here the famous Château cultivate and vinify Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc giving the world the best expressions of these three grape varieties, as well as the famous Sauternes such as the famous Château d'Yquem.
Alsace, close to the Rhine River, on the north-eastern border of France, is famous for its riesling, pinot grigio and gewurztraminer, while Jura is known for the unique style of its wines, the "vin jaune", obtained by aging six years in wooden barrels in which the must generates a veil of yeast similar to the "flor" of Port.
The French wines are classified in a pyramid of four bands, at the base of which we find the Vin de Table, similar to the Italian General Wines, just above the Vin de Pays, corresponding to our IGT, identifiable by the blue label at the top of the capsule, in second place there are the VQPDS, the Vins Delimitè de Qualitè Supèrieure and at the top of the pyramid there are the AOC, Appellation d'Origin Controlèe, the best French wines belong to this category.
It is difficult to indicate which are the typical French wines, we can include Vin Jaune and Sauternes, made from botrytized grapes, and certainly Champagne, the most important sparkling wines in the world. Among the world famous French wines are Petrus, produced by the Château of the same name, the wines of Domaine de la Romanée Conti, the Champagnes of Krug, Louis Roederer and Moet Chandon, the natural wines of Clos Rougeard in Loire and the great Syrah of Chave in Rhône.
In our selection you will find the finest French wines from the 14 wine-growing and wine-producing areas, from table wines to the most popular bottles for enthusiasts and collectors from every corner of the earth.
