France
Definition - What does France mean?
In the context of wine, France is an important wine growing country. The history of wine making in France dates back to the sixth century with many of France’s wine growing regions having been established during Roman times. France’s unique geography includes the Mediterranean coastal areas, in land valleys and high mountain wine growing regions, which provides excellent terrain for many different types of wine varietals to grow.
France is the source of the world’s most popular grape varieties, including; Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc.
WineFrog explains France
French wine growers and makers are responsible for developing and innovating many winemaking processes. With wine regions including: Bourdeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Languedoc Roussillon, Loire Valley, Provence and the Rhone Valley, France is one of the largest wine producing countries in the world. France is well known for their development of the Apellation d’origine controlle (AOC), which regulates wine growing and winemaking by region, as well as for introducing the wine world to the concept of terroir, which means that wines made in different regions will have unique characteristics.
France’s long history of making wine has allowed French wine makers to expertly determine which grapes grow best by region and how to make the best wine from each grape. French wine labels typically state the region the wine comes from, not the grape varietal used to make the wine. Champagne for example, is a wine growing region, however, Champagne wine is made with Pinot Noir and Meunier and Chardonnay grapes and is made under the regulations of the AOC, which set the standard for how much of each grape is used, and how the champagne is made.
