| Are you baffled by the huge variety of French | | | | |
| wines and completely lost when it comes to | | | | Syrah grapes produce intense rich wines which |
| deciding which wine will best suit your | | | | are almost black in color and which have an |
| needs? | | | | aroma that is spicy in nature. The Rhone |
| | | | Syrah grape forms the base for many blended |
| Each of the eight wine producing regions of | | | | wines including the well known Chateauneuf du |
| France specializes in producing wine of a | | | | Pape |
| particular type and flavor and this simple | | | | |
| overview will hopefully make choosing French | | | | The Muscat grape gives rise to intense, sweet |
| wines a little easier. | | | | wines with a strong and easily recognized |
| | | | aroma. In addition, and unusual for a wine, |
| Burgundy | | | | wines from the Muscat really do taste of |
| | | | grapes. |
| Burgundy wines are produced from the black | | | | |
| Pinot Noir and Gamay grapes and from the | | | | Loire |
| white Chardonnay grape. | | | | |
| | | | The grapes of the Loire include the black |
| The Pinot Noir is probably one of the world's | | | | Pinot Noir and the white Sauvignon Blanc and |
| oldest grape varieties and is notoriously | | | | Pinot Gris grapes. |
| difficult to grow. It does however produce | | | | |
| some of our best wines which are full-bodied | | | | The Sauvignon Blanc grape is grown all over |
| and rich and at the same time can be light, | | | | the world today and it is very widely used |
| soft and velvety. Pinot noir wines often have | | | | for blending. In the case of the Loire |
| an aroma of cherries accompanied by a | | | | however it is used to make a distinctive |
| spiciness that is reminiscent of cinnamon or | | | | unblended dry white wine with a |
| mint. | | | | characteristic sharp and aggressive smell. |
| | | | |
| The Chardonnay grape is a very popular grape | | | | Pinot Gris wines often display a slightly |
| which produces light, delicate dry wines with | | | | floral and lightly lemon flavor and, |
| a distinctive but often difficult to describe | | | | depending upon the ripeness of the grape at |
| aroma conjuring up a vision of apples, | | | | harvesting, wines that are either light and |
| peaches or lemons. | | | | tangy or rich, round and full bodied. Pinot |
| | | | Gris makes one of the few white wines that |
| Bordeaux | | | | can be said to age well. |
| | | | |
| The wines of Bordeaux are based upon the | | | | Alsace |
| related black Cabernet Franc and Cabernet | | | | |
| Sauvignon grapes, found particularly in the | | | | Although the grapes of the Alsace are similar |
| Medoc district of Bordeaux, and the black | | | | to those used in the Loire, growing |
| Merlot grape. | | | | conditions in this region tend to produce |
| | | | wines which bear the characteristics of many |
| Cabernet Sauvignon wines improve greatly with | | | | German rather that French wines. |
| age and are often amongst the world's truly | | | | |
| great wines. With age the distinctive | | | | The wines in this region are similar to |
| blackcurrant aroma of wines from this grape | | | | Riesling and the sweeter German wines. Some |
| develops overtones of cedar, violets and | | | | ros wines are also produced in Alsace. |
| leather and the wines, which are | | | | |
| characteristically deep in flavor, often | | | | Champagne |
| become smooth and soft. | | | | |
| | | | The main grapes of the Champagne region are |
| Wines made from the Merlot grape are very | | | | the black Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier and |
| similar to those produced from the Cabernet | | | | the white Chardonnay. |
| Sauvignon grape but have a less distinctive | | | | |
| aroma and flavor. | | | | The wines of the Champagne region can best be |
| | | | described as thin and tart and provide the |
| If it seems strange that white wines should | | | | perfect base for what many believe to be the |
| be produced from black grapes then bear in | | | | world's finest sparkling wine. |
| mind that grape juice, whether from black or | | | | |
| white grapes, is essentially colorless and it | | | | Beaujolais |
| is the skin of the black grape that gives the | | | | |
| wine its color. | | | | Beaujolais wines are made from the black |
| | | | Gamay and white Chardonnay grapes. |
| Rhone | | | | |
| | | | The wines of this region are often light in |
| The grape varieties most often seen in the | | | | nature, fresh tasting and with a somewhat |
| Rhone valley are the black Cabernet Sauvignon | | | | fruity flavor. Many Beaujolais wines are also |
| and Syrah grapes and the white Muscat grape. | | | | slightly fizzy in nature. |