France: The motherland of wine?
In terms of wine, France is undoubtedly a standard, a tradition and an ideology. La Grand Nation du Vin has been a leading wine nation for centuries. And although there are many more vineyards planted in Spain, and the Italians are ahead in quantity, France is the country that embodies the word 'wine'.вино“.
France owns about 800,000 hectares planted with vineyards (compared to about 60,000 in Bulgaria), of which an average of 8 billion bottles are produced annually. Most of the world's wine varieties are French: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah and there is no wine lover who does not know this. For years, wine nations have been proud to produce French-style wines. This is slowly changing with the rediscovery of more and more local varieties, especially in the Old Wine World, but France still remains a benchmark.
Geographically, the country, which is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, has an extremely favorable position for wine production. Located between 42 ° and 50 ° north latitude, the French wine regions have an incredible variety of styles, varieties and terroirs respectively.
In addition, France has thousands of years of experience in wine production, and the founding of Marseilles as a Greek colony in the VI century BC was officially announced. For the French, wine is a tool of civilization, but also an art, cult and tradition. . Even the monks in the Middle Ages maintained and mapped the vineyards not only in France but also wherever their orders had monasteries.
The modern French vineyard classification system is the basis of the laws of many other wine countries around the world. The Appellation d’origine contrôlée is based on the idea of geographical origin and is managed by the Institut national des appellations d’origine (INAO). It is he who observes the observance of the laws by which the state defines the strictly permitted practices of the vineyards and in the cellar.
The French jealously care about their regions and on each bottle they write them, not the grape variety. That's why it's good to know the main ones. Burgundy is a benchmark for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Bordeaux is a Mecca of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, Rhone is home to cheese, but also Grenache, and in the Loire Valley you will find stunning wines from the Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc varieties. Alsace produces Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer, and in Provence you will find amazing roses of Cinsault, Grenache or Mourvedre.
