When it comes to wine and gastronomy, France is an immediate reference point. Roland Barthes wrote in 1957 that “the French nation thinks of wine as something that belongs to it just as the 360 types of cheese and the culture.” In a survey conducted 30 years later about what being French means to them, French people answered: “loving good wine” as readily as “being born in France” or “speaking French”. Wine, it could be said, is France’s main national-conscience-building myth.
Today, vines are grown in 80 regions and in almost 30 of these, take up 95 per cent of the overall plantation land.
Since 2000, France has exported about 15 million hectoliters annually. Two-thirds of direct wine consumption is in the home, and one third in public places.
Main French wine producing regions
Languedoc-Roussillon
The region is famous for its quality red wines and has 24 275 chateaux. The main red wine brands are Cotes du Rhone, les Corbieres and les Coteaux du Languedoc. The leading white wine brands are le Muscat de Rivesaltes and et le Rivesaltes, followed by de Limoux and Coteaux du Languedoc. Its table wine brands are Vins de pays d’Oc, Vins de pays de l’Herault, Vins de pays de l’Aude, and Vins de pays du Gard.
Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur
The region has 8133 chateaux. The biggest production share of V.Q.P.R.D comes from traditional red wine and rose. Those come from the regions Cotes du Rhone, Cotes de Provence, Cotes du Ventoux, Coteaux d’Aix, and Cotes du Luberon. Table wines that were approved as “vins de pays” are those coming from the Var, Bouches du Rhone and Vaucluse regions, followed by wines from the Maures, Portes de Mediterranee, and la Principaute d’Orange regions.
Aquitaine
The region has 10 892 chateaux. Most V.Q.P.R.D wines here are red. Most famous among them are the Bordeaux and Bordeaux superieurs, followed by Bergerac and Medoc. Leading V.Q.P.R.D white wines are the Bordeaux and Bordeaux superieurs, Bergerac, l’Entre deux mers and Graves.
Midi-Pyrenees
There are 1 822 chateaux in the region. The leading V.Q.P.R.D wines are Cahors, Gaillac, Cotes du Frontonnais and Madiran. The leading table wines are les Cotes de Gascogne, les Cotes du Tarn and le Comte Tolosan. The region also produces cognac and armagnac.
Vallee de la Loire (regions Centre et Pays de Loire)
There are 5 576 chateaux. There are various V.Q.P.R.D brands, most famous of which are l’Anjou, le Cabernet d’Anjou, le Touraine, and le Chinon. The leading white wines are Muscadet, le Sancerre, le Touraine, and le Vouvray.
Rhone-Alpes
There are 6 411 chateaux here. V.Q.P.R.D production is mostly taken up by the regional wines Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone, Coteaux du Tricastin, and la Savoie. Among table wines, the red dominate. Famous brands are les Coteaux de l’Ardeche, les Portes de Mediterranee, Drome, Comte de Grignan and Coteaux de Baronnies.
Alsace
There are 4 139 chateaux in this region.
Bourgogne
There are 4 246 chateaux. Its famous red wines are the Bourgogne and Beaujolais, and its famous white wines are Chablis, le Macon villages and l’Aligote.
Champagne viticole
It has 11 278 chateaux. Unlike all other regions, the proportion of red wines here is insignificant.
Charentes
It includes two regions - Charente and Charente maritime - and produces both cognac wines and table wines for direct consumption or for production of sparkling wines, grape juice and concentrated must (the unfermented or fermenting juice expressed from fruit, especially grapes).
Vintellectual asked French ambassador to Bulgaria, Yves Saint-Geours to name his preferences in Bulgarian and French wines. From Bulgaria, No man’s Land, Uniqato and Mavrud rated well, and from France, red wines from the Medoc (Bordeaux), the Saucerre white wine and, of course, champagne, were top of the list.
