France

This is a long narrow wine area that can be divided into the north where the wine is dominated by Syrah (Shiraz) and the south where Grenache dominates. The south often represents better value and the wines can be fruitier. The Rhone Valley is responsible for about 9% of the wine produced in France.

In the triangle formed near the Mediterranean coast by Nice in the east, Marseille in the west and Avignon to the northwest, lies the region of Provence.

The Loire Valley, near Nantes in western France, is one of the most beautiful winemaking areas in Europe. A narrow, but wide region following the Loire river, it meanders from Auvergne and the Massif Central mountains to the Atlantic coast.

Languedoc-Roussillon, the largest wine producing region in the world, lies on the border of the Mediterranean sea, between the Rhone delta and Spain.

Champagne is not just a sparkling wine, but the region from which the famous drink derives its name. The climate of the area is cooler than that of the southern French vineyards, making for a shorter growing season.

Nowhere in France is the terroir concept — a group of vineyards (or vines) from the same region that share similar soil and climate — more dearly held than Burgundy.

Bordeaux. The word itself says 'wine' to millions around the world. Many historians of the subject assure us that wine has been produced in Bordeaux since the first century AD. And given the known ability for the great Bordeaux to age gracefully, one can believe it.

Winemakers in Alsace have been active since the Roman conquest.

Chablis is located south east of Paris and is classified as part of Burgundy, even though it is closer to Champagne than other parts of Burgundy, and some distance from the rest of Burgundy.

The Beaujolais region covers a 34 mile stretch from the south of Burgundy to as far as Lyon. It produces more than twice as much wine as Burgundy. Gamay is the only black grape grown in Beaujolais. There is a little white Beaujolais produced but almost all is red.