French Wine Regions - a basic guide

A basic guide to the country's wine-growing areas, courtesy of French Wines.

Alsace

Wines from the Alsace have a reputation for fresh fruitiness. If you're looking for something to partner spicy food, a powerful Gewurztraminer is the perfect answer, while bone-dry Rieslings and perfumed Sylvaners are excellent with white fish and salads.

Bourgogne

Bourgogne produces some of the most famous wines in France, including Chablis and Nuits St George. The softer reds, such as the Côtes de Beaune, are excellent with pork and veal, and poultry in red wine sauces, while a complex-structured white such as a Chablis is wonderful with fish, including sushi.

Beaujolais

The reds of Beaujolais include fine, silky wines such as Fleurie and are extremely flexible partners for red and white meat and spiced salamis and rich pâtés. For something a little more mouth-filling, look out for Morgon, which combines structure with unusual aromas of peach and apricot.

Loire

Known for its crisp, white wines, look to the Loire for a crisp, distinctive Sauvignon Blanc such as Sancerre to partner fish dishes and white meats. Best enjoyed with simple food, they're a wonderful choice for grilled meat.

Rhône Valley

Côtes du Rhône reds pack a punch. A powerful mix of Syrah and Grenache grapes, wines such as Châteauneuf du Pape are both fruity and spicy, stuffed with tannins. They are the red meat eater's dream.

Bordeaux

One of France's best-known wine regions, Bordeaux is home to some of the silkiest blended wines in the world. Well-rounded whites are produced from a mix of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc in regions such as Graves, but it's the red wines we know, such as elegant Margaux or the more intense St Emilion.

Bergerac

Bergerac produces great value wine such as the off-dry Saussignac - easy-drinking with desserts and blue cheese dishes. Bergerac reds are especially good with egg dishes and vegetarian meals.

Languedoc-Roussillon

The huge Languedoc-Roussillon region produces reds such as Minervois and Fitou, grown on its open plains where the belting sunshine gives them a fleshy fullness and herb and olive aromas. They partner well with simple dishes of grilled beef and pork and taste splendid with barbecued meats.

Provence

Provence is rosé territory. Try dry Bellet and Pallette, as well as the more familiar Côtes de Provence with tex-mex cuisine as well as the fish and vegetable dishes of its native region.

Article courtesy of French Wines