Page 188 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Europe

186  FR ANCE AND THE L OW C OUNTRIES

The Wines of France

Winemaking in France dates back to pre-Roman times,
although it was the Romans who dissemin ated the
culture of the vine and the practise of wine-making
throughout the country. The range, quality, and
reputation of the fine wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy,
and Champagne in particular have made them role
models the world over. France’s everyday wines can be Château Cos d’Estournel, in the
highly enjoyable too, with plenty of good-value IGP Bordeaux region, produces a rich
(Indication Géographique Protegée) and vins de France and fruity Cabernet Sauvignon. The Calais
now emerging from the southern regions. Many wine grandeur of its exotic design is • A26 LILLE
typical of château architecture.
producers offer tours and have their own tasting Boulogne •
•
rooms, where visitors can try a selection of wines A2
without feeling pressurized to buy. A28
•
Dieppe
• •
The Wine Regions of France Cherbourg Le Havre • A13 • Amiens
• Reims
A4
Each of the 10 main wine-producing regions • Caen ROUEN A1 • Epernay • Metz
has its own identity, based on grape varieties, A84 N158 PARIS N77
climate, soil, and local culture. Around 40 • Brest N12 A28 Seine NANCY • •
percent of all French wines are included in the RENNES A11 STRASBOURG
AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protégée) • Le Mans •
system, which guarantees their style and N165 Orléans • Loire A6 • Chablis A31 Mulhouse •
geographic origin, though not their quality. A10 A36
• Tours A85 Dijon
Loire Angers • •
•
NANTES Bourges • • Beaune
Bordeaux Wines N137 N149 A71 Meursault • Lyon
Bordeaux is the world’s largest La Rochelle A20 Mâcon A40
fine wine region, and, for its red • A6 •
wines, certainly the most familiar Limoges LYON
•
outside France. The great wine- Gironde • Angoulême A89 • Clermont- •
Charent e
producing areas lie close to the A10 Ferrand • A48 A43
banks of the Gironde, Garonne, Pauillac • • Margaux Dordogne St. Etienne •
and Dordogne rivers. Along with • St. Emilion GRENOBLE
these, the river port of Bordeaux BORDEAUX •
•
itself have been crucial to the Pessac A62 Lot Rhône N85
region’s wine trade; some of the Garonne
prettiest châteaux line the river N10 Nîmes
banks, enabling easy trans- Château Château TOULOUSE • A9 • • NICE
portation. Grape varieties used Pitray Thieuley Bayonne • A64 • Montpellier A8
include Cabernet Sauvignon, • Tarbes A61 •
Merlot, and Petit Verdot (red); Sémillon Perpignan MARSEILLE
and Sauvignon Blanc (white). •
The property or producer Château-bottled,
How to Read a Wine Label rather than a wine
from a grower’s
Even the simplest label will provide a key to cooperative or a
the wine’s flavor and quality. It will bear the merchant
name of the wine and its producer, its vintage
(if there is one), and whether it comes from a
strictly defined area (Appellation d’Origine Capacity of
Protégée) or is a more general IGP or vin de the bottle
France. It may also have a regional grading, as
with the crus classés in Bordeaux. The shape
and color of the bottle is also a guide. Most The vintage, from
good-quality wine is bottled in green glass, the French word The wine’s Appellation
vendange, or harvest
which helps to protect it from light. d’Origine Protégée
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