La Belle France

There is no doubt, despite recent trends towards global consumption of New World wines in many countries, France is untouchable in terms of quality perception of its wines. France has the ideal terroir to produce fine wines - a fact the wine world knows too well - with climate moderating benefits of two large bodies of water [Atlantic and Mediterranean], varied soil types to accommodate and bring out the best in grape varietals, and centuries of expertise.

In the war between Italy and France for wine world supremecy, it is interesting to note that the Romans actually brought wine-making to France in the early ages. In fact, if it weren't for the ingenuity of Roman aquaducts, Bordeaux may not exist today.

Regardless, the French ran with it, perfecting the art of winemaking to the point that today France is so synonymous with wine that it'd be hard to picture the two not coexisting. [But that was almost the case in the late 1800's when phylloxera nearly wiped the whole industry out!]

French labelling system:

All over the world, people are both captivated and bamboozled by the complex control systems in place which render French wine labels incapable of enunciation or comprehension. This site will not, and probably can not in terms of virtual space, publish every detail of every appellation's control, but will provide an overview that you can take with you to your next french wine tasting so that you can talk the talk ...

The French appellations started over two centuries ago, and the labelling system consists of two classifications - Quality Wine and Table Wine, which are further split into two categories:

Quality Wines:

Vins de Délimités de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS)

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC or AC)

Small category - covers only around 1% France's production; Regulations similar to AOC but less stringent - eg yields and varietals can differ.

Criteria varies between regions, however this is the most stringent of the controls; Delineation of production areas - based on soil composition; Short list of grape varietals based on suitability for region, history and reputation; Maximum yields set per hectare in each region; Viticultural practices defined: planting density, pruning techniques, etc; Winemaking practices also defined; Minimum natural alcohol potential imposed;