France
France is one of the oldest wine producing regions of Europe. It also produces the most wine by value in the world (although Italy rivals it by volume and Spain has more land under cultivation for wine grapes). Bordeaux wine, Bourgogne wine and Champagne are important agricultural products.
Except for some exports from Bordeaux, until about 1850 most wine in France was consumed locally. People in Paris drank wine from the local vineyards, people in Bordeaux drank Bordeaux, those in Bourgogne drank Bourgogne, and so on throughout the country. The spread of railroads and the improvement of roads reduced the cost of transportation, but even until after World War II, the typical French person drank local wine and, although proud of France`s reputation for making some of the world`s outstanding wines, knew relatively little about them.
The Appellation System
The increase in trade and export led to increases in wine fraud, whereby inferior wines were labeled as superior wines, or inferior wines were blended with the wines of well-known producers. A number of laws to fight cheating were passed in 1935. They established the Appellation d`Origine Contrôlée system, which is governed by a powerful oversight board (Institut National des Appellations d’Origine - INAO). Consequently, France has one of the oldest appellation systems for wine in the world, and strictest laws concerning winemaking and production. Many other European systems are modelled on it. With European Union wine laws being modelled on those of the French, this trend is likely to continue with further EU expansion.
French law divides wine into four categories, with two falling under the European Union`s Table Wine category and two falling under the EU`s Quality Wine Produced in a Specific Region (QWPSR) designation. The categories are:
Table wine:
* Vin de table - Carries with it only the producer and the designation that it`s from France.
* Vin de pays - Carries with it a specific region within France (ex. Vin de Pays d`Oc)
QWPSR:
* Appelation Contrôlée (AC) - A locale within a region (ex. Côte de Beaune)
* Appelation d`Origine Contrôlée (AOC) - Indicates a specific vineyard (ex. Château Margaux)
France`s best-known regional appellation system was developed in 1855, in preparation for the Great International Exposition in Paris. At the request of the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce, the Union of Brokers Attached to the Bordeaux Market identified the Grands Crus (Great Growths) du Medoc and organized them into five categories. The rankings were based entirely on recent prices.
White wines in Bordeaux were also ranked. One (present-day Château d`Yquem) was uniquely ranked above all others in its own category, that of Premier Cru Superieur (Superior First Growth). There were 11 First Growths and 12 Second Growth white wines. These, too, were established entirely on the basis of prices in 1855.
Within two years after the classification system was published, wine sales by the classified producers increased over 250 percent. With the passage of time, many of the châteaux acquired additional vineyards far away, some sold part of their vineyards, some let their vineyards deteriorate, and many other changes occurred.
Wine critic Robert M. Parker, Jr. argues that the classification has long created an injustice to consumers because it has caused mediocre wines to be sold for too much and good wine to be sold for too little. He says that the archaic rankings ``should be regarded by both the wine connoiseur and the novice as informational items of historical significance only.``
Bourgogne`s classification system was created in 1861 for the Paris World`s Fair in 1862. It has 110 appellations in an area only one-fifth the size of Bordeaux. Complicating the system is the fact that many villages have hyphenated their names to include that of their best vineyard. This promotes sales but tends to confuse consumers.
Trivia
- A common Bordelais saying is:``The best vintage is the vintage we have to sell.``
- The wine classification system of the Douro region of Portugal was developed nearly two hundred years before that of France.
- There are 450 different wine appellations in France, a fact that tends to confuse consumers.
- Only 15% of all French wines enjoy the marketing benefits of AOC designations.
- To replace any vines, growers in Saint-Emilion need to obtain approval from eight different agencies. Heavy bureaucracy tends to hamper innovation while increasing the cost of production and reducing competitiveness.
- The use of dried cow’s blood to clarify wine is no longer permitted.
This article is based entirely or in part on the
France wikipedia article
and is licenced under the terms of the
GNU Free Documentation Licence.
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In this categoryVouvray Marquis de Rochemont 2008
Chenin Blanc vines thrive in the Loire region and Vouvray situated east of Tours produces some of the finest wines in the world from this popular grape This is a fine example and attractively priced too. Just off-dry it has an intense flavour full of exotic tropical fruits and just a touch of crisp acidity to balance these flavours perfectly. This really is a 'must try' for the uninitiated connoisseur. [read on...]
A B V: 12.5% Vintage: 2008 Color: white Country: France Code: 74231
Vouvray, Cuvee Moelleuse 1997 Champelou
A delicious, sweet, full bodied, powerfully flavoured Vouvray with peach, citrus zest and honeyed overtones. [read on...]
A B V: 12% Vintage: 1997 Color: Country: France Region: Loire Code: 44649
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