Grape Varieties Of France

Posted by WineGuy on Monday 1st of June 2009 11:18 PM france grape varieties In my time as a wine consultant, many people would often try to catch me out on my wine knowledge. One of the simplest ways people tried to do this was to make a comment about a wine from a certain region with a grape that isn't grown in that region. For example, someone might say to me "My favourite wine is a Chardonnay from Bordeaux." If you know wine then you know that (more than likely) the person has never had a Chardonnay from Bordeaux because Chardonnay is not one of the grape varieties that is grown in the Bordeaux region of France.

Here to help you out, is a table listing the main growing regions of France, and the main grape varieties which are grown in each region:

Region	White Varieties	Red Varieties
Bordeaux	Semillon, Muscadelle, Sauvignon Blanc	Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec
Burgundy	Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc	Pinot Noir, Gamay
Alsace	Silvaner, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Muscat d'Alsace, Pinot Gris	Pinot Noir
Champagne	Chardonnay	Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier
Loire	Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadet, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc	Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay
Rhone	Viognier, Clairette, Marsanne	Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, insault

France is one of the most reputable wine growing countries in the world, so it's an important area to have a basic knowledge of if you want to be seen as a true wine connoisseur!

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