The History of French Wine

Alsace

The Northeastern region of France is one that has quite a rugged history. Alsace was conquered in the first century BC by Rome, then the Franks in 496 AD. Then Alsace was united with the German territories in 870. It was under the Holy Roman Empire until the 17th century. In 1648, France was given an informal protectorate over Alsace. The French then established full control after occupying Strasbourg in 1681. At the end of the Franco-German War of 1870, Germany annexed Alsace into its empire. After WWI, Alsace returned to France, as well as some of the Lorraine region. At the beginning of WWII, Alsace was annexed again by Germany. After WWII, Alsace was returned to France again, where it is ruled today^[1].

I mention this history because it shows why there are heavy German influences in the area. Alsace is known for it’s varietal wines: Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Gewürztraminer. Anything that is a blend of two or more grapes will be labeled as labeled Edelzwicker, Gentil, or other specific named wine. Almost all of the wine to come out of this area of France is white (+90%) — and those that aren’t white, are often rosé, not red. Due to the grapes grown in this region, many characteristic Alsace wines are aromatic, floral, and spicy^[2].

Alsace wines are frequently dry, which differentiates them from the same varietals when used in German wines^[2]. If you do run into a semi-sweet from Alsace, it is a dessert wine. These are typically labeled as Vendanges Tardives and Sélection de Grains Nobles^[3].

One wine that is unique to this region is the Pinot d’Alsace (also known as klevner^[2]). This wine is made with a blend of Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois grapes. This white blend is pale yellow and has many fruit notes. It is not considered one of the noble wines, but can still be of very high quality. It is typically meant to be consumed within 5 years after the grape harvest^[3].

top

Bordeaux

Long ago, this region of Western France was known to the Romans as Burdigala^[4]. The Romans occupied the Atlantic region around 60 B.C. and their ruins can still seen in the area. All the way back in the preserved city of Pompeii, there are references to Bordeaux and its wine^[4]. The Bordeaux region was blessed not only with tremendous soil, but also critical access to waterways and ports.

The access to shipping wines out of the area proved to be an area where Bordeaux was able capitalize at the expense of other wine regions. The local wine of the area was given special privilege over wines that had traveled into the region simply for shipping. Bordeaux wines were sold first, then once their crop was depleted, merchants would sell the wines from Gergerac and Armagnac. At the time, these wines from other regions were typically seen as superior to those from Bordeaux, but the money was going to the local wines instead. This led to more investment in the Bordeaux area and less in other areas which eventually helped create better wines in the local region — thus perpetuating the cycle.

By the 1700s, the Bordeaux wines were well-established as a high quality selection. In 1787, during his trip to the area, Thomas Jefferson penned a list of best wines. He classified the wines by quality instead of by appellation. These would eventually be known as the First Growths (Premiers Crus) and Second Growths (Deuxiemes Crus). Eventually, others added levels all the way down to the Fifth Growth. As others started to classify the Bordeaux region, a formal request was presented by the Wine Brokers’ Union of Bordeaux, known as The Classification of 1855. It included only wines from the Left Bank, as the Right Bank was not yet producing wine, or they were still considered simple wines^[5]. The Classification of 1855 has gone relatively unchanged since inception.

Prior to the 1960s, Bordeaux used to have a significant production of white wines. Amost all of the area known as  Entre-deux-Mers produced Sauvignon Blanc. As of 2007, only 11% of the vineyard area was used for growing grapes used in white wines^[6].

One of the newest additions to Bordeaux is La Cité du Vin wine museum, which opened on the first of June in 2016^[7].  The museum was built along the Garonne River, just North East of Bordeaux city center. If anyone takes their wine seriously enough to have a theme park dedicated to it — it’s the French!

top

Bourgogne (Burgundy)

“Price is an extremely unreliable guide…What a wine sells for often has more to do with advertising hype and marketing decisions than the quality contained in the bottle.” — Jancis Robinson, British wine critic

Home of the famous Burgundies, wine from this area of Eastern France has a long history. Burgundies are either dry red wines made from Pinot Noir grapes or white wines made from Chardonnay grapes from the region. Burgundy has the largest number of appellations d’origine contrôlée (AOCs) of any French region (84)^[9]. It is often considered the “most terroir-conscious of the French wine regions”^[10].

The most common grape varieties in the Bourgogne appellations are:

The only common blend that come from this region is Kir, which is a fusion of Aligoté grapes with black currant liqueur. The Grand Cru standards in Burgundy allow for light blending of Chardonnay, Pinot blanc, and Pinot gris (up to 15%), but not many winemakers use this practice^[10].

top

Champagne

The Champagne region, located in Northern France on the border shared with Belgium, is legally made up of five sub-regions:   Aube, Côte des Blancs, Côte de Sézanne, Montagne de Reims, and Vallée de la Marne. Champagne is the only region that is permitted to exclude AOC from their label^[11].

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier are the three most prevalent grapes grown in Champagne because they are the only ones that can be used for traditional Champagne. There are two styles of Champagne that do not combine these three grapes in some way:  the Blanc de Noirs (100% Pinot, either varietal or a blend of the two) and Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay).

Like most regions in France, the Champagne territory saw its share of armies march through on their way to Paris. It wasn’t until the reign of Louis XIV in the middle of the 17th century that the region was peaceful enough to start to change the way the world would see sparkling wines as we know them today^[11].

The art of creating fine sparkling wine was tuned in the wine cellars at the Abby of Hautvillers. While taking on several roles at the abbey, a monk named Pierre Pérignon, or as you may know him, Dom Pérignon, tried to prevent the bubbles that were ever-present in the wine. Back in Dom’s time, the bubbles were unwanted and undesirable. Wine with bubbles was seen as being poorly made and was often referred to as mad wine^[12].

While Dom may not have invented sparkling wine, he did provide large strides in blending juice and creating wines with a brighter color than had ever been seen prior. He sourced a stronger British bottle to help curb the issues with exploding bottles due to high pressure and topped his creations with a Spanish cork rather than the traditional hemp stoppers^[12].

Grapes grown in the Champagne region are traditionally placed on slopes facing specific directions to achieve different flavor profiles. Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier of the Montagne de Reims that are planted on northern-facing slopes are highly acidic, while the same grapes on the southern facing slope add more body^[11].

While not all wine produced in the Champagne region is sparkling wine, it is the vast majority.

top

Corse

The Corse region of France is the island of Corsica, in the Mediterranean sea. The island is actually closer to Italy than France and many of the traditions on Corsica are based on those of Italy and there is definitely a blend of the two cultures.

The history of Corsica is long, starting with the settlement of the island by the Phoceans around 570 BC^[14]. This original settlement, which was located in what is now the town of Aléria on the islands Eastern coast. The Phoceans were known as wine growers and brought clippings to the island, as well as growing the local vines as well.

After Islamic rule during the 7th and 8th centuries had stifled the wine production due to their beliefs about alcohol consumption, Corsica came under the rule of the Italian city of Pisa and then the Republic of Genoa during the Middle Ages.  It is believed that a clone of the Sangiovese grape was brought to the island and flourished, becoming what we know today as the Nielluccio grape^[14].

During the Algerian War of Independence in the mid-20th century, French pieds-noirs  (Algerians of European origin) immigrated to Corsica to escape the African continent after the Philippeville massacre. These immigrants planted new vines as they reached Corsica and by the end of the 1960s, the number of vineyards on the island had quadrupled^[14].

Corsica now has eight AOC regions, with the first one, Patrimonio, being establisted in 1968. The complete list of AOCs are:

• Ajaccio,
• Patrimonio,
• Vin de Corse,
• Vin de Corse-Calvi,
• Vin de Corse-Figari,
• Vin de Corse-Porto Vecchio,
• Vin de Corse-Sartène,
• Vin des Coteaux-du-Cap-Corse

The Italian influence is seen in the most commonly grown grapes on Corsica, Vermentino and Sangiovese. However, on the island, they are known as Rolleand and Nielluccio, respectively. While not as common as those two varieties, the French Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsaut, and Carignan are also prevalent^[15].

Over the years, winemakers on Corsica have found success growing many types of grapes. Currently there are more than 40 sanctioned varieties approved for use in quality wines^[15].

top

Languedoc Roussillon

Thought to be home to some of the oldest vines in France, Languedoc Roussillon lies in the south of France^[16]. It is the largest wine-producing region in the world and accounts for more than a third of the wine production in France^[17]. This region has also been heavily linked to the “wine lake” problem, creating too much supply.

In 2007 it was reported that for the previous several vintages, European countries had been producing 1.7 billion more bottles of wine than they sell¹⁸. Hundreds of millions of bottles of wine are turned into industrial alcohol every year, a practice that is sometimes described as “emergency distillation”^[19].

Wine growers of Limoux claimed to have produced a sparkling white wine, known as Blanquette de Limoux by Méthode Traditionnelle what was formerly known as méthode champenoise. This claim was made 156 years before Dom Perignon was working in his Abbey in the Champagne region^[16]. Crémant de Limoux is still available today.

The treatment for Phylloxera, a bug that eats grape vines, was discovered in this region, in Montpellier. This pest that wiped out so many crops would now be able to be kept in check.

There are many grape varieties that grow in this region. There is a wide variety due to the size of the region and it’s long history with grapes.  Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon blanc, and Chardonnay are all prevalent as are Mourvedre, Grenache, Syrah, and Viognier.

top

Loire

This wine region is also called the Loire Valley and consists of the area which lies beside the Loire River. Grapes for making white wines are the majority in the Loire Valley, but there is a large variety in the region^[20]. The area has a propensity to avoid barrel aging as well as the malolactic fermentation technique of converting malic acid to lactic acid. This leads to wines in this region having high acidity. As an aside, malolactic fermentation is standard practice for most red wines, but also common for specific whites, like Chardonnay^[21]. 

The artifacts found in the area paint a picture of the regions history. It is believed that the Romans brought grapes to the Loire Valley in the 1st century AD. The growth of grapes was already well-established by the time Sidonius Apollinaris wrote a publication referencing the Loire in the 5th century AD. The Loire region experienced its highest reputation during the time known as the High Middle Ages (1001 – 1300 AD) as the wines during this time were considered to be even more valuable and higher quality than the wines in Bordeaux^[20].

The Loire region is composed of three sections:  Upper Loire, Middle Loire, and Lower Loire.

The Upper Loire is the farthest inland and includes the large Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé areas. The grapes that are most prominent in this part of the Loire are Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. Sancerre is known for using mechanical methods of harvesting the grapes instead of hand picking. Sauvignon Blanc from this region has been known to pick up acidic gooseberry and grapefruit flavors. The red Pinot Noir wines from the Upper Loire are typically light-bodied and light-colored. The heavy amount of Pinot Noir plantings were from the influence of Burgundy, but after a bout with Phylloxera devastated the area, many of these vines were replaced with Sauvignon Blanc, which is slightly easier to grow and maintain^[20].

The Middle Loire is known for its rosé wines. The region is centered around the town of Angers. The rosé wines made in the Middle Loire are made primarily with the Grolleau and Cabernet franc grape varieties. These are typically labeled as Rosé d’Anjou and Cabernet d’Anjou. The white wine produced in this area is made using the Chenin Blanc grape and labeled as Anjou Blanc. This grape has been in the Middle Loire since the 1st century AD when it was known to be planted at the Abbey of Glanfeuil.

In the Lower Loire, the westernmost part of the region, contain the appellations; Muscadet, Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine, Muscadet-Côtes de Grand Lieu, and Muscadet-Coteaux de la Loire. The Muscadet appellation is a generic one that cover the larger Loire-Atlantique area. Some wines in these regions are bottled straight from the tank, without racking or filtering of the juice. This type of bottling is called sur lie, meaning “on lees”. Lees are the remaining solids and dead yeast after fermentation. This process leaves these wines with a significantly higher amount of sediment, but the benefit is that these wines can taste bolder and fresher.

top

Provence

Similar to the island of Corsica, grapes were brought to this region by Phoceans. It is believed that this happened at the same time that the city of Marseille, originally named Massalia, was founded about 600 BC^[22]. Over the next several hundred years, the wine made in the Provence region developed a reputation for high quality. The Romans reached and conquered the area in 125 BC as they marched their way to Spain, prior to overtaking Germany. During the Middle Ages, abbeys and monastic orders in the area refined their wine-making skills and used their sales of rosé as a main source of revenue. The Provence region officially became a part of France right before the start of the 16th century.

The various influences of many cultures sparked a wide variety in the grapes grown in the area. Greek and Roman varieties, as well as Spanish, Italian, and traditional French wine grapes are all found in Provence. Mourvèdre is a staple to the area, as are Grenache and Cinsault. The region has seen a decrease in Carignan production due to this variety’s low production yield. Overall, the region makes over a thousand kinds of wine^[23], but the vast majority of the wine from Provence is  rosé, which accounts for just under 90% of the production^[24].

Provence has nine AOC regions, the largest being Côtes de Provence, accounting for three quarters of the Provence’s total wine production. Other AOC areas are: Coteaux d’Aix en Provence, Coteaux Varois de Provence (the Heart of Provence), Les Baux de Provence, Cassis, Bandol, Palette, Bellet, and the most recently added Pierrevert^[24].

top

Rhône

The region of the Rhône Valley stretches along the Rhône River in the south-east of France. It stretches roughly from Avignon to Vienne. Grapes were brought to the southern part of the Valley shortly after the Phoceans developed the city of Marseille in Provence (see above section). It took several centuries for the migration of peoples to start growing grapes in the northern area of the Rhône Valley^[25].

In the southern Rhône area (Rhône méridional), the ruins of Villa du Molard are considered to be the most important wine-growing piece of Roman antiquity. Half way between the French cities Orange and Montélimar, in the town of Donzère, the wine-making estate stretched over two hectares and held two grape crushers and four presses. The Villa was dated to the 1st century BC and has been a historical monument since 1994^[26].

In the 13th century, the Comtat Venaissin (County of Venaissin) was given to the Holy See upon the death of Alphonse, Count of Poitiers in 1271. In 1274 the area became a Papal territory. Pope Clement V was the first to reside in Avignon and his successor, Pope John XXII formally moved the capital of the papacy from Rome to Avignon. This move prompted the planting of new vineyards in the area and a lot of commerce to drive sales of the wine^[25]. Eventually, Avignon was sold to the papacy in 1348. In total, seven Avignon popes and two anti-popes would live in Avignon before the end of the Western Schism in 1417^[27].

The northern side of the Rhône Valley (Rhône septentrional) is only responsible for about 5% of the wine produced in the region. In the Northern Rhône, the vineyards are terraced due to the steep hillsides. This reduces erosion and makes working the vines easier on the workers^[29]. The major claim-to-fame of the Northern Rhône is that it is the birthplace of Syrah. Syrah is the mixture of Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche grapes. Dureza is from Southern France and Mondeuse Blanche from Savoy. As an aside here, Petite Sirah should not be inferred to be the literal ‘little Syrah.’ Petite Sirah is the offspring of Syrah and Peloursin, another French grape^[30].

top

Sud Ouest (South West)

The South West region, or Sud Ouest if you’re French is on-point, has been producing wine since the first century BC, when the area was controlled by the Romans^[31]. The South West Region’s wines were known for their high quality and the local river allowed for these wines to travel far to their customers. The last stop in France before heading off to the British markets was the port of Bordeaux. Bordelais businessmen and merchants saw the wines from these regions as a threat to their own prosperity and so they took drastic measures to ensure that Bordeaux wines were always the first sold^[32,33]. Part of this was the establishment of the police des vins, established in the 13th and 14th centuries that strictly governed the region’s wine trade. One of these policies stated that each year, wine from the Languedoc area could not travel down the Garonne river to be sold in Bordeaux until after December 1. This essentially limited competition during the majority of the year in Bordeaux and disadvantaged other regions who would miss out of the busiest season for wine trade^[34]. The result of all of the police des vins is seen in the recognition that the Bordeaux region receives for their wines, while any area south-west of Bordeaux struggles to remain relevant even though their wines are equally superior.

Unlike the other regions in France, don’t expect to see Vins du Sud Ouest on many labels. Wines from this region will market themselves under their more local pseudonyms. This region is large, the 5th largest in France, with grapes covering over 120,000 acres. The region is also known for its rural backdrop as it is one of the least populated parts of France^[35].

The split in the South West region is 55% white, 45% red/rosé^[36]. Within the larger region, there are several sub-regions:  Dordogne & Bergerac, Garonne & Tarn (Lot River), Gascony, and Béarn (Pyrénées). Some sources separate the Béarn and the Basque regions^[33].

The Dordogne & Bergerac region, in the northern part of the region (just outside Bordeaux), you will be able to find many of the same grapes and wines that you would find in Bordeaux proper. The regional names to look for on the labels are: Bergerac, Montravel (dry white blends), Pécharment (big, bold red wines), and sweet wines from Saussignac, Rosette and Monbazillac^[35]. This region has several wines to choose from:

Moving east, towards Toulouse, lies the Garonne & Tarn region. Appropriately named after the two rivers that criss-cross the region, this area has a few more grape varieties on top of those that are found in the Dordogne & Bergerac:

The area has a few additional wines to highlight. South West France is home to grapes and wines found practically nowhere else in the world.  Côtes de Brulhois is known for “Black Wine”, a very bold style of red wine. The Fronton AOP is home to the Négrette grape, which is grown in the region and is a descendant of the Mavro grape from Cyprus. One of the most famous AOC’s in this region is Cahors, which is the original home of Malbec^[35].

The Gascony region centers around Armagnac and it’s brandy production of the same name^[37]. The brady is +50% alcohol and is regarded as a more fragrant and flavorful spirit than Cognac^[38]. The spirit is barrel aged which imparts the dark coloring. This aging results in part of the alcohol and water evaporating (known as part des anges, the “angels’ share”).

Last, the southern region of Béarn lies along the northern side of the Pyrénées mountains which separate France from Spain. Wines from this region can be more rare, as they are composed of grapes that are grown very few other places in the world. Some of the varieties of grape grown in this region are:

top

You can find the history of other locations too, just by clicking here.

Sources

1) Alsace

The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica – https://www.britannica.com/place/Alsace

2) Alsace wine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alsace_wine

3) Alsace Wine Region: A Guide for Enthusiasts

http://winefolly.com/review/alsace-wine-region/

4) Complete Bordeaux Wine History and Description of the Wines

https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-topics/bordeaux-wine-history-description-wines/

5) 1855 Bordeaux Classification of the Medoc Official History

https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/bordeaux-wine-producer-profiles/bordeaux/1855-bordeaux-classification

6) History of Bordeaux wine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Bordeaux_wine

7) France Loves Wine So Much, They Made a Theme Park For It

Mike MacEacheran – https://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2016-05-25/its-national-wine-day-visit-frances-wine-theme-park-la-cite-du-vin

8) Bordeaux wine

The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica – https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bordeaux-wine

9) Bourgogne, the birthplace of terroir

https://www.bourgogne-wines.com/

10) Burgundy wine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgundy_wine

11) Champagne (wine region)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champagne_(wine_region)

12) Champagne: France, History of Champagne, Dom Perignon

https://www.intowine.com/champagne.html

13) The History of Champagne and the Champagne Region of France

http://www.thetipsygrape.com/articles/Champagne/the-history-of-champagne-and-the-champagne-region-of-france

14) Corsica wine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corsica_wine

15) Corsica Wine Regions

https://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-corsica

16) History of wine in Languedoc Roussillon, South France

http://www.creme-de-languedoc.com/Languedoc/wine/history.php

17) Languedoc-Roussillon wine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languedoc-Roussillon_wine

18) Frank, Mitch, and Diana Macle. “Europe’s plan to pull up vines decried … again.” The Wine Spectator, 30 Sept. 2007, p. 15.

19) Europe | Draining France’s ‘wine lake’

Caroline Wyatt – http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5253006.stm

20) Loire Valley (wine)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loire_Valley_(wine)

21) Malolactic fermentation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malolactic_fermentation

22) Provence Rosé History

http://www.provencewineusa.com/site/history

23) Provence wine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provence_wine

24) Essential Guide to Provence Wine Region (with maps)

http://winefolly.com/review/provence-wine-region-guide-with-maps/

25) Identity and History of the vineyard

http://www.rhone-wines.com/en/identite-histoire

26) Villa du Molard

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_du_Molard

27) History of Avignon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Avignon

28) Rhône wine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rh%C3%B4ne_wine

29) Guide to Cotes du Rhone Wine and Châteauneuf-du-Pape

http://winefolly.com/review/cotes-du-rhone-wine-with-maps/

30) The Secrets to Syrah Wine

http://winefolly.com/review/the-secrets-to-syrah-wine/

31) History of French wine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_French_wine

32) South West France Wine Regions

Last 14-Apr-2014 – https://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-south+west+france

33) South West France (wine region)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_West_France_(wine_region)

34) Police des Vins

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_des_Vins

35) The Wines of South West France (map)

http://winefolly.com/review/wines-of-southwest-france/

36) The Sud-Ouest: Welcome to France’s most complicated wine region

Bill Zacharkiw, Special to Montreal Gazette More from Bill Zacharkiw, Special to Montreal Gazette – http://montrealgazette.com/life/the-sud-ouest-welcome-to-frances-most-complicated-wine-region

37) The Great Wine Route: Gascony

Decanter Staff-Jane Anson-Andrew Jefford – http://www.decanter.com/features/the-great-wine-route-gascony-247537/

38) Armagnac (brandy)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armagnac_(brandy)