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Learn more about France
The world's leading producer of quality wine, France organises its viticulture through the AOC/AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée) system, which regulates varieties, yields and winemaking practices region by region. The three main climates — oceanic in Bordeaux and the Loire, continental in Bourgogne, Champagne and Alsace, and Mediterranean in the southern Rhône and the Languedoc — determine the wine styles of each zone.
Bordeaux and Bourgogne established the global benchmarks for Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot and Pinot Noir-Chardonnay. The Rhône consolidated Syrah's reputation in the north and the GSM blend in the south. Champagne defined the traditional method for sparkling wines; Alsace pushes aromatic varieties to their highest concentration in a continental climate; the Loire offers everything from sparkling wines and Muscadet to Sancerre and the great Chenin Blancs.
The diversity of soils — Kimmeridgian limestone, Garonne gravels, volcanic granite, Devonian schist, chalk — combined with varietal richness (more than 200 indigenous varieties) makes France the reference country for understanding the relationship between terroir, vine variety and wine style.
