France

One of the most important wine countries that is responsible, either through production or imitation, for much of what is made today around the globe, from still to sparkling, dry to sweet, regular to fortified.

One of the greatest strengths of France as a wine producing country is the diversity of its climate. Champagne in the North is a cool continental, Bordeaux is Maritime, while the Languedoc in the South has a hot Mediterranean climate. Overlaid is the variety of soil types that, combined, contribute to the notion of terroir — the sense of place.

Last, but certainly not least, France’s appellation system, which was created in the early 20th Century to define wine regions and their boundaries and impose strict rules around winemaking practices, is a model for other wine regions. Protecting the names of French wines and guaranteeing the quality and provenance of the products themselves are its key objectives. Most other wine countries have designed appellation systems based on the French one.