French Wine Grape Varieties

The Grapes of France

There is more to the wines of France than just Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir; the lesser known regions offer a plethora of fascinating varieties. With flavours as original and as delicious as the more famous stalwarts they are certainly worth exploring.

Many of the wines of France are blends, combining unique flavours and lending structure to a wine that is more than a single varietal will allow. Not all regions do this however. The wines of Burgundy are mono-varietal; Chardonnay for the whites and Pinot Noir for the reds. Alsace, uniquely, has the variety on the label, predominantly white with Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris and others while the lowly Vin de Pays regions (notably right across the Languedoc) are often single grape varieties, often utilising varieties from other regions of France.

No matter what color their skins, the great majority of wine grapes have clear juice. Very few have red colored juice; the French call these types Teinturier - literally "dyers." Note also that rosé wines are made from red wine grape varieties

	red wine varieties
	white wine varieties