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Vineyards : French wine
There are thousands of vineyards in France which, between them, produce
9 billion bottles of wine per year. Every vineyard is allocated to a particular
Appellation according to the type and quality of wines they produce
though for added confusion the standard gradings of wines in France are
changed for both Bordeaux and Burgundy. Unlike the rest of the wines produced
in France those Burgundy wines given the Grand Cru rating
need only mention the name of the vineyard on the label.
The vineyards themselves range in size from the industrial
to the tiny, and from the famous to the obscure. Some vineyards export
their wines while others only ever sell to the French. There are many
companies that provide tours and wine tastings at French vineyards if
you want to experience French wine in the place where it has been made.
As an example, the Burgundy region has some of the oldest vineyards in
France (though the oldest are actually in Provence) dating back to monasteries
in 500AD with names like Santenay and Chambertin. Yet while Burgundy is
the second biggest wine producing region of France (Bordeaux is the first)
it has over 3,500 individual vineyards most of which are tiny family-run
businesses, which account for two-thirds of the wine production in the
region.
The key to the wine is the vine, and the grape variety, and how it is
prepared and finished. The different regions, and vineyards within them,
tend to specialise in certain types of grape and methods, hence the wine
from a given area can be classed together. Pinot Noir grapes are the main
ones used for the red wines of Burgundy, while Beaujolais is based on
the Gamay variety.
Despite all the development of wines across the world the largest single
vineyard remains Languedoc in France which, despite its size, produces
same very good wines. The smallest area with an AOC is Irouleguy in the
South East.
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