France is without doubt the world’s supreme wine-producing
country, unmatched for the finesse, style and sheer diversity of
its wines. France’s revered wine regions form a roll of honour
beyond compare. The enduring appeal of France’s classic wine
styles turns on the peculiarly French – and often controversial
– concept of terroir, the belief in wine with a ‘sense of
place’, with flavours and textures unique to its location,
climate, terrain and soil, for which the grape provides a blank
canvas. While competition from new world wines – consumer-
friendly, fruit-forward and labelled by variety (French,
naturellement) – is helping to revitalise France’s wine
industry, France’s terroir approach is bringing exciting change
to new world wine countries too, reaffirming France’s pioneering
role in the world of wine.read more France and its wines –
history and culture France’s long history of grape-growing dates
back to at least the 6th century B.C. when Greeks colonised
Massalia (Marseille) and established vines acro