Many people find French wines “confusing” and have stayed safe with wines with English labels. They have therefore missed these beautiful wines of France.

The confusion over French wines, specifically French wine labels is understandable. After all, there’s the language barrier – all those French words! In addition, most French wines – except some from Alsace, are labeled and named by the region, not by the grape.

Unless you have some basic knowledge about the French wine regions and their grapes, you would not know how to choose a bottle of French wine, and what to expect in the bottle. Having the knowledge of the French wine regions, the grapes, styles & quality of the wine is information built over time. However, this article offers descriptions of the major French wine regions and the main grapes in each region, to help you enter the world of the French wines.

Being familiar with the regions and their major grapes would help you recognize the regions on the French wine label you see next time.

Clockwise from the top right corner of the map of France, the wine regions are Alsace, Burgundy, the Rhone Valley, Province, Languedoc-Rousillon, Bordeaux, and the Loire Valley.

Many wines from Alsace for non-French wine drinkers are probably the most user-friendly for the reason that the wine labels tell you the grape variety in the wine. Alsace makes all white wines, except those from Pinot Noir. The white grapes of Alsace are Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Sylvaner.

Burgundy (French “Bourgogne”) is the land of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

The Rhone Valley is really divided into Northern Rhone and Southern Rhone since the grapes and the styles of wines are different. In Northern Rhone, the white wines are made from the fragrant Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne, while the red wines are made from the inky dark Syrah. In Southern Rhone, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, and indigenous grapes make the white wines, while Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and indigenous grapes make the red wines.

In Province (French “Provence”), it wouldn’t be surprising if the wine has lavender aroma! The red grape Cinsault makes rosé wines. Another red grape, Grenache makes both rosé and dry red wines. The other red grapes for dry red wine blends are Mourvedre and Syrah.

In Languedoc-Rousillon, you’ll find all the grapes from Province, except Cinsault, and adding Carignan and some Bordeaux grape varieties.

Next comes to Bordeaux and its wines that is loved by everybody. Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon are the white grape here. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec are the red grapes in Bordeaux.

Last but not the least is the Garden of France, the Loire Valley, with red grapes of Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Gamay, and white grapes of Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Melon de Bourgogne.

Another fact to bear in mind is many French wines are not single varietal wines, and instead are blends of local grapes.

Pick up a French wine next time and look for the region. You have now taken the first step into the French Wine World. Welcome!