French wines like other wines are are meant to accompany food.
Terroir in France.
It is the complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced, including factors such as the soil, topography, altitude, slope of hill, orientation toward the sun, rain, winds etc. As per the appellation of the AOC Even in the same area, no two vineyards can have exactly the same terroir. When the same grape variety is planted in different regions, it can produce wines that are significantly different from each other. In France the concept of terroir manifests itself most extremely in the Burgundy region. .
Grape Varieties in France .
Numerous grape varieties are cultivated in France as French appellation rules generally restrict wines from each region, district or appellation to a small number of allowed grape varieties, there are in principle no varieties that are commonly planted throughout all of France.
How Wine is Made.
Just like any other country France follows the six main stages of winemaking are:.
Harvesting .
Crushing and pressing.
Fermentation.
Clarification .
Aging .
Bottling .
Harvesting in France.
The primary harvest period in France is September through October. The moment the grapes are picked is a pretty big deal. Picking earlier will produce wines with higher acidity and lower alcohol but picking later in the harvest season will produce wines with lower acidity and higher alcohol or sweetness.
Harvesting can be done mechanically or by hand. Many estates prefer to hand harvest, as mechanical harvesters can often be too tough on the grapes and the vineyard. Burgundy, Champagne and the Bordeaux region of Aquitaine are the main regions where grapes and other wine bearing fruits are harvested in France.
Crushing and Pressing.
Today, mechanical crushers perform the time-honored tradition of stomping the grapes into must. Although the traditional practice of harvest dance is lost there is an immense sanitary gain.
