An overview of French White Wines

LIVING’s resident wine expert Caro Feely demystifies the bewildering array of names on our wine labels

France is one of the top 3 wine producing countries in the world, both in terms of volume and economic value, with 37 of the top 50 most expensive wines of the world hailing from France. First place is usually a close call between France, Italy and Spain. In 2019 Italy came in first and France second. China recently took first place for hectares planted, so it’s a matter of time until they take first place overall.

The total vineyard area in France is around 800,000ha, spread across some 75,000 holdings. Not all are separate wineries – some supply cooperatives or are for personal use. Nonetheless, comparing this to other important New World wine producing countries like Australia, with a total area of around 135,000ha under vineyards and approximately 750 wineries, and South Africa with around 95,000 ha and approximately 550 wineries, we can see that France has many hectares but also many small operators.

All that scale and diversity means a multitude of wine regions to know about, even more ‘appellations’ (360 to be precise) and many different wines. In this edition I’m focusing on white wines, which represent around a third of French production. In the next, I will pick up on red wines and then I’ll come back to the key grape varietals.

Alsace

Alsace wine region covers around 15,000ha and is famous for white wines, particularly noble varieties of Gewürztraminer and Riesling. Vines are planted on the eastern foothills of the Vosges mountains, where they experience dry, warm autumns perfect for ripening grapes. There are many soil types offering a great diversity of taste of terroir. Their white wines range from dry to full sweet.

Bordeaux whites – Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc

Bordeaux is most famous for red wines, but the greater Bordeaux region also produces beautiful whites. Sweet white wines like Sauternes south of Bordeaux city, plus Saussignac and Monbazillac in the Bergerac region, are primarily from the Sémillon grape. Dry whites are from Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Examples include Pessac-Léognan, often a richer style with barrel ageing, and Entre-Deux-Mers, usually a fresher style with more Sauvignon Blanc.

Burgundy – Chardonnay and a little Aligoté

Many people associate Burgundy with Pinot Noir but it produces more white wine, with 60% white, 30% red and 10% sparkling. You find most of the whites south of Beaune. Examples include Meursault, Montrachet and the Mâconnais, creating whites made from Chardonnay (and Aligoté in some parts) which are often barrel aged. In the far north of the Burgundy area is a white wine icon: Chablis, an appellation famous for steely-dry Chardonnay that is rarely barrel aged.

Loire Valley – Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc

The Loire Valley, like Alsace, is best known for white wines. It spans more than 800km from fabulous Sancerre in the east to Muscadet in the far west. You will find Sauvignon Blanc from famous commune appellations including Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé and Menetou-Salon and Chenin Blanc from Touraine region, with the famous commune appellation of Vouvray. The sub-region of Saumur Anjou includes white dessert wines like Coteaux du Layon and outstanding dry Chenin

Blancs like those from Savennières just south of Angers. The last part of the Loire, Muscadet, produces wines from Melon de Bourgogne grapes, whose refreshing zesty acidity accompanies seafood perfectly.

The Rhône Valley and Languedoc – many grapes & varietals

The Rhone valley is more known for red wines but also produces some great whites from Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne. Neighbouring Languedoc produces the largest volume of wine in France, thanks to the varietal-specific Vin de Pays or PGI (Protected Geographic Indication) d’Oc, and its success in the international market. But while Languedoc is a massive wine region with around 228,000 hectares, a mere 10% of this is white wine production from many different grapes, including the Rhône varieties above but also many local varieties like Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc or Picpoul Blanc. There’s no better way to get to know a wine region than by visiting it, whether vicariously with a glass of it in your garden chair or setting off on a wine tour. Here’s to fine wine, friends and new wine discoveries this spring!

Come and learn about the wines of France on Caro’s custom 3-day wine course (all year round) or stretch yourself with Wine Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 2. Château Feely (www.chateaufeely.com) is a biodynamic and organic wine estate with accommodation, wine tours, vineyard walks and an accredited WSET wine school (www.frenchwineadventures. com). Subscribe to the newsletter at caro@chateaufeely.com, or via social media. You can also read the Feelys’ adventures in Caro’s book series.