Winemaking in France dates back to pre-Roman times, also it was the Romans
who disseminated the culture of the wine and the practice of winemaking
throughout the country.
Wine is the product of the juice of freshly picked grapes, after natural
or cultured yeasts have converted the grape sugars into alcohol during the
fermentation process.
The yeasts, or less, are normally filtered out before bottling.
The range, quality and reputation of the fine wines of Bordeaux,
Burgundy, the Rhône, and Champagne in particular have made them rôle models
the world over.
France's everyday wines can be highly enjoyable too, with plenty of
good value wines now emerging from the southern regions.
Each of ten principal wine producing regions has its own identity, based on
grape varieties and terroir. Appelation contrôlée laws
guarantee a wine's origins and style.
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Half way between the North Pole and the equator, the Gironde
department has a climate that is especially conductive to winegrowing.
The influence of the Gulf Stream, the protective effect of the immense
Landes forest against the winds off the Atlantic, plus the presence of
large bodies of water ( estuary and rivers ) work together to avoid
excessive temperatures in both summer and winter.
Map of the Bordeaux area
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Bordeaux
Wines
