Continue sipping your way through France as we countdown the top French wine regions!
Burgundy: Beaune is 3 hours SE from Paris, 2 hours by TGV. Pinot Noir for the reds; like Vosne- Romanee, Mercurey, Nuits St Georges. Chardonnay for the whites, Montrachet, Puilly-Fuisse. These wines are the crème de la crème but can be very $$$$$. Towns to visit: Beaune, Dijon, Chablis.
Avanti wine tour offered: YES from Beaune
Champagne: 1 hour east of Paris by TGV. Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. The famous champagne houses in Reims are Mumm, Tattinger, Ruinart, Veuve Clicquot, and Epernay offers Perrier-Jouet, Moet & Chandon, Pol Roger. Note: Only wines from this region can be titled Champagne. So the Italian, Spanish, California sparkling wines can only be called.... just that. Major town: Reims, Epernay, Troyes, Aiy.
Avanti wine tour offered: YES from Paris and Reims
Cote de Rhone: Very famous and $$$$ wines - Gigondas, Hermitage, Crozes-Hermirage, and Chateauneuf du Pape (Literally; new home of the pope). Pope Clement V moved here in 1309, basically saying; I don't want to live in Rome....and I'm with him). Towns to visit in or near this region: Avignon, Orange, Nimes, Valence, Arles, Aix-en-Provence, St. Remy, Gordes.
Avanti wine tour offered: YES from Avignon
Languedoc-Rousillion (LAWN-guh-dok-ROO-si-yan): Hard to pronounce and not as alluring to the American tourist as the more famous regions. The largest wine producing region in France from Nimes to the Pyrenees. The wines are usually blends from several grape varietals, using Syrah, Grenache, or Mourvedre. Towns to visit in or near this region - and there are many due to the sheer size of this region: Montpelier, Beziers, Toulouse, Carcassonne, Albi, Perpignan, Colliure.
Avanti wine tour: YES from Languedoc and Rousillon
Loire: Surprisingly, the #3 wine producing region in France. The renowned whites are Pouilly Fume and Sancerre, while Vouvray is a lighter fruity wine. Chinon and Samur are their reds, also on the lighter side. Major towns: Tours, Orleans, Blois, Amboise, Sancerre, Gien.
Avanti wine tour offered: YES from Tours
Provence: Known more for its lavender, this wine region may be France's most underrated wine area. It extends from the Rhone River to the Cote d'Azur. The Mediterranean climate is perfect for growing their terrific Rose wines. Towns to visit in or near this region: Aix-en-Provence, Les Baux, Gordes, Cassis, Bandol, Drauguignan, Brignoles, St. Remy.
Avanti wine tour offered: YES from Aix
Now if you really want to blow them away, here is a list of some of the top Champagne Houses and brand names, so you'll definitively know how to pronounce them. They are in no particular order. And for those fluent in French, I apologize for being condescending. I'm humbled everyday with my struggle of pronunciations.
- Dom Pérignon– doh~pay/ree/nyoh
- Moët et Chandon– moh/eht eh shah~/doh~ (not moh/ay)
- Deutz– døhtz (not the expected German pronunciation; a very fine champagne)
- Heidsieck– ehd/seek
- Veuve Clicquot– vøhv klee/koh(not voov)
- Pol Roger– pohl roh/zhay(not ‘roger’ like the name)
- Louis Roederer– louis rho/eh/d’/ray
- Mumm– mewm(not ‘mum’, I implore you)
- Pommery– pohm/ree(not pom/meh/ree)
- Ruinart– rwee/nahr (not ‘ruin art’)
- Taittinger– teh/ta~/zhay (not tay/teen/djuh)
Bonne Chance!
