The 45th parallel north; an alternate way to classify French wines.

Recently, I was talking to some people about how you can divide French wine regions. Various approaches can be employed to elucidate the organization of wine regions in present-day France.

Excluding Brittany, Normandy, and the Nord regions from France’s viticultural map, vineyards are spread throughout the rest of the country. With nearly 400 distinct appellations, where can we begin?

ok there are some vineyards in Brittany and also an IGP appellation for wine from Calvados.

One straightforward method to understand French wine regions is to trace the waterways. These regions evolved due to the hard influence of trade. Without trade, there is no incentive to produce better wine, to look for quality and quantity. The actual wine regions are the product of this quest for quality to sell wine.

It’s well-known that the finest French appellations are situated close to rivers or seaports. Bourgogne and the Loire Valley (sic) are near the Loire and Saone Rivers. Rivers allowed the wine to be exported to Paris but also to the port of Nantes and to Flanders, and elsewhere. Bordeaux is graced with the Gironde, Dordogne, and Garonne rivers, facilitating the export of wines from regions like Cahors, Buzet, Bergerac, and Bordeaux to London. Champagne has the Marne and the Seine Rivers, allowing trade with Paris and London. The Rhône River also allows wine from Provence and the Rhone Valley to be traded in Lyon and elsewhere with the port of Marseille. The same for Languedoc, wine can be exported through the port of Sete. Alsace used the Rhein River to trade with Germany and Switzerland.

There are some exceptions, Jura for example does not have a major river, and the same for Savoie. But at the time when the only way to send wine to major consumption centers was by boat being next to a river or a port was a prominent advantage and it designed the wine region we have now.

However, there’s another lens through which we can view the wine regions of France—a perspective more centered on the wines themselves rather than history.

Visualize drawing a horizontal line that bisects France, running from Bordeaux to Valence and then Turin. Why here? Simply because it is the 45th parallel north. The area where vines grow almost naturally. Many famous international wine regions are located near this parallel, Piemont, Lombardie, Venitie, Georgia, and Oregon.

Yet in France, this line holds another significance.

North of this line, wines tend to exhibit less saturation, fresher profiles, and often lighter bodies. Conversely, south of the line, the wines showcase greater tannic structure, deeper color, and elevated alcohol content.

But there is a more important difference. Wine in the north can be lighter and fruity, while wines from the south can have harsh tannins and be more colorful. The pivotal differentiation lies in the practice of blending or not blending grapes for winemaking.

In northern France, wines are primarily fashioned from a single grape variety. Beaujolais is made with Gamay, Bourgogne rouge with Pinot Noir and the white with Chardonais or sometime Aligoté. In regions where multiple varieties are grown, the wine only uses one of them. Jura produce, Chardonnais, Savagnin, Pinot Noir, Trousseau and Poulsard. But a bottle of Jura wine is mostly made with one grape often written on the bottle. It is the same in Alsace, Loire,… The only exception to this rule is Champagne where wine can be made by blending 8 varieties (7 traditional and one experimental).

In the south part, it is the opposite. Blending is the normal way to make wine. If you look at the two major wine regions in the South, Bordeaux, and Côtes du Rhônes, both blend different varieties.

In Bordeaux, they use Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Caménère, and Malbec (and it’s only the principal) to produce red wine. For the white, they use Sémmillon Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle. Almost all wines are made with a mixte of them. There are a few exceptions, domains that only use one grape but it is rare.

The Côtes du Rhône region is renowned for its GSM blend, comprising Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre. Additionally, Cinsault, Carignan, and Counoise are employed in red wines, with Grenache constituting at least 40%.. The white should be 80 % at least a blend of Roussane, Marsanne, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, and Bourboulenc.

But other appellations, south of the line follow the same rule. Cahors for example use Malbec as the main grape, but they can add Merlot and Tannat. Gaillac wine is made of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Fer Servadou, Duras and Syrah. In Bandol, 50% of the red must be made use of Mourvèdre, with a blend of Grenache and Cinsault.

This distinction can also serve as a valuable tool during blind tastings. A wine exhibiting vibrant colors, boldness, and concentration is likely originates from the southern regions of France and is more likely to be a blend. Conversely, wines with lighter colors and tastes might signal a northern origin, often produced from a single grape variety.

Utilizing an imperceptible demarcation offers an inventive approach to classifying wine styles in France. This approach can help cultivate an appreciation for this unique diversity. Beyond France, the practice of blending grapes is also prevalent in southern regions like Spain and Italy. Conversely, in northern countries such as Germany, the general rule is to use a single grape varieties for quality wines.