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There are seven primary wine regions of France, and a host of other mico-regions, as well as over 100 “terroirs”. While you’ve probably heard of the red wines of Bordeaux, Cotes du Rhone and Burgundy, and the white wines of Alsace and the Loire Valley and of course Champagne, you may not be familiar with other regions like Languedoc-Roussillon, the largest wine-producing area in France and the Roses of Provence.
Within the primary wine regions, or “appellations” there are important “terroirs”. Terroir refers to environmental influences, including soil composition, amount of sun and weather, which give grapes a distinctive personality.   An appellation indicates the place where grapes are grown, and in France, these are strictly regulated by the AOC; the Appellation d’Origine Controlee, the official French system for protecting the integrity of regional growers and insuring consistent quality for consumers.  This system has become the model for wine regulation throughout the world.
An example of the distinction of a terroir within a region we will use the white wines Pouilly-Fume and Sancerre.   The region where both these wines come from is the Loire Valley, both wines are made with 100% Sauvignon Blanc grape, both are made in a similar style, both are in the same region of the Loire Valley, but it is the terroir which creates the difference in these wines.  Sancerre is on the western bank of the Loire River while Pouilly-Fume comes from the eastern bank.  It is the differences in the terroirs, which creates uniquely different wines.
Click here to visit and discover the wine regions of France with a short term apartment or villa rental with European Home Rentals, specialists in renting weekly short-term vacation rentals apartments, houses, cottages and villas in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, England, Ireland, Scotland and Greece www.europeanhomerentals.com