French wine
French wine is seen as the traditionally better if not the best wine in the world. It is therefore often used by winemakers as a frame of reference for the quality of their own wine. Best of Wines, a specialist in exclusive wine, has been importing French wine since 1907, especially from Bordeaux and Burgundy, as these traditionally produce (some of ) the most beautiful wines.
The best French wines
French wine is seen as the traditionally better if not the best wine in the world. It is therefore often used by winemakers as a frame of reference for the quality of their own wine. Best of Wines, a specialist in exclusive wines, has been importing French wine since 1907, especially from Bordeaux and Burgundy, as these traditionally produce the most beautiful wines.
Thus, the best French wineries come from Bordeaux and Burgundy, although more and more premium quality comes from the Rhone, Loire and Alsace, among other places. And that translates into consumer demand; both red and white French wine is extremely popular. The grape variety is also becoming less important when one opts for exclusive wine. The combination of the chosen wine and the accompanying dish, the wine-food combination, is now also playing an increasingly important role.
And besides the white and red French wine, there is of course also the sparkling French wine: the Champagne.
Best of Wines: Specialist in exclusive French wine
Best of Wines is a specialist in exclusive wine. We look for the best wines worldwide and include them in our collection. Besides wines from Europe, there are wines all over the world that can compete with the best wines from Europe, even though their so-called fine & rare wine culture is of much more recent date. Nevertheless, the wines with the most beautiful terroir characteristics come from France, particularly from Bordeaux and Burgundy. And that is recognised globally: regions such as Cote de Nuits, Cotes de Beaune, Chablis, Pauillac, Margaux, St. Estephe, St Julien, Pomerol and St Emillion are very well known.
Wine estates such as Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Margaux, Chateau Petrus, Chateau Cheval Blanc, Domaine de la Romanee Conti, Joseph Drouhin, Louis Jadot, Faiveley and Liger Belair have a worldwide market.
Domaine de la Romanee Conti
2009
(Magnum) € 17.995,00 (ex Vat) € 21.773,95 (in Vat) more info
Joseph Drouhin
2019
€ 204,00 (ex Vat) € 246,84 (in Vat) more info
Chateau Mouton Rothschild
2005
€ 690,00 (ex Vat) € 834,90 (in Vat) more info
Chateau Margaux
2021
€ 549,00 (ex Vat) € 664,29 (in Vat) more info
The history of French Wines
The first vines came to France some 2,500 years ago, probably because of the Phoenicians who brought them ashore in Marseille. The Romans eventually brought the vines further north. A good example of this can be seen at Domaine Drouhin in Burgundy: in their cellars about 20 meters below the ground you can see a completely intact Roman tower.
After a relatively stable growth in wine production over the centuries, population and prosperity growth accelerated in the 19th century after the French revolution. Around 1870, however, came the phylloxera crisis, which caused a period of decline that lasted until the mid-20th century. From the 1960s onwards, new plantings were added and quality was given a big boost. Whereas in 1870 there was 25,000 hectares of vineyard in the Medoc, in 1960 it was only 5,000 hectares. In 1990 it was 13,000 hectares. These new hectares were mainly planted with the aim of producing quality wines instead of simple wines.
In the 20th century, state intervention established rules on the cultivation of wine, the grape varieties to be used and the demarcation of wine regions. These rules were laid down in, among other things, the appelations
Bordeaux wine
What may be called Bordeaux wine?
Wine may be called a Bordeaux wine if it comes from an area that has the Bordeaux appellation. And that is quite a large area. An appellation can range from a general (appellation Bordeaux Controlee) to a very specific one (St Emillion Premier Cru Classe A). An appellation directly indicates the potential quality of the wine.
How long can you store Bordeaux wine?
Bordeaux wines are among the longest-lived wines in the world. Most wines are best in the first 5-10 years after bottling; some wines are only ready to drink after 10 years. That differs per wine. At Best of Wines, we regularly drink Bordeaux wines that are 30-100 years old. Most are still beautiful. In fact, the Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1870 was one of the most impressive bottles we have ever drunk.
Which grape is the most common in Bordeaux?
Most red wines in Bordeaux are made from the grape varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. And Malbec and Petit Verdot are used in small quantities. For the white wines, these are the grape varieties Sauvignon Blanc and Semillion. Muscat is also used to a limited extent.
And it will come as no surprise that some of the most expensive wines come from Bordeaux. A bottle of Petrus costs thousands of euros. For a Mouton Rothschild 1945, tens of thousands of euros are paid, and a very old rare Bordeaux, especially in a larger size, passes the hundred thousand euro mark.
Chateau Montrose
1998
€ 34,95 (ex Vat) € 42,29 (in Vat) more info
Chateau Pavie
2020
€ 275,00 (ex Vat) € 332,75 (in Vat) more info
Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou
2020
€ 225,00 (ex Vat) € 272,25 (in Vat) more info
Chateau Cos D'Estournel
2011
€ 135,00 (ex Vat) € 163,35 (in Vat) more info
Burgundy wine
Grand cru wines, what does grand cru mean?
Burgundy wine is in a class of its own. But it is also an art in itself. Whereas every wine region in the world has various wine estates with its own vineyards from which wine is made, the Burgundy wine region has vineyards cultivated by several wine estates: each estate makes its own wine from its share of the grapes. Thus, to know if a wine is potentially good, knowing the Burgundy appellation of the vineyard is not enough. The producer is just as important. In other words: a Grand Cru vineyard (Grand Cru vineyards are the best vineyards) can produce different qualities of wine.
White wine Bourgogne Chardonnay, why is it so popular?
Burgundy is renowned for its white and red wines and is among the best in the world. The white wines are made from the grape varieties Chardonnay and Aligote (to a very limited extent), the red wines are made from the grape varieties Pinot Noir and Gamay. The Chardonnay wines are among the best of their kind due to the terroir: the soil conditions combined with the perfect climate for the Chardonnay. The white Aligote wines are simpler because the grape produces less complex wines.
Major wine producers in Burgundy. What are negociants?
Some wine estates also make wine from grapes they buy from other owners. These so-called negociants can be very large: Louis Jadot and Joseph Drouhin are examples of this. They produce and sell many wines from different appellations and are among the most sold. Contrary to very small estates, such as Liger Belair and J.F. Mugnier.
What are the most expensive Burgundy wines?
Perhaps the most expensive wines in the world come from Burgundy. More than ten thousand euros is paid for a single bottle of Romanee Conti. For an old bottle from a famous year, especially in large format, the price already approaches a hundred thousand euros. The reason for this pricing is that the wine is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful wines in the world and only a few thousand bottles are made every year.
Burgundy has both red and white wines but hardly any rosé wines. Dessert wines from Burgundy are also rare. Organic wine cultivation, however, is very present.
Joseph Colin
2023
€ 69,95 (ex Vat) € 84,64 (in Vat) more info
Joseph Drouhin
2018
€ 99,00 (ex Vat) € 119,79 (in Vat) more info
Mongeard-Mugneret
1988
€ 269,00 (ex Vat) € 325,49 (in Vat) more info
AF Gros
2023
€ 59,95 (ex Vat) € 72,54 (in Vat) more info
The best French wineries
At Best of Wines we sell wines from the best French wineries. It is extremely hard to make a top ten of the best French wineries, this is largely dependent on your taste.
Besides that, it is also very dependable on the type of wine: red wine, white wine, rosé wine, sparkling wine, dessert wine. And on the grape variety(s) and the terroir: is it a light or heavier wine, is it a white wine, a red wine and so on. But in general, the following wineries can be counted among the absolute top of France (this list is certainly not exhaustive):
Bordeaux: Chateau Margaux, Chateau Latour, Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Haut Brion, Château Angelus, Château Ausone, Château Cheval Blanc, Chateau Lafleur, Château Pavie, Petrus, Chateau Lafleur, Chateau Le Pin, Chateau D'Yquem.
Burgundy::Domaine Leflaive, Domaine Leroy, Ramonet, Roumier, Liger Belair, D'Auvenay, Raveneau, Dauvissat, Coche Dury, Domaine de la Romanee Conti, Mugnier, Dujac, Meo Camuzet, Ponsot.
Champagne: Krug, Bollinger, Selosse, Salon, Louis Roederer, Veuve Clicquot, Moet et Chandon
Rhone: Guigal, Henri Bonneau, Chapoutier, Jaboulet Aine, ,Clos de Caillou, Rayas
French red wine
French red wine is made from an extensive range of grape varieties. In addition to the popular grape varieties, each region has its own local grape varieties. But the biggest common denominator is the red wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Grenache.
The following wineries can be seen as examples of very renowned red French wine wineries:
French white wine
French white wine is made from many different grape varieties. Each region has its own local grape varieties. But the most popular white wines are made from Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and, to a lesser extent, Viognier.
The following wineries can be seen as examples of highly renowned French white wine wineries:
Champagne
Champagne is made of three grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. Champagne is a sparkling, usually white wine, however Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier are purple grapes, is it possible to produce a white wine from them? It is! The grapes are being pressed directly after the harvest, so the juice will not remain in contact with the peels. This way the juices will not inherit the red colour.
Most champagnes are a blend of the three aforementioned grape varieties, however there are some champagnes made from just the chardonnay, or the Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. A champagne that is solely made from the Chardonnay is called a Blanc de Blancs, and a champagne made only from the purple grapes is called a Blanc de Noirs.
The following wineries can be regarded as examples of the most renowned champagne makers:
Jacques Selosse
€ 439,00 (ex Vat) € 531,19 (in Vat) more info
Moët & Chandon
€ 57,44 (ex Vat) € 69,50 (in Vat) more info
Perrier Jouet
€ 59,95 (ex Vat) € 72,54 (in Vat) more info
Armand de Brignac
€ 349,00 (ex Vat) € 422,29 (in Vat) more info
French grapes and food pairing
Best of Wines has been working with French wine since 1907. Often we are asked for some culinary suggestions, which is mainly translated if we can tell you what the perfect dish is to drink the wine with. We certainly have these recommmendations and you can always come to us for advise on food pairing. We regularely have themed dinners with our team, making sure to create perfect wine-food combinations. Making these pairings is relatively easy to do good, but extremely hard to do perfect.
The most important guidelines for food pairing can easily be found on the internet. If you have a good piece of meat, you should go for a Cabernet Sauvignon, combine poultry with Pinot Noir, with more elegant meats you should drink Merlot, and combine salmon with Chardonnay. This is still very general however, because also the style of the wine makes all the difference. A Chardonnay that has been aged on wood will be full-bodied and complex, but when you drink a Chablis you will experience more freshness and minerals. These two Chardonnays will combine with completely different dishes. Also, a Bordeaux is a blend of multiple grape varieties, these basic rules hardly apply on a Bordeaux wine.
The most important rule when combine wine and food, is that both should be balanced. The one should not dominate the other. 1 + 1 should not be 2, but 3 when looking for the perfect combination. Both the wine and the food need to enhance eachother, so the food will become better with the wine, and the wine will become better with the food. Best of wines can always offer our expertise to help you find the perfect combination with your dish. Because we have - nearly without exception - drank all wines we have, we know exactly what a wine can offer and what will be the perfect match.
Grapes in wines from France
In France, the following blue grape varieties are widely used: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Carmenere, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Grenache, Cabernet Franc, Gamay,
Furthermore, the following white grape varieties are widely used; Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillion, Viognier, Marsanne, Rousanne, Muscat, Chenin Blanc.
The best red French wines are generally made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Syrah. The best white French wines are generally made from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Champagne is made from Chardonnay, Pinot noir and pinot minor. It is striking that a large proportion of blue grape varieties are used in the making of Champagne. It is a white wine but by directly pressing the blue grape varieties a white wine is made without a red or pink tint. Only with rose Champagne are the blue grapes not pressed directly.
The French Appelations
Each country can enact its own legislation on wine. These include requirements for:
The origin of the wine, the region. If a particular area has very good climatic conditions and/or specific soil (terroir), then it may be a quality characteristic that a wine comes from a particular region.
The grape varieties used. For each area, requirements can be made on which grapes can be cultivated in order to obtain an appellation. Not all grape varieties produce the best results in a given area.
The yield per hectare. The maximum number of hectolitres per hectare shall be fixed.
The minimum alcohol content.
The techniques used in the vineyard and on the chateau. In France, for example, it is not allowed to be irrigated in the face of (extreme) drought. If they do, the grapes may not be used in the wine that the appellation carries.
The inspection of the wines. All wines that receive an appellation must be approved analytically (in a laboratory) and experimental (i.e. by tasting).
In France, wine is divided into three categories:
Appellation Origine Contrôlée (AOC). The wine comes from a certain area. Specific requirements are placed on the making of wine.
Vin de Pays. The wine comes from a certain region, but it is much less demanding than with the AOC wines. For all types of Vin de Pays, the area of origin must be indicated on the label.
Vin de Table. The wine does not come from a specifi ek area (so it can be a mixture of wines/grapes from various areas) and the legal requirements are less stringent than with the Vin de Pays. This is usually a very simple wine.
The distribution in the three main categories mentioned above applies to the whole of France. The main category Appellation Origine Contrôlée is again divided into a number of subcategories. These may vary by wine region.
