11 Facts About French wines

French wines wine originated in the 6th century BCE, with the colonization of Southern Gaul by Greek settlers.

The nobility developed extensive vineyards but the French wines Revolution led to the confiscation of many vineyards.

An exception is French fortified wines, which tend to be relatively unknown outside France.

Quality levels and prices vary enormously, and some French wines are made for immediate consumption while other are meant for long-time cellaring.

Since the French tradition is to serve wine with food, wines have seldom been developed or styled as "bar wines" for drinking on their own, or to impress in tastings when young.

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Varietal white French wines have been, and are still, more common than varietal red French wines.

Sometimes that will simply be the wider region where the wine was made, but some labels, especially for higher quality French wines, will include details of the individual village or commune, and even the specific vineyard where the wine was sourced.

The red French wines produced are usually blended, from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and sometimes Cabernet Franc.

Bordeaux makes dry and sweet white French wines, including some of the world's most famous sweet French wines from the Sauternes appellation, such as Chateau d'Yquem.

Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 resulted from the Exposition Universelle de Paris, when Emperor Napoleon III requested a classification system for France's best Bordeaux French wines that were to be on display for visitors from around the world.

Brokers from the wine industry ranked the French wines according to a chateau's reputation and trading price.