Get useful information about French wine (by looking at the label) to find out what this wine is made of and its quality level.
One of the more confusing wine regions to learn about is France because it’s hard to know what you’re buying based on the label. Luckily, you can learn a few facts about French wine and how it’s labeled to improve your chances of finding a better wine (regardless of price).
French wine labels by region and not grape variety. This labeling behavior works well because there are over 200 unique varieties in France and many wine regions that blend grape varieties together. So when you look at a label, the first thing to notice (besides the producer’s name) is the name of the region where the wine originated. This is your best clue to determine what grapes are in the wine.
What wines does each French wine region produce?
It is quite common for French wines to not be labeled with the grape varieties in the wine. So it’s helpful to know the main grape varieties produced in each French wine region.
In addition to knowing what’s inside the bottle there are countless other French wine terms that appear on the label. While there are a number of terms that apply to all French wines, some are used only in specific regions. Here is a list of must-know terms commonly found on French wine labels:
- Biologique: Organic Production
- Blanc de Blancs: A term for sparkling wine to denote a sparkling white wine made with 100% white grapes. (100% Chardonnay in Champagne)
- Blanc de Noirs: A term for sparkling wine to denote a sparkling white wine made with 100% black grapes. (Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier in Champagne)
- Cuvée Wine A specific type of wine/blend.
- Brut: a term for the degree of sweetness in sparkling wines. Brut indicates a dry style.
- Cépage: Grape used in wine (Encép Management is the ratio of the blend).
- Château: A winery
- Clos: A walled vineyard or vineyard on the site of a walled vineyard. Commonly used in Burgundy.
- Côtes: Wine from a slope or hillside (contiguous) along a river (e.g. the Côtes du Rhône slopes of the Rhône)
- Coteaux: Wine from a group of slopes or hillsides (non-contiguous) (e.g. Coteaux du Layon steep along the river Layon)
- Cru: growth and indicates a vineyard or group of vineyards generally recognized for quality
- Cuvée: used to denote a particular blend or batch of alcohol
- Demi-Sec: dry (slightly sweet)
- Domaine: A winery with vineyards
- Doux: Sweet
- Élevé en fûts de chene: Aged in oak
- Grand Cru: Grow and used in Burgundy and Champagne to distinguish the best vineyards of the region.
- Grand Vin: Used in Bordeaux to denote a winery’s first label or the finest wine they produce. It is common for Bordeaux wineries to have a 2nd or 3rd label at different price points.
- Millesime: Classic Day. This term is commonly used in the Champagne region.
- Mis en bouteille au château / domaine: Closedbottle at the winery
- Moelleux: Sweet
- Mousseux: Sparkling
- Non-filtré: An unfiltered wine
- Pétillant: slight sparkle
- Premiere Cru (1er Cru): First growth and used in Burgundy and Champagne to distinguish the region’s 2nd best vineyards.
- Proprietaire: Winery Owner
- Sec: Dry (eg: not sweet)
- Supérieur: A regulatory term commonly used in Bordeaux to describe a wine with a minimum alcohol content and a higher aging requirement than the base.
- Sur Lie: A wine brewed on lees (grains of dead yeast) known to impart a creamy/bready flavor and body boost. This term is most commonly found with the Muscadet of the Loire.
- Vendangé à la main: Autumn plan by hand
- Vieille Vignes: grapes ancient
- Vignoble: Vineyard
- Vin Doux Naturel (VDN): A wine fortified during fermentation (usually a sweet dessert wine).
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