French Wine Vines

French wine vines and the grapes that grown on them are extremely important in determining the kind of wine which will be produced. There are two grape varieties, red grapes and white grapes. The red grapes are Cabernet franc, Cabernet sauvignon, Carignan, Cinsault, Gamay, Grenache, Merlot, Mourvedre, Pinot noir and Syrah. Cabernet franc is quite appreciated as any soil can be used to cultivate it. Its wines include Pomerol and Saumur. Cabernet Sauvignon produces wines like Graves and Bergerac. Carignan is present in the south of France and its wines include Cotes du Roussillon and Saint Chinian. Cinsault is a hill side grape variety and some of its wines are Coteaux du Languedoc and Cotes du Ventoux. Gamay produces Beaujolais and Touraine wine. Grenache is used for wines like Cotes de Provence. Merlot is involved in making Pomerol and Cahors. Mourvedre includes wines such as Bandol and Gigondas. Pinot noir is used for making some of the finest wines namely, Pommard and Clos Vougeot whereas Syrah is used for Hermitage wines.

The kinds of white grapes are Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Clairette, Muscadelle, Pinot gris, Sauvignon, Semillon, Ugni blanc and Viognier. Chardonnay is the most famous variety of grape all over the world and its wines include Chablis and Montrachet. Chenin Blanc is used to make wines such as Vouvray and Anjou. Clairette is involved in the wine making of Bandol, among others. Muscadelle is used in the making of Sauternes and Graves. Pinot Gris is used for producing wines like Tokay d'Alsace as it is an Alsatian grape variety. Sauvignon and Semillin are both used to make wines such as Graves and Sauternes. Ugni Blanc is used for Cotes du Rhone and Cotes de Provence wines. Viognier is involved in making wines such as Condrieu and Cote Rotie. In fact, it is not just the grapes which influence the taste of a wine; rather it is the procedure adopted that also makes a great difference.