Wine guides
Wine guides: choose, understand and explore
Practical help to describe your taste, read a label, choose from a restaurant list and discover French wine producers.
Choosing wine
How to describe your taste in wine
Start with freshness, texture and the aromas you enjoy. Add your food and budget. A clear description is more useful than choosing a famous name without knowing its style.
Wine lists: compare glass, bottle and budget
Check the serving size and displayed price before comparing wines. Set a spending limit, describe your food and use only entries whose identity and price are clearly readable.
Understanding a bottle
How to read a French wine label
Find the producer, wine name, origin and vintage if shown. A label identifies a bottle; it cannot establish its current price, storage history or exact taste.
Grape, appellation, cuvée and vintage: what is the difference?
A grape variety is the type of grape. An appellation governs origin and production conditions. A cuvée identifies a wine in a range. A vintage is the year the grapes were harvested.
Pairing with food
Food and wine pairing: start with the sauce and cooking
Consider the dish’s intensity, sauce and cooking method before choosing a wine colour. Fish with lemon and fish in a creamy sauce may call for different styles.
Discovering producers
Find French wine producers and plan your enquiry
Search by winery name, town or appellation, then check the profile’s identity and source. A directory listing does not confirm opening hours, tastings or sales at the estate.
Exploring wine regions
French wine regions: grapes and practical reference points
Explore French wine through three pieces of information: region, appellation and producer. These fourteen starting points provide grape examples and sources for further reading, without reducing a whole region to one taste.