Hannah’s Reviews > Wine Simple: A Totally Approachable Guide from a World-Class Sommelier > Status Update

southern rhône wine’s reds are grenache, syrah, and cinsault. white is grenache blanc. most famous for Châteauneuf-du-Pape known for their grenache. provence’s reds are mourvèdre, syrah. whites are marsanne, roussanne, grenache blanc, ugni blanc, sémillon clairette. Salauze’s Les Ami’s is a sound natural wine for just over $20. Provence is known for their rosés tho

northern rhône. 1/2 rhône regions and the better because the soil provides “edges” in the terroir. Viognier heap has peach perfumed low acid wines. the red is syrah, and the whites are viognier, marsanne, and roussanne. these wines can be expensive though. try to get some cress like a côte-rôties

there is no grand cru in Mâcon&Chalonnaise, but still a good region. more affordable. reds are pinot noir and whites are chardonnay, aligoté. great french chardonnays and pinot noirs, and this area is in the rise

Jura’s reds are pinot noir, poulsard, trousseau; whites are chardonnay, savignan. It borders Swiss and east of Burgundy. Good for natural wines specifically white. Minerally. Neighboring is Savoie, focusing on white grape gringet, also rare varietals. Languedoc-Rossillon’s reds are grenache, syrah, carignan, cinsault; whites are grenache blanc, muscat. has great terroir, rep of bulk production. getting better

In Champagne, big reds are pinot noir and pinot meunier, and the white is chardonnay obviously. house champagnes are cheaper but less consistent but depending on the weather they are better and usually more wholesome: like a farmers market apple vs a grocery store one. Louis Roederer is the best champagne house, and some of the best growers are Agrapart & Ellis, Chartongne-Taillet, Frédéric Savart, Pierre Peters

bordeaux reds are cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and whites are sauvignon blanc, sémillon. gironde estuary separates the left and right banks. the left is mostly cab daubs, and the right is merlot driven. bordeaux are a benchmark for great wines and consistently age well. they are big and rich. close to the harbor. if u want an expensive one for a bargain by one that is old and already aged

beaujolais has gamay for red, and chardonnay for white. unpretentious wines that are delicious. rarely see a well crafted wine labeled beaujolais and instead look for 1/10 beaujolais crus such as Morgon, Fleurie, Réginé, Moulin-à-Vent.

cru “growth” is a french vineyard that is recognized for exceptional quality based on a classification system dating from the 1800s. bordeaux and burgundy each use their own cru classification system (grand, premier, village appellation, regional appellation). no other country has such a regimented system only austria and germany come close then maybe jtaly. grand crus are hundreds and occasionally thousands.

burgundy has the finest wines, red is pinot noir, white is chardonnay, aligoté. located between dijon and mâcon. counts for 5 regions: beaujolais(technically), côte-dO’r, côte chalonnaise, côte mâconnais, and Auxerrois. and some of those r divided into their own regions too. all this to say there is a reason why burgundy wine is expensive

alsace’s famous red is pinot noir, and is 90% of the regions wine is white highlighted by riesling (dry), gewürtztraminer, silvaner, pinot gris, pinot blanc, muscat. borders germany and thus has sweeter wines although lately they r becoming drier. 51 grand crus, which is a designated area of quality (premier cru is ranking below grand cru), and only region in france that lists varietal instead of appellation