Cultured connoisseurs and novices alike will find useful and detailed profiles of hundreds of wines from every region, major vineyard, and appellation of France. Special features include a Glossary of wine terminology, an introductory section about viticulture and wine selection and storage, and a tour itinerary and food specialty for each wine-producing region.

This work explains how nationhood emerges by viewing countries as cultural artifacts, a product of "invented traditions." In the case of France, scholars disagree, not only over the nature of French national identity but also over the extent to which diverse and sometimes hostile provincial communities became integrated into the nation. The author offers a new perspective by looking at one of the central elements in French national culture -- luxury wine -- and the rural communities that profited from its production

The remarkable untold story of France’s courageous, clever vinters who protected and rescued the country’s most treasured commodity from German plunder during World War II. "To be a Frenchman means to fight for your country and its wine." –Claude Terrail, owner, Restaurant La Tour d’Argent In 1940, France fell to the Nazis and almost immediately the German army began a campaign of pillaging one of the assets the French hold most dear: their wine. Like others in the French Resistance, winemakers mobilized to oppose their occupiers, but the tale of their extraordinary efforts has remained largely unknown–until now. This is the thrilling and harrowing story of the French wine producers who undertook ingenious, daring measures to save their cherished crops and bottles as the Germans closed in on them. Wine and War illuminates a compelling, little-known chapter of history, and stands as a tribute to extraordinary individuals who waged a battle that, in a very real way, saved the spirit of France.

"A fascinating book that belongs on every wine lover’s bookshelf."—The Wine Economist "It’s a book to read for its unstoppable torrent of fascinating and often surprising details."—Andrew Jefford, Decanter For centuries, wine has been associated with France more than with any other country. France remains one of the world’s leading wine producers by volume and enjoys unrivaled cultural recognition for its wine. If any wine regions are global household names, they are French regions such as Champagne, Bordeaux, and Burgundy. Within the wine world, products from French regions are still benchmarks for many wines. French Wine is the first synthetic history of wine in France: from Etruscan, Greek, and Roman imports and the adoption of wine by beer-drinking Gauls to its present status within the global marketplace. Rod Phillips places the history of grape growing and winemaking in each of the country’s major regions within broad historical and cultural contexts. Examining a range of influences on the wine industry, wine trade, and wine itself, the book explores religion, economics, politics, revolution, and war, as well as climate and vine diseases. French Wine is the essential reference on French wine for collectors, consumers, sommeliers, and industry professionals.

Welcome to your tour of the wine-growing world. Wine has rolled its barrel from the shores of the Black Sea to the mountains of the Andes, following humans and their dreams. But just how did a Pyrenean grape variety end up in Uruguay? And by what means were grapevines able to reach Japan? This book goes back through time to retrace the grape's conquest of the world, stopping in each winemaking country, from the oldest to the most recent, to discover wines past and present, while also looking to the future.

An essential guide to the key wine and wine-producing regions of France, this unpretentious and informative reference brings each wine and region to life with detailed maps and photographs to help you discover the best wines and where they are produced. Includes more than 200 major appellations and best vintages Regional resources show where to eat, stay, drink and buy wine Appeals to both the novice and the connoisseur

The wine world can be intimidating to people who are just starting out. French wines can add an additional layer of complexity given the different, and less familiar, ways the wines are classified. Decoding French Wine: A Beginner's Guide to Enjoying the Fruits of the French Terroir is a short, almost pocketbook guide, written to help early stage wine drinkers navigate the world of French wine so they feel comfortable opening up a French wine list and understand exactly what they are ordering and why. This new second edition of the book covers the prominent areas of Bordeaux, Loire, Burgundy, Alsace, Rhone, Languedoc-Roussillon and Champagne in a short, concise and clear manner, covering the necessary geography, history and practices of each region for readers to gain a fundamental understanding of wine growing throughout the country and begin to explore, and build a familiarity with, wines from each of these areas.

Confused at the wine store ? You are not alone. French wines are amongst the best in the world, but their centuries old tradition make them understandable only to the initiated. This book will help you remember what style of wines each region produces, as well as the main appellations and their principal varieties. It will help you understand terms used on labels so you can confidently pick up a bottle of French wine and know what to expect from it. Did you know that Rasteau Sec is dry, but Champagne Sec is not ? Or the difference between Pouilly-Fumé, Pouilly-Fuissé, Pouilly-Loché and Pouilly-Vinzelles ? Or which is the only Côte de Nuits Grand Cru that produces white wine ? While this book will help you remember all this information when you are picking your next bottle, you can also use it as a reference. Most French appellations, including the Grand Cru of Alsace and Bourgogne are cross-referenced, and a vintage chart and map of the main varieties is included. All winemaking regions are discussed: Alsace, Champagne, Beaujolais, Bordeaux, Bourgogne (Burgundy), Jura & Savoie, Languedoc-Roussillon, the Loire valley, Provence & Corse (Corsica), the Rhône valley and the South-West of France. If you are studying for the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS), Wines and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) or French Wine Scholar (FWS), this book can be a good preparatory reading. It highlights the essential information about each region as well as dives deeper into the appellations and what makes them special.

The only reporter present at the mythic Paris Tasting of 1976 for the first time introduces the eccentric American winemakers and records the tremendous aftershocks of this historic event that changed forever the world of wine. The Paris Tasting of 1976 will forever be remembered as the landmark event that transformed the wine industry. At this legendary contest—a blind tasting—a panel of top French wine experts shocked the industry by choosing unknown California wines over France’s best. George M. Taber, the only reporter present, recounts this seminal contest and its far-reaching effects, focusing on three gifted unknowns behind the winning wines: a college lecturer, a real estate lawyer, and a Yugoslavian immigrant. With unique access to the main players and a contagious passion for his subject, Taber renders this historic event and its tremendous aftershocks—repositioning the industry and sparking a golden age for viticulture across the globe. With an eclectic cast of characters and magnificent settings, Judgment of Paris is an illuminating tale and a story of the entrepreneurial spirit of the new world conquering the old.

Kermit Lynch's recounting of his experiences on the wine route and in the wine cellars of France takes the reader through the Loire, Bordeaux, the Languedoc, Provence, Northern and Southern Rhone, and the Cote d'Or.