Why Alsace Riesling Is a Collector’s Favorite — and Still Under the Radar

The white wines of France offer unrivaled perfection. With few exceptions, every vineyard growing white grapes is so planted not because reds won’t grow well there, but because whites will flourish. France’s white wines are not an afterthought or a consolation prize. These are vinous treasures worth exploring.

1. Bordeaux is big   Bordeaux is almost four times the size of Burgundy and represents 14% of total French wine production. There are 103,200 hectares of vines over 65 different appellations. It is the largest PDO vineyard of France and represents over 1/4 of the AOP vineyard area in France.

One could argue that France is the philosophical heart of fine wine. Much of what the world now does, from vineyard practices to winemaking techniques, can be traced back to the viticultural motherland. Here are some must-know terms for exploring the wines of France.

Bordeaux, the capital of France’s Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, is synonymous with world-class wine, stunning architecture, and a rich cultural heritage. While many know it as the home of some of the most prestigious vineyards in the world, there’s much more to this historic city and its surrounding region than meets the eye. Its history is deeply intertwined with royalty, international trade, and even egg yolks! Here are five fascinating facts about Bordeaux that might just surprise you.

Synopsis: An opportunity to look at the reasons behind the incredible success of Provence rosé and how it has become the leader in quality rosé wine, we’ll discuss how the region’s unique heritage and terroir combined with the expertise of its winemakers have created - and continue to create - a style thathas become the global benchmark in rosé wine. Understanding the three sub-regions; Côtes de Provence, Coteaux d’Aix en Provence and CoteauxVarois en Provence,

Dappled sunshine, joie de vivre holidays, and endless lavender fields are just the tip of Provence's appeal. The other is its world-famous rosé.

Everyone loves an underdog. And when the underdog emerges, bruised and battered but nonetheless victorious, these triumphs become powerfully motivational. Take the 2004 UEFA Cup Final, for example. Greece, one of this soccer tournament’s less-favoured teams, faced off against much-fancied hosts Portugal in Lisbon – and won. The victory of the team of ‘Greek Gods’ (as the newspapers soon named them) filled countless sport enthusiasts, myself included, with sentiments of hope and optimism.  

Congratulations to Allison Sheardy, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Allison: I came to wine as a second career about six years ago and have truly found my raison d’etre. I’ve created a niche for myself working in unique wine

How did that happen? Call it what you want (fashion, peer-group pressure, herd instinct, a historical hangover) but somehow or other Alsace has ended up as France’s most neglected and misunderstood wine region.

Kids in France grow up reading about the adventures of Asterix the Gaul.

In Zen, there’s something called "Beginner’s Mind". It’s a state of mind where you aren’t hemmed in by your judgements. You are able to see the world fresh--without pre-conceptions. That’s an apt description of how I was feeling as I began a weeklong deep-dive into Bordeaux with twenty Wine Scholar Guild compatriots.

Summary In this month's Beyond the Textbook webinar, we'll joined by the wonderful Wendy Narby who will take us on a journey down the Left Bank of Bordeaux and explore all the region's latest trends and developments. In this session we'll learn: Médoc: Key figures and stats Over-looked appellations: Listrac, Moulis and Medoc Appellation Médoc White Médoc: new for 2025 The surprising role of

Summary In this session we'll unravel the enigma of one of France's most idiosyncractic wine regions in the company of the world's leading Jura expert, Wink Lorch. In this webinar we will Cover the key appellations  Learn the most important wine styles Discuss how the Jura has changed over the last 10 years Get the low down on some of the most exciting producers of the region As ever, there will be a chance for those of

Summary We are delighted to welcome Matt Walls, the world’s leading expert on the wines of this region, to host this live member event. Matt will give us an overview of all the major appellations of the Northern Rhône and get us up to speed with all the latest trends and developments, and how these regions are evolving in the 21st century. A great opportunity to develop your knowledge of the region past what you might have studied in wine books and put your questions to

Summary: The 'Beyond the Textbook' series seeks to get under the skin of specific varieties and regions from around the world. Here Justin tastes 3 amazing, but very different style from Viré-Clessé. It's Chardonnay, but not as you know it... Details of all three wines can be found in the attached pdf About the Speaker: Justin Martindale is the Wine Scholar Guild Membership Manager and one of our in-house Masters of Wine. Justin passed the

Summary: In this video Justin and Chris explore the world of Rosé, sharing tips and techniques around how to taste quality and starting to make arguments for logical regions of origin. We cover colour, winemaking signatures and what makes a great Rosé through a tasting of three very different wines from the south of France.  Full details of all the wines can be found in the pdf document above. About the

A History of innovation There’s a long history of innovation in Bordeaux; introducing topping up and sulphur to produce the ‘New French Claret’ in the 17th century, solving Mildew with the Bordeaux mixture in 1878 to the introduction of stainless steel in the 1960’s, when Château Haut Brion was accused by its peers for producing wine made in a dairy!

Summary: With more than 100,000 hectares, Bordeaux is the largest wine-growing region in the world, but today it is desperately out of fashion. Bordeaux “bashing”, climate change and a decline in global wine consumption are putting the world's most famous wine region at risk. While a few prestigious Grand Crus retain their appeal, the industry is facing a crisis akin to the phylloxera outbreak. But solutions do exist. In this presentation, we will take an in-depth look at

One of the most significant trends happening in Bourgogne today, is a movement towards sustainable, organic and biodynamic viticulture. Due to the warming of temperatures, increase in sunlight and shift in rainy season, there has been less vineyard mildew pressure, drier soil and earlier harvests. This change in climate, combined with the desire for a more ecologically sustainable growing model by Bourgogne producers, has led to the recent trend towards Green Farming.