Essential French Wine: The guide to picking your next bottle

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.