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The best French wine regions are so celebrated that their names – Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and the rest – are familiar to the most casual wine drinker. For connoisseurs, these French wine names may evoke fond memories and great expectations of their favorite types of French wine.

For centuries, French wines have set standards to inspire winemakers around the world. No other country has France’s long history of fine wine production, which has helped define wine styles around the world.

How significant is France in the world of wine? The most popular international grape varieties, from Chardonnay to Merlot to Cabernet Sauvignon, are native to France. In many years France produces (and consumes!) more wine than any other country. Its production and export of fine wines is unmatched.

The ancient Greeks were the first to take advantage of France’s potential for wine production, as they planted vines in their colonies along the Mediterranean coastline more than 2,500 years ago. After the Romans conquered Gaul in 51 B.C., they took vines and winemaking practices north across the land. In the following centuries, Christian monasteries became centers for viticulture, and their monks made pioneering advances in both winemaking and distilling. By the Middle Ages, the English had already recognized the excellence of wines of France, and while they controlled Bordeaux they expanded the region’s existing vineyards to supply the brand-new export market.

Over the centuries, time and experience dictated which types of French wine fared best in the country’s varied climates and terrain. In the south, the relatively warm Mediterranean climate ripens grapes fully, producing fruit-forward wines. To the north, cooler regions such as Alsace and Champagne are the ideal home for white wines with high acidity. The varied geographies of the Loire, to the west, and Burgundy and the Rhone, to the east, each have their own best styles of wine, defined by unique weather and soil conditions – that special combination of elements the French describe as terroir.

With this long history, it’s no surprise that the French were the first to codify what wines should be produced in certain areas. The country’s Appelation d’Origine Controlée (AOC) laws, established in 1935, not only define the country’s appellations – there are more than 450 – but the grape varieties that can be used in a region, the minimum amount of alcohol a wine must contain, the maximum yield of grapes permitted per hectare and other principles meant to preserve an area’s winemaking traditions and ensure consumers enjoy an authentic product.

Today, the AOC system – now used in France in concert with a similar one designed for European Union countries – is a model for regulations that guide winemaking practices around the world, including American Viticultural Areas in the United States, Denominazione di Origine Controllata in Italy and Denominación de Origen in Spain.

Now that you know more about wines from France, it’s time to experience wines from vineyards all over the world delivered directly to your door at https://www.directcellars.com/rob