Pour De France - Some Corking Facts About French Wine

de fronce THE ULTIMATE WAY TO DISCOVER FRANCE ON A BIKE! FRANCE PRODUCES OVER AFTER ITALY IS THE WORLDS 7 BILLION& 2N LARGEST BOTTLES OF WINE PER YEAR PRODUCER OF WINE 21 nd FRANCE EXPORTS FRENCH WINE TRACES ITS HISTORY BACK TO THE 6TH CENTURY WITH 45.3 MANY REGIONS DATING THEIR WINE MAKING HISTORY TO MILLION HECTOR FRANCE ROMAN TIMES LITRES PER YEAR THE TOP 5 GRAPE VARIETIES IN FRANCE WINE 24% 13.6% 11.3% 9.7% GRENACHE UGNI BLANC 8.1% 6.9% WHITE MERLOT SYRAH CARIGNAN 76% RED WINE REGIONS To mark the 100th anniversary of France's legendary "Tour de OF FRANCE France" (due to start 29th June), Headwater's "Pour de France" takes in 7 worldfamous French wine regions. Brittany Alsace Visitors to Brittany have long since been seduced by its wonderful scenery, fantastic food and majestic coastline. The vividly contrasting landscapes have made it an artists' haven over the years yet, despite its popularity, you can still get away from it all and find your own hidden delights. Alsace is one of France's best-kept secrets and the tiny region has its own distinct character. Much of its charm lies in its fairytale towns and villages - narrow cobbled streets, Gothic churches, cool fountains and bright flowers. Almost everywhere has its cave and some villages have their own vintages that aren't produced anywhere else. Loire Jura The Loire Valley has a special place in the affections of visitors to France. It has one of Europe's most congenial climates worldfamous Chateaux and Jura is a small region in the mountains where some wonderful cuisine. And, of course, its vineyards produce a bigger variety of wines than any other wine region in the world, always delicious and in good years, amongst France's greatest vintages. unique wine styles, notably Vin Jaune and Vin de Paille, are produced. Jura wine, is French wine produced in the Jura département. Due to the colder conditions, winemakers in the Jura always pick much later, often at the end of October to maximise harvest. Provence Burgundy Provence is magical - filled to From the fertile basin around Auxerre, in the north west, and the ancient massifs of Morvan the brim with interest and graced with more than 300 days of sunshine a year. It's a rich mix of pretty villages, colourful markets, beautiful scenery and fascinating historic sites. All this plus the world-famous Côtes du Rhône vineyards too! and Charollais in the south, Burgundy is a wonderfully diverse region. It's been synonymous with 'gastronomy and good living' since Roman times and, in the limestone plateaux of La Cote, some of the world's most expensive wines. WINES AROUND The top 10 wine-producing countries and their volumes produced in metric tonnes. The total worldwide production of wine is 26,216,967 tonnes with the top ten producing countries accounting for over 85% THE WORLD %3D FRANCE ITALY USA GERMANY CHINA 2,211,300 4,541,820 720,000 4,580,000 1,657,500 TONNES TONNES TONNES TONNES TÖNNES S. AFRICA 921,700 CHILE ARGENTINA SPAIN AUSTRALIA 915,238 1,625,080 3,610,000 1,133,860 TONNES TONNES TONNES TONNES TONNES INTERESTING Wine grapes rank number one among the world's fruit WINE FACTS crops in terms of acres planted. Which one of our top 5 wine facts ranks number one for you? "One ton of grapes makes about 60 cases of wine, or 720 bottles. One bottle of wine contains about 2.8 pounds of grapes" 1 TON "Since wine tasting is essentially wine smelling, women tend to be better wine testers because women, particularly of reproductive ages, have a better sense of smell than men" A.D. 325 "The world's oldest bottle of wine dates back to A.D. 325 and was found near the town of Speyer, Germany, inside one of two Roman sarcophaguses." "European wines are named after their geographic locations (e.g. Bordeaux) while non-European wines (e.g. Pinot Noir) are named after different grape varieties." "An Italian study argues that women who drink two glasses of wine a day have better sex than those who don't drink at all," Headwater Holidays specialise in self-guided and guided walking and cycling experiences across Europe and beyond. Top quality accommodation and fine food & wine guaranteed! headwater set your own pace. Souroes - Viniflhor stats 2008: Les cepages noirs dans le vignoble. Wine production (tons)". Food and Agriculture Organization. p. 28. Retrieved 2012-04-23.