The best wine regions in France

France and wine: it’s as natural a combination as peanut butter and jam, or rhubarb and custard. While they may not have invented winemaking (that honour goes to the Georgians, who crushed their first grapes some 8,000 years ago) the French have vinification deeply embedded in their cultural DNA, claiming both the world’s most famous wine regions and its most-loved grape varieties. From the soaring peaks of Jura to the surf-fringed shores of Languedoc, you can hardly visit a corner of this country without catching sight of a neat row of vines.

And yet, despite this constant, the wine tourism experience is never cookie-cutter. You can sip a long-aged Cabernet Sauvignon in a grand Bordeaux château one day, then sit nosing obscure Négrette at a farmer’s table in Cahors the next. Such diversity is thrilling stuff for any traveller, but particularly the thirsty ones. These are the best wine regions to visit in France. Please do note: when planning your tours and tastings, it’s always best to contact wineries in advance as some only open by appointment.

Beaujolais

Best for: natural wine

Not so long ago, wine snobs turned up their noses at this northern Burgundian sub-region, known for its unaged “nouveau” wines. But the past decade has seen a tide change, as younger, ambitious producers use the fruity local Gamay grape to craft seriously interesting – and great-value – natural wines. Centre your explorations around the Cru village of Morgon, interjecting jaunts into vine-carpeted scenery with sips from cult domaines like Marcel Lapierre, Jean Foillard, Jean-Paul Thévenet and Guy Breton. Their wines are light, lively, low-alcohol – the perfect refresher after a day touring Benedictine monastery Abbaye de Cluny or pretty stone villages Bagnol and Oingt.