A comprehensive guide to selecting and buying French wines discusses various types of wine, tours the wine regions of France, and offers helpful advice on how to decode wine labels, a pronunciation key, a glossary of terms, and more. Original. This introduction to French wine helps demystify the names; places; grape varieties; and wine values, making buying and ordering wine, and even visiting vineyards a pleasure. Introduction 1(4) Part I: Why France Is the Home of Great Wines 5(24) France, Superstar 7(8) French Wine Today 15(6) Wine Laws and Labels 21(8) Part II: France's High-Profile Wine Regions 29(118) Elite Red Wines of Bordeaux 31(24) Red Bordeaux on a Budget 55(12) White Bordeaux --- Dry or Sweet, and Delectable 67(12) Burgundy --- Queen of France 79(32) Beaujolais, The Fun Red 111(10) Robust Rhone Reds and Unique Whites 121(26) Part III: France's Other Wine Regions 147(96) Champagne: The World's Greatest Sparkling Wine 149(24) Alsace: White Wine Wonderland 173(18) The Loire Valley's Hidden Gems 191(22) The South of France 213(16) Other French Wine Regions 229(14) Part IV: The Part of Tens 243(12) Answers to Ten Common Questions about French Wines 245(6) Ten French Wine Myths Exposed 251(4) Part V: Appendixes 255(26) Appendix A: Pronunciation Guide to French Wine Terms 257(8) Appendix B: Bordeaux and Burgundy Classifications 265(12) Appendix C: French Wine Vintage Chart: 1979 to 1998 277(4) Index 281