Probably the world most famous white grape is the Chardonnay and in France it is the most planted white grape used for wine production. In 2006 more than 40,000 ha were planted with Chardonnay in France (ANIVIN DE FRANCE, n.d.). The grape is grown all over France, all over the world in fact. It is grown on all kind of different soils and in different climates, so you might conclude that the Chardonnay grape can adapt fairly easily and till a certain extent this is true. Still the Burgundy Chardonnay are always the best rated. All over the world wine growers try to mimic the great Burgundian Chardonnay, it is the Chardonnay’s golden standard (Harris, 2015). The Chardonnay can make decent wines on most soils, but it is at its best on soils rich in limestone. The limestone does have to be in a loose sedimentary state. Also it is known to best in colder territories. Burgundy has both limestone rich soil and a relatively cool climate. This does not mean Chardonnay from other soil types or climates is necessarily of poor quality, it is just known to produce its best wine in these circumstances.
The second most planted white grape in France is the Sauvignon Blanc. Just as the Chardonnay the grape is grown all around the globe. In 2006 the grape covered about 25,000 ha of France. In France the Sauvignon Blanc is mostly grown in the Loire region but also in the Bordeaux. Just as the Chardonnay the Sauvignon Blanc grows best at chalk rich soils. The only difference is that for the Sauvignon Blanc it does not matter in which state the limestone is present as long as it is present. The grapes tend to produce the best wine in relatively cold areas, because in warmer climates the wine loses its aromatics and acids which results in a heavy blousy wine (THE WINE SOCIETY 1874, n.d.). The Loire is quite cool for a wine region and Bordeaux is slightly warmer but still not too warm. So the grape can be grown well in these regions of France.
The most planted grape variety in France is the purple grape Merlot covering about 115,000 ha of France. Merlot is grown in the South-West of France where it also originates from. Most of the Merlot is grown in the Bordeaux region, where it blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc accounts for most Bordeaux wines. In Bordeaux there are strict rules about which grapes are to be used in order to call it a Bordeaux wine. Other than the three grape varieties named above there are three more grapes allowed, these being: Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmènere. While most grape varieties have a hard time growing on clay soils the Merlot grows best on clay soils. Clay soils have hardly any drainage, because clay is made out of very small charged particles. Water molecules do have a molecular dipole and therefore sticks to the charged clay particles. So the water is stored in the soil. For most grape varieties this results in rotting roots, but not for the Merlot grape. Wine growers often say, ‘’Merlot needs wet feet’’ (Daniëls, 2015). The best place to grow Merlot worldwide is often said to be the vineyards of Pomerol in the Bordeaux. Pomerol has soils rich in clay. Merlot needs a temperate climate with warm yet rainy summers, this is the case in the South-West of France where the summers are quite hot but because of its location next to the Atlantic Ocean it does still rain often.
An old legend tells a story of a grape variety which was brought back from the crusade in 1224. According to the legend the grape came from the Iranian city of Shiraz and therefore the grape is called the Syrah. Genetic research has discovered that this is in fact not true and that the grape originates from two ancient grapes from the North Rhône region. (Vins-France, n.d.) Syrah is mostly grown in South-Eastern France and the isle of Corse. In 2006 there were about 67,500 ha of Syrah grown, making it the third most grown purple grape in France. Whereas the Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc do best on soils rich in Limestone, Syrah does poorly on it. Syrah does best on poor relatively acid soils which are either sandy or rocky and existing mostly of granite and schist. This does not really sound like a soil suited for agriculture yet the very best Syrah comes from these soils. Syrah does best in climates with warm and dry summers, which is why it is mostly planted in the South East of France where the summers are warm but most importantly dry. In the South West of France the summers are also warm but because of the Atlantic Ocean it does rain relatively often. So hardly any Syrah is grown over there.
The red grape Cabernet Sauvignon is grown all over the world covering 170,000 ha worldwide. About 60,000 ha of it is grown in France its home country. The name reminds of Sauvignon Blanc which is not strange if you look at the history of the Cabernet Sauvignon. The grape came to existence as a result of the crossbreeding of Sauvignon Blanc with Cabernet Franc. The grape is grown all over South West France, The Loire and the Languedoc. Cabernet does best on gravel soils which are slightly acid and have good drainage. They also need good exposure in order to get enough sunlight for producing grapes. The grape needs a warm climate in order for the grapes to reach ideal maternity.