About
French wine is named after places, not grapes
Most of the world labels wine by variety: Chardonnay, Syrah, Malbec. France labels by origin. A bottle of Chablis says nothing about Chardonnay on the front, because in Chablis the grape is a given — what matters is the fossil-flecked marl it grew in, the cool northern sun, and the rules that govern how it was made.
That idea has a name: terroir. Soil, slope, climate and human tradition, treated as inseparable. This atlas is organised the same way — region first, then the appellations inside it, then the grapes that happen to grow there.
The four tiers on a label
Vin de France
No geographic claim. Freedom for the winemaker, no guarantee of origin.
IGP
Indication Géographique Protégée — a broad region, looser rules on grapes and yields.
AOC / AOP
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée. Place, permitted grapes, yields and methods all defined by law.
Cru
Within an AOC, a ranked village or single vineyard. Premier cru and grand cru sit at the top.
How to use this atlas
Each region page covers its climate and soils, the grapes permitted there, the appellations worth knowing, the balance of styles produced, recent vintages to look for, and what to eat with the wine. Start with the region that matches the meal you're cooking, not the grape you already like.
Open the region index