French white wine on the world’s tables!

France is a wine-producing country with a wide range of colors and styles. Between red wine, white wine and rosé wine, red wine has long been the favorite of the French, but trends are changing!

Growing demand for white wines in France

  According to the Sowine/Dinata 2023 barometer, this year 93% of respondents said white wine was preferred to other colors, compared to 91% in 2022. This is also in line with a trend in the consumption of alcoholic products. While men today tend to drink more beer, women are still fond of wine, especially white wine! In fact, men tend to drink more red wine than women, but have been favoring beer in recent years.

The appeal of sparkling wines

  While Champagnes have built up a solid reputation in France and abroad, the appeal of sparkling wines is in full swing. The vast majority of sparkling wines are white, made from white grape varieties. During the summer months, when temperatures are often very hot, their consumption is particularly high.

French white wines on the export market

  The same trend can be observed in export markets as in France: demand for white wines is on the rise! In the United States, for example, one of the world’s biggest wine importers, 44% of wines consumed are white. The trend seems to be the same in Italy and Germany, where the appeal of white wines continues to grow.

French vineyards increasingly white

  Winegrowers and winegrowers’ associations understand this trend towards white wine consumption. While many of France’s wine-growing regions are renowned for producing predominantly white wines, this is not the case for others. Regions renowned for the quality of their red wines are increasingly producing more white wines, thanks to a focus on white grape varieties.

 French white wine regions

 

Alsace white grape varieties

  France’s wine-growing regions, renowned for their production of white wines, have seen their popularity increase in recent years. Such is the case of Alsace, where Riesling is king. In Alsace, it produces dry, semi-dry and sweet white wines, as well as sparkling Crémants d’Alsace. Other white grape varieties found in Alsace include Muscat, Pinot gris and Gewurztraminer.

White grape varieties Loire Valley

  In the Loire Valley, while Chenin is the region’s favorite grape variety, as is Riesling in Alsace, producing dry white wines, sweet white wines and crémants, other white grape varieties also produce superb white wines. These include Melon de Bourgogne, the Muscadet grape, Sauvignon blanc, Chardonnay and Chasselas.

Jura, Savoie et Jurançon

  Other wine-growing regions, smaller than the Loire Valley or Alsace, produce mainly white wine and are increasingly sought-after in France and around the world. In the Jura wine region, Chardonnay and Savagnin take pride of place. In Savoie, several white grape varieties produce dry white wines whose quality increases from vintage to vintage, thanks to Jacquère, Roussanne, Roussette and Chasselas.

Bordeaux vineyards

  In the 50s and 70s, Bordeaux vineyards were more white than red! Faced with a demand for red wine, red grape varieties would have taken on greater importance in the vineyard. Thanks to Bordeaux appellations producing white wines renowned for their good value, such as AOP Entre-deux-mers, AOP Bordeaux and AOP Bordeaux Supérieur, white grape varieties are gaining ground to meet international demand.

Burgundy vineyards

  Burgundy’s vineyards have also ‘whitened’, with production now more white than red! Appellations renowned for the high quality of their white wines, made from the Chardonnay grape variety, continue to grow in popularity. These include AOP Montrachet, AOP Corton Charlemagne, AOP Meursault, AOP Fixin and AOP Chablis.

The Rhone vineyards

  As far as the Rhone vineyards are concerned, the Condrieu appellation d’origine contrôlée is definitely the best-known white wine! Otherwise, it’s high-quality red wines that are mainly associated with this wine-growing region. To meet the ever-increasing demand for white wines, Inter Rhône has announced an important decision. By 2030, the vineyard will double its production of white wines! With partner winemakers in all the wine-growing regions of France, Hesiode has plenty to satisfy this global trend !