French Wines - on the ground - a map guide | wine gift baskets | wine gift idea

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French Wines - on the ground - a map guide

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French Wine Tours

France is the world’s largest producer of quality Wines (and maybe of the thirstiest drinkers, too) and has been so for a long time. It is no surprise therefore that France’s wine growing areas have a historicity and picturesqueness that Australian or California cannot match.

The ideal place then, for a holiday.

Here are the maps you need for planning your trip:-

1M915 WINES OF FRANCE (1 : 1 000 000)

83103 Wine of ALSACE (1 : 125 000)

83104 WINES OF BOURGOGNE (1 : 55 000)

83105 WINES OF the CÔTES DU RHÔNE (1 : 125 000)

83106 WINES OF PROVENCE (1 : 250 000)

83107 WINES OF TOURAINE (1 : 150 000 )

83108 WINES OF CHAMPAGNE (1 : 100 000)

83109 Wines of the JURA (1 : 100 000)

83110 Wines of BEAUJOLAIS (1 : 80 000)

83102 WINES OF BORDEAUX (1 : 210 000)

They are available from the Institut Geographique National (IGN), France’s mapping authority from www.ign.fr where there is a list of distributors. The maps are around 5 euros each. The figures in brackets give the scale (1:50000 is about 1 mile to the inch). The code on the left is the reference number.

There’s no wine map for the Loire apparently (only the Touraine – the area round Tours) but there are two regional maps to suit. Nor is there a wine map of the Languedoc-Roussillon area, which has come up in the world wine-wise, but which is not very picturesque, not very historic, and sun blasted in the summer. Various maps to cover this area.

Having seen all the areas mentioned above, I would also give the Champagne a miss – it’s a dour sort of area (but maybe because I saw it in the winter).

To pick out a particular Appellation Controlee (=wine area) you could go immediately to = www.ruelmain.co.uk/French%20Maps/index.htm> maps of the main Wines of France and use the Google Maps and aerial views from there to see what you make of it. You will find it quite difficult to identify large tracts of vineyard in most cases, since the vines are scattered in and amongst other rural activities.

A number of tour operators will do all-inclusive trips or wine tours and they are worth a look. Alternatively you could single out a well placed French Holiday Cottage or Gite from which you could carry out your forays into the Wines of France.

Visit www.ruelmain.co.uk for more….

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