MAP OF BORDEAUX WINE REGION  Bordeaux constitutes the largest quality wine region in the world and produces about one-third of the fine wines of France. In the city of Bordeaux, an introduction to wines with tastings can be had at the Maison du Vin, 1 Cours du 30 Juillet, Tel: 05-56-00-22-66. The center of town itself is a port of grandiose 18th-century architecture, varied cultural happenings, and an illustrious past.

But for the oenophile, the main attraction is the vineyards that surround the city. A visit win be characterized by stops at the large estates of the grands chateaux, most of which, especially in the Médoc region, welcome visitors for a cellar tour, explanation of the winemaking process, and a tasting of the most recent vintage.

Although there is not one set of legislation that covers the entire region, Bordeaux wines are often grouped into six categories, four red and two white. The Médoc and Graves red districts include such famous appellations as St-Estèphe, Pauillac, and Margaux. The noble Libourne region includes St-Emilion, Pomerol, and Fronsac. The other two red families are the Bordeaux and various Côte appellations. Whites are generally divided into dry appellations, such as Graves and Entre-Deux-Mers, and sweet, including the celebrated Sauternes

The three major red grape varieties, which are almost always blended, are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. Sometimes small quantities of Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Carmenère are used for balance. The white wines of Bordeaux use mainly Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon varieties.

• By car from Paris to: Bordeaux,
  579 km, 6 hours, via A10
• By TGV train from Paris Gare
  Montparnasse to:
  Bordeaux, 3 hours
• By plane to: Bordeaux

MAP OF CHAMPAGNE WINE REGION  Only sparkling wine that comes from this region of France can properly be called Champagne. Its namesake province, a day-trip east of Paris by car or train, is a picturesque countryside of vine-covered hills forested with maple, elm, and pine at higher elevations.

France's northernmost A.O.C. wine-producing region is divided into three major districts, and the famous Champagne houses are easily visited because they are mainly in the towns of Reims and Epernay. Each district has a signposted wine route that laces together quaint villages via tractor-wide roads. The Montagne de Reims route starts in Reims and travels 75 kilometers south to Epernay.The 52-kilometer Marne Valley route starts in Epernay and goes west to Vincelles.The Côte des Blancs route covers 108 kilometers from Epernay south toVillenauxe-la-Grande.

Dom Pérignon, a Benedictine monk at the Hautvillers abbey around 1700, is credited with discovering the unique double fermentation process, méthode champenoise, that gives white wine its characteristic effervescence. Today, three varieties of grapes are used to produce Champagne-Chardonnay, a white grape, and Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, red grapes. Most Champagnes are made with a blend of juices from all three varieties and wines from several years, but ones made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes are known as blanc de blancs. Only a few times every decade is there a vintage year-a blend of wine from one superior growth year.

The region's most famous site is the magnificent Gothic cathedral of Reims where 25 French kings came to be officially crowned from 1137 to 1825.

Directions

• By car from Paris to: Reims, 144 km, 90 minutes, via A4
• By train from Paris Gare de l'Est to: Reims, 1 hour and 30 minutes
• By plane to: Reims

Who can decide whether Normandy is more captivating in spring when blooming apple trees impart their sweet fragrance, or in fall when their limbs are heavy with golden and red fruit? Since the climate is too cool and damp for grapes, the apple of the Norman's eye is Calvados, the region's famed brandy.

The cider apples used in Calvados differ from common apples and are unique in the world. Forty-eight varieties are recommended by law for making the cider which is distilled into Calvados. There are two A.O.C. producing regions. The Pays d'Auge is a small demarcated territory between Caen and Rouen with Lisieux at the center and a signposted Route du Cidre for visitors. The Calvados appellation comes from western Normandy and a small area east of Rouen.

Directions

• By car from Paris to: Rouen, 137 km, 1 hour and 20 minutes, via A13; Caen, 240 km, 2 hours and 20 minutes, via A 13
• By train from Paris Gare St-Lazare to: Rouen, 1 hour and 15 minutes; Caen, 2 hours and 20 Minutes
• By plane to: Rouen or Caen

MAP OF COGNAC WINE REGION  The world's most famous brandy comes from the peaceful countryside 100 miles north of Bordeaux. In the town of Cognac, along the narrow streets and quays of the Charente River, brandy is aged in chais, or huge warehouses. Tours and tastings are available here and in Jarnac and Rouillac. Outside towns, local producers also sell directly to the public.

Each Cognac house has a unique process to mix its eaux-de-vie. "Trois Etoiles" means that the eaux-de-vie used have aged at least 30 months in oak barrels, VO and VSOP have aged four and one-half years, and Extra, XO, Napoléon, and Grande Réserve can be as old as 50 years or more.

Cognac is divided into six areas-Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bons Bois, and Bois Ordinaires-that reflect decreasing finesse. When at least 50 percent Grande Champagne is blended with Petite Champagne, the result is sold with the special appellation Fine Champagne.

Directions

• By car from Paris to: Cognac, 463 km, 5 hours, via A 10 to N 141
• By TGV train from Paris Gare Montparnasse to: Cognac, 3 hours and 10 minutes
• By plane to: Angoulême

MAP OF LANGUEDOC WINE REGION  Languedoc-Roussillon is France's largest wine-growing region, representing more than one-third of the country's total vineyard area. In recent years, it has emerged as an exciting wine producer, with new growths, new wines, and a new sense of importance among wine lovers.

Leading this revolution are the vins de pays - or country wines - whose labels always bear "Vin de Pays", followed by the name of the area, department, or region from with they come. These wines are becoming increasingly important, with such world-class varieties as Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

• By car from Paris to: Montpellier, 759 km, 8 hours, via A6 to A7 to A9
• By TGV train from Paris Gare de Lyon to: Montpellier, 5 hours
• By plane to: Bézier, Montpellier, Nîmes, Perpignan

MAP OF LOIRE VALLEY WINE REGION  The banks of the Loire, France's longest river, sport ancient forests, verdant fields, royal chateaux, and a tapestry of vineyards which produce a wide variety of wines.
The Pouilly-sur-Loire and Sancerre vineyards at the eastern edge of the Loire Valley surround charming hilltop villages with alleylike streets, small squares, and charming chateaux. They are renowned for white wines from Sauvignon Blanc and Chasselas grapes. A small quantity of red and rosé wines come from the Cabernet Franc variety.

Touraine, the area around Tours, boasts the grandest of the grands châteaux, among them Amboise, Chambord, Chenonceau, and Blois. And from here comes a bounty of grand wines as well. The most celebrated is Vouvray, a white which can be either dry, sweet, or sparkling, and comes from the Chenin grape. Sweet Vouvray can age for many years. But it is the distinctive dry whites made from Sauvignon and a red from Gamay that predominate. The best reds of the Loire Valley come from Chinon and Bourguell, made from Cabernet Franc.

The town of Angers and its splendid medieval castle stand guard over the Saumur and Anjou districts. Saumur is best known for white wines, sparkling and still, from Chenin Blanc grapes blended with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The rosé of Anjou, the best made from Cabernet Franc alone, has been prized since the Middle Ages.

The Pays Nantals vineyards surrounding Nantes, where the Loire flows into the Atlantic, are the birthplace of Muscadet white wine made from Melon de Bourgogne grapes. Sur-lie on the label means the wine has added character from remaining with its sediment before being bottled.

• By car from Paris to: Tours, 237 km, 2 hours, via A10; Nantes, 384 km, 3 hours and 30 minutes, via A11
• By TGV train from Paris Gare Montparnasse to: Tours, 1 hour and 10 minutes; Nantes, 2 hours
• By plane to: Tours or Nantes

MAP OF RHONE VALLEY WINE REGION   Ninety percent of Rhône Valley wines are red, with the famed rosé of Tavel an important exception. The particularly long, hot, and sunny growing season makes for wines with a higher alcohol content than found in most French wines. Vineyards, starting just south of Lyon at Vienne and extending 225 kilometers south to Avignon, are divided into north and south regions.

The northern vineyards zigzag up steep hillsides clinging precariously to narrow terraces. Individual producers make wines uniquely from the Syrah grape, which gives a deep ruby color and unique bouquet. Some well known appellations are Côte Rôtie, Crozes-Hermitage, and Hermitage, esteemed as the oldest vines in France.

The southern vineyards are different in almost every way from their northern cousins. Here vines are not con fined to the river's banks, but are part of a patchwork of lavender fields and olive, almond, and pear orchards. Reds are made primarily from Grenache grapes, but may be blended, as in the case of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, from up to 13 different grape varieties.

Only a wall and a tower remain at Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the town with the 14th-century "new castle" of the Pope, 16 kilometers north of Avignon. The ruins afford a magnificent view of the town and its vineyards, whose owners are permitted to use the old Papal coat of arms on their labels.

Along with the Popes' Palace in Avignon, other vestiges of area history which require a visit are the Pont du Gard aqueduct built in 19 B.C. and the theater in Orange, both of which date from the Roman occupation of Gaul.

• By car from Paris to: Vienne, 49 1 km, 4 hours and 1 5 minutes, via A6 to A7; Avignon, 688 km, 7 hours, via A6 to A7
• By TGV train from Paris Gare de Lyon to: Lyon, 2 hours; Avignon, 3 hours and 30 minutes
• By plane to: Lyon or Avignon

MAP OF PROVENCE & CORSICA WINE REGIONS    The oldest wine-producing region in France had its first vines planted by Phoenicians over 2000 years ago. Today this ever-more popular sun-drenched province boasts vine-laced hills, poetic villages, picturesque ports, and rugged backcountry.

Numerous grapes are used in Provencal wines, but the main varieties for reds and rosés are Grenache, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah. Whites are generally produced from Clairette, Ugni Blanc, and Sémillon grapes. Since the vineyards are often small and spread out, much of the production is carried out by cooperatives, which, along with many individual cellars, welcome visitors.

The Côtes de Provence rosé wine, dubbed petit rosé, is the most typical and plentiful of Provençal wines. There are five other A.O.C. regions. The hills behind the Côte d'Azur's star city, Nice, harbor the Bellet vineyards where vines are planted among fields of cultivated flowers. Bandol reds, which come from vines planted on terraces of craggy hills behind the port town, are among the best of Provence and must contain a high percentage of Mourvèdre. The white wines of Cassis are grown on slopes facing the sea. The tiny Palette appellation, south of Aix-en-Provence and well protected from the famed Mistral wind, produces red, white, and rosé wines of age-old renown. The Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence, named for the town famous for its stately Cours Mirabeau plane-tree-lined boulevard, produces mainly red wines.

A ferry-ride away from Toulon, Marseille, and Nice is the spirited island of Corsica, the "Belle Ile," best known as the birthplace of Napoléon. The A.O.C. Vin de Corse wines, mostly reds from Nielluccio, Sciacarello, Grenache, Cinsault, and Syrah grapes, are grown on the hilly coast. The rugged interior is filled with snow-capped mountains and deep gorges.

• By car from Paris to: Marseille, 972 km, 8 hours, via A6 to A7; Nice, 932 km, 10 hours, via A6 to A7 to A8
• By TGV train from Paris Gare de Lyon to: Marseille, 4 hours and 15 minutes; Nice, 7 hours
• By plane to: Marseille or Nice; Ajaccio or Bastia
• By ferry to Corsica: from Toulon. Marseille, or Nice, 3 to 12 hours