French wine
French wine is seen as the traditionally better if not the best wine in the world. It is therefore often used by winemakers as a frame of reference for the quality of their own wine. Best of Wines, a specialist in exclusive wine, has been importing French wine since 1907, especially from Bordeaux and Burgundy, as these traditionally produce the most beautiful wines.
Thus, the best French wineries come from Bordeaux and Burgundy, although more and more premium quality comes from the Rhone, Loire and Alsace, among other places. And that translates into consumer demand; both red and white French wine is extremely popular. The grape variety is also becoming less important when one opts for exclusive wine. The combination of the chosen wine and the accompanying dish, the wine-food combination, is now also playing an increasingly important role.
And besides the white and red French wine, there is of course also the sparkling French wine: the Champagne.
Best of Wines: Specialist in exclusive French wine
Best of Wines is a specialist in exclusive wine. We look for the best wines worldwide and include them in our collection. Besides wines from Europe, there are wines all over the world that can compete with the best wines from Europe, even though their so-called fine & rare wine culture is of much more recent date. Nevertheless, the wines with the most beautiful terroir characteristics come from France, particularly from Bordeaux and Burgundy. And that is recognised globally: regions such as Cote de Nuits, Cotes de Beaune, Chablis, Pauillac, Margaux, St. Estephe, St Julien, Pomerol and St Emillion are very well known.
Wine estates such as Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Margaux, Chateau Petrus, Chateau Cheval Blanc, Domaine de la Romanee Conti, Joseph Drouhin, Louis Jadot, Faiveley and Liger Belair have a worldwide market.
Jadot
Grands Echezeaux
2019
€ 290,00 (hors TVA) € 348,00 (TVA incluse) plus d'infosDrouhin, Joseph
Bonnes Mares
2018
€ 471,00 (hors TVA) € 565,20 (TVA incluse) plus d'infosJadot
Mazis Chambertin
2016
€ 136,00 (hors TVA) € 163,20 (TVA incluse) plus d'infosJadot
Chevalier Montrachet les Demoiselles
2021
€ 869,00 (hors TVA) € 1.042,80 (TVA incluse) plus d'infosBordeaux wine
What may be called Bordeaux wine?
Wine may be called a Bordeaux wine if it comes from an area that has the Bordeaux appellation. And that is quite a large area. An appellation can range from a general (appellation Bordeaux Controlee) to a very specific one (St Emillion Premier Cru Classe A). An appellation directly indicates the potential quality of the wine.
How long can you store Bordeaux wine?
Bordeaux wines are among the longest-lived wines in the world. Most wines are best in the first 5-10 years after bottling; some wines are only ready to drink after 10 years. That differs per wine. At Best of Wines, we regularly drink Bordeaux wines that are 30-100 years old. Most are still beautiful. In fact, the Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1870 was one of the most impressive bottles we have ever drunk.
Which grape is the most common in Bordeaux?
Most red wines in Bordeaux are made from the grape varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. And Malbec and Petit Verdot are used in small quantities. For the white wines, these are the grape varieties Sauvignon Blanc and Semillion. Muscat is also used to a limited extent.
And it will come as no surprise that some of the most expensive wines come from Bordeaux. A bottle of Petrus costs thousands of euros. For a Mouton Rothschild 1945, tens of thousands of euros are paid, and a very old rare Bordeaux, especially in a larger size, passes the hundred thousand euro mark.
Chateau Gazin
Chateau Gazin
2021
(Half bottle)
€ 38,95 (hors TVA) € 46,74 (TVA incluse) plus d'infosChateau Lynch Bages
Chateau Lynch Bages
2008
€ 123,00 (hors TVA) € 147,60 (TVA incluse) plus d'infosChateau Palmer
Chateau Palmer
2020
€ 299,00 (hors TVA) € 358,80 (TVA incluse) plus d'infosChateau Palmer
Chateau Palmer
1989
€ 489,00 (hors TVA) € 586,80 (TVA incluse) plus d'infosBurgundy wine
Grand cru wines, what does grand cru mean?
Burgundy wine is in a class of its own. But it is also an art in itself. Whereas every wine region in the world has various wine estates with its own vineyards from which wine is made, the Burgundy wine region has vineyards cultivated by several wine estates: each estate makes its own wine from its share of the grapes. Thus, to know if a wine is potentially good, knowing the vineyard's appellation is not enough. The producer is just as important. In other words: a Grand Cru vineyard (Grand Cru vineyards are the best vineyards) can produce different qualities of wine.
White wine Bourgogne Chardonnay, why is it so popular?
Burgundy is renowned for its white and red wines and is among the best in the world. The white wines are made from the grape varieties Chardonnay and Aligote (to a very limited extent), the red wines are made from the grape varieties Pinot Noir and Gamay. The Chardonnay wines are among the best of their kind due to the terroir: the soil conditions combined with the perfect climate for the Chardonnay. The white Aligote wines are simpler because the grape produces less complex wines.
Major wine producers in Burgundy. What are negociants?
Some wine estates also make wine from grapes they buy from other owners. These so-called negociants can be very large: Louis Jadot and Joseph Drouhin are examples of this. They produce and sell many wines from different appellations and are among the most sold. Contrary to very small estates, such as Liger Belair and J.F. Mugnier.
What are the most expensive Burgundy wines?
Perhaps the most expensive wines in the world come from Burgundy. More than ten thousand euros is paid for a single bottle of Romanee Conti. For an old bottle from a famous year, especially in large format, the price already approaches a hundred thousand euros. The reason for this pricing is that the wine is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful wines in the world and only a few thousand bottles are made every year.
Burgundy has both red and white wines but hardly any rosé wines. Dessert wines from Burgundy are also rare. Organic wine cultivation, however, is very present.
Meo Camuzet
Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru
2021
€ 123,00 (hors TVA) € 147,60 (TVA incluse) plus d'infosAF Gros
Beaune 1er Cru les Boucherottes
2020
€ 62,95 (hors TVA) € 75,54 (TVA incluse) plus d'infosJadot
Clos de Vougeot
2019
€ 167,95 (hors TVA) € 201,54 (TVA incluse) plus d'infosArmand Rousseau
Mazy Chambertin
2006
(X)
€ 895,00 (hors TVA) € 1.074,00 (TVA incluse) plus d'infosThe best French wineries
Best of Wines carries wines from the best French wineries. So a look at our stock can already provide a lot of information. But it will not be exhaustive, as some wines will regularly sell out. Due to our decades-long relationship with many wineries, we can often very quickly replenish wines that are sold out.
It is impossible to determine a top 10 French wineries or the best French wine. It all depends very much on your specific taste and the type of wine: red wine, white wine, rosé wine, sparkling wine, dessert wine.
French red wine
French red wine is made from an extensive range of grape varieties. In addition to the popular grape varieties, each region has its own local grape varieties. But the biggest common denominator is the red wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Grenache.
The following wineries can be seen as examples of very renowned red French wine wineries:
French white wine
French white wine is made from many different grape varieties. Each region has its own local grape varieties. But the most popular white wines are made from Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and, to a lesser extent, Viognier.
The following wineries can be seen as examples of highly renowned French white wine wineries:
Champagne
Champagne is made from the grape varieties Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. Champagne is a sparkling white wine, and Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier are blue grapes: is that possible? Absolutely, the blue grapes are pressed immediately after the harvest so that the moisture that comes from the grape does not get the red colour. Most Champagnes are blends of the three grape varieties. A Champagne made only from Chardonnay is called Blanc de Blancs, a Champagne made from solely blue grapes is called Blanc de Noirs.
The following wineries can be seen as examples of makers of highly renowned Champagne:
Selosse
Millesime extra brut
2010
€ 2.095,00 (hors TVA) € 2.514,00 (TVA incluse) plus d'infosBillecart Salmon
Les Rendez-Vous No. 3 Extra Brut
€ 77,95 (hors TVA) € 93,54 (TVA incluse) plus d'infosMoet Chandon
Dom Perignon
2005
(in OC)
€ 265,00 (hors TVA) € 318,00 (TVA incluse) plus d'infosTaittinger
Comtes de Champagne Rose
2008
(Magnum)
€ 569,00 (hors TVA) € 682,80 (TVA incluse) plus d'infosFrench grapes and food pairing
Best of Wines has been selling French wine since 1907. We are often asked if we have any culinary suggestions, meaning if we have selected dishes with specific wines. And we certainly do, but it won't be a surprise. We also have culinary evenings, and pairing wine and food is very simple and very difficult at the same time.
You can easily find the most important rules on the internet. So, Cabernet Sauvignon goes well with a good piece of meat, Merlot for a more elegant piece of meat, Pinot Noir goes with poultry, Chardonnay fish and so on. But that is general because the strength of the dish, the spiciness and which ingredients are all used play just as big of a role. And that also applies to the wine. A wood-bearing Chardonnay suits a completely different dish than a non-wood-bearing one. And a Bordeaux is a blend of some grape varieties.
The most important rule is that wine and food must balance each other: one should not overpower the other. The 1 + 1 should not equal 2 but rather 3. They must reinforce each other. Best of Wines can always advise on wine: nearly without exception, we have drunk the wines we sell. So we know what impact the wine can have on a particular dish.