Many places might claim to be the homeland of winemaking, but France clearly has done the most with practice. Although archeological evidence shows the first wine was fermented further east in Caucasia, or the Middle East, the fertile fields of south, east, and western France have proven to be some of the best for growing grapes.

Still, anyone setting out on a wine tour would have to place France on the itinerary (as if someone would need an excuse to visit France). While France is intimately tied to winemaking, the country has to thank the Romans and the Catholic Church for bringing the winemaking culture to that land. First, it was the Romans who planted vineyards. Then in the 5th century, the Roman Catholic Church took over as the largest French wine producer, using it in their sacred ceremonies.

Regions

France today has approximately 150,000 grape growers and the country produces about 1.5 billion gallons per year. The various regions of France have given their names to types of wine – Burgundy, Beaujolais, and Bordeaux. Then there is the king of all wines, named for the region of Champagne. Other locales famous for their wines include the Rhone and Loire valleys.

Some of the world's best wine comes from eastern France in the Alsace region. Together with its lesser known neighbor, Lorraine, the region is where many good wines originate. It also is here that the wine debate includes Germany. Alsace-Lorraine lies along the border of the two countries and shares heritage with both. Many battles between the two countries have been fought there throughout history.

Route de Vin

Behind Burgundy and Bordeaux, Alsace is the third most important winemaking region of France. Tourists can book any number of trips to traverse what is known as the Route de Vin, including at least one walking tour of the vineyards. This is the place to go for those who prefer white wines. It has been being made there since about 300 CE.

Anyone wanting to make a tour of the winemaking regions of the country is not limited to just eastern France. The country is a very popular tourist destination and travel agents offer a variety of package tours based on the theme of wine.

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