France | French Natural Wine
France is known as a pioneer in both winemaking and the natural wine movement, and is known for wines made of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Chenin Blanc. Popular natural wine producers in France include Pierre Overnoy, Patrick Bouju, and Frederic Cossard.
A pioneer in natural winemaking
The natural wine movement began in France as a push-back to chemical agriculture, but took off to evolve into so much more. Responsible for much of this was the so-called “Gang of Four”, a group of four Beaujolais winemakers (Jean-Foillard, Guy Breton, Jean-Paul Thévenet, and Marcel Lapierre) who in the 1970s committed to farming without the use of pesticides, adding minimal-to-no sulfur, harvesting grapes later, sorting grapes for quality control, and refusing to add to sugar to fermenting wine (this was commonplace to boost alcohol content), all of which were rather contrary to what other French winemakers were doing at the time.
In 2020, France was the first country to approve an official label for naturally produced wines - wines packaged with “"Vin Méthode Nature" must be made from chemical-free grapes, handpicked, fermented with native yeast, and only a small amount of sulfur dioxide can be added (with the final wine containing less than 30 milligrams per liter).
In 2020, France was the first country to approve an official label for naturally produced wines - wines packaged with “"Vin Méthode Nature" must be made from chemical-free grapes, handpicked, fermented with native yeast, and only a small amount of sulfur dioxide can be added (with the final wine containing less than 30 milligrams per liter).
Popular French regions & producers
In northern France, white wines dominate with popular regions including Champagne (known of course for its sparkling wines, primarily from Chardonnay) and Alsace (which produces many herbaceous whites like Riesling and Gewürztraminer).
Jura, a tiny region on the Swiss border with a smaller yield, is famed for its unusual and distinct winemaking practices and use of the grapes Savagnin,Trousseau, Ploussard, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
In central France, the Loire Valley is known for grapes Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc, while Beaujolais produces nearly all Gamay wines.
Some of the best French Natural Wine Producers include:
• Jean-Pierre Robinot
• Patrick Bouju
• Matassa
• Jean-Foillard
• Tony Bornard
• L’Octavin
• Frederic Cossard
• Pierre Overnoy
• Pierre Frick
• Dard et Ribo
Jura, a tiny region on the Swiss border with a smaller yield, is famed for its unusual and distinct winemaking practices and use of the grapes Savagnin,Trousseau, Ploussard, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
In central France, the Loire Valley is known for grapes Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc, while Beaujolais produces nearly all Gamay wines.
Some of the best French Natural Wine Producers include:
• Jean-Pierre Robinot
• Patrick Bouju
• Matassa
• Jean-Foillard
• Tony Bornard
• L’Octavin
• Frederic Cossard
• Pierre Overnoy
• Pierre Frick
• Dard et Ribo