Let’s keep this simple. France is a strange and complicated nation. For a start, they drive on the wrong side of the road, they call a “French kiss” an “English kiss” and, in 1386, they executed a pig by public hanging for the murder of a child (Oink!).

French laws covering the use of Appellation Contrôlée (wine regions) names rarely permit the naming of grape varieties. You may not have realised that all Chablis is made from the Chardonnay grape – and that’s by law! Head to the south west of France for those Vin de Pays (Table Wines) and expect to find much more open and less regulated winemaking.

They haven’t gone through much effort to simplify the laws that regulate their wine industry, and I’m not interested in boring you when trying to explain who can’t use oak or who can’t grow what. So here’s a glance at a number of the appellations and what they do best.

Bordeaux: Around 88% of wine produced here is red (known as Claret in Britain). White wines are typically Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc blends. Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the red wine blends, although Merlot is the most widely planted grape. Regions include Médoc, Graves and Saint-Emilion.

Burgundy: Great Burgundies, both red and white, are unblended wines made from a single variety - a major difference from Bordeaux. Wines from the wider Burgundy region are labelled as Bourgogne AC. Major varietals are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Gamay (Beaujolais).

Rhône: The two great grapes of the Northern Rhone are Syrah, which you’ll find under Crozes-Hermitage, and Viognier, with Grenache based wines dominating the south, including Châteauneuf-du-pape (meaning “the Pope’s new castle”). Cote du Rhone is another popular red in the south.

Languedoc & VDP: The majority of France’s Vins de Pays wines are produced in the Languedoc, which borders Spain on the southeast. Grenache and Syrah are popular blends in Languedoc AC, but the freedom granted with labelling a wine VDP allows large volumes of inexpensive wines from international grape varieties to be produced. To the delight of us wine nuts!