France is the standard bearer for all the world's wines, with regard to the types of grapes that are used to make wine and with the system of defining and regulating winemaking. Its Appellation d'Origine Controlee, or AOC system, is the legislative model for most other European countries. Most French wines are named after places. The system is hierarchical; generally the smaller and more specific the region for which a wine is named, the higher its rank.

A region in western France that grows famous red wines from the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc grapes and white wines from Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle grapes. Seperated by the Gironde and its tributaries, one side of the river (Left Bank) is predominantly Cabernet where as the other side (Right Bank) grows primarily Merlot.