Just like the French language, French wine feels menacingly full of mysteries to those who are just beginning to learn about it. But knowing the basics about French wine isn’t as hard as you think. Fortunately, we've compiled some tips to help out, courtesy of Stephen Cronk, a Londoner who opened Mirabeau vineyards in the south of France, and Frenchman Laurent Richet, a master sommelier of the twin Michelin star Restaurant Sat Bains in Nottingham, UK. Screwcaps: For many beginners, the screwcap might seem like a dead giveaway for the bottle to avoid. Not so fast, says Cronk, who noted that if you have two bottles at the same price you should go for the one without a cork. The screwcaps keep white wine fresher, longer and prevent the bottle from being fouled by bacteria in the cork. “The culture of the cork is nice, pulling the cork out and making that pop is what makes peoples' juices flow. But if you have an €8 bottle of wine in front of you and one was in a screw cap and one was corked, I’d definitely choose the screwcap,” he said.

Confusing labels: French bottles generally say which region the wine is from, but not the type of grape it's made with. So for those of us used to grabbing a bottle of Pinot Noir off the shelf, the French system can be tricky. Here are some equivalents: Wines labelled Bordeaux are made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and some Cabernet Franc grapes. What’s called Syrah back home will generally be a Rhone region wine here. Burgundy wines are made entirely of Pinot Noir varieties. good wine for college studentsAnd if you are looking for a glass of Chardonnay, you’ll want one of the Burgundy whites like a Chablis.best wine rating service Medals and awards: French winemakers like to advertise on their bottles the awards they’ve won in tasting competitions. buy japanese wine online

They’re helpful, but sometimes the judges get it wrong or just loved something you can’t stand. Some awards are more meaningful than others, though. “The Concours Général, the one in Paris, that’s the best one in France,” said Cronk. “They are all moneymaking ventures. Everyone wants to get a medal on their bottle no matter how obscure it is, because they know that the consumer can’t differentiate. Medals are a hint, but not a guarantee.” Buy two bottles: Ultimately wine is a question of taste, so research and advice are really only preparation for popping open a bottle. best italian wine clubIt’s a good idea to buy one that’s safe, that you already know, but then grab something adventurous. red wine glass luxuryFind a region you like and explore. best european wine 2015

Though this approach may require of bit of record keeping on what worked or not, it is in the end how the pros build up their knowledge. Key phrases: French wine labels include some phrases which are indicators of a good bottle. However, it’s important to remember they may mean the bottle is more expensive and it may not suit your tastes. "Grand cru" means it's a region’s highest quality vineyard or area. Then there’s “grand vin,” which is the title wineries give to their best bottles. best wine names india“Premier cru” is a step below “grand cru,” but it’s still a top vineyard or area. good food and wine couponAbove all there is the “grand cru classé,” which has been officially registered as a top winemaking property.good wine names in india

Ask for help: In an only in France-type service, bigger French supermarkets like E.Leclerc, Carrefour and Auchan have a designated wine section with a staff expert. Though language is a concern here, wine novices shouldn’t be afraid to approach and ask for advice. “I would go straight to those people and talk about the budget and what kind of food you are going to prepare and see what kind of wine they would suggest. It’s an easy thing and it’s a great way to discover something new,” Richet said. “I’d recommend bottles from the Languedoc-Roussillon region. I think they are a great value for the money ." Price does matter: You could literally spend thousands of euros on a bottle but getting a good one at the supermarket just requires not being a complete penny pincher. The really cheap bottles, like ones destined for cooking, are obviously not going to be good for drinking. But for a modest investment you’re going to hit some pretty good bottles. “There are certain fixed costs in making a wine.

Let’s say it costs €2.50 to get it into the bottle. So for a €10 bottle you are getting, in theory, much more on the value of the wine than you are if you're buying wine for €3,” said Cronk. Local wines: When you are at the supermarket, choose bottles from the region where you are. The reason for that is local markets will be heavily stocked with wines produced in the area, which gives you a chance to try bottles that are good, but may not be available everywhere. “In the supermarket we have more varieties from the region, that's for sure. If you go to a supermarket in Bordeaux, there will be a lot more focus on Bordeaux. If you are in the Loire Valley the focus will be the Loire Valley,” said Richet. “I’m from the Loire Valley and the market near me has three or four rows of all local wines. Muscadet all the way to Chinon, Sancerre and so on.” READ ALSO: Does Italy really produce finer wines than France?FRENCH wine labels seem designed to confuse buyers rather than enlighten them.

They often don't tell you the grape variety, what it tastes like, or even how sweet or dry it may be. The largest print is often more likely to be the name of the village or region, which may tell you very little about the wine.Hundreds of individual producers make Chablis or Sancerre, for example, and sell it under almost indistinguishable labels. So, bear in mind that while Jean Dupont's Cotes du Rhone may be delicious, his lazy cousin Jacques's might taste just like bilge-water.Choose well, however, and from as little as £3 a bottle you can find excellent wines - many of which never make it to the British shops. Here is our guide to the best buys, region by region.Alsace The quality of winemaking varies enormously, too. Perfectly decent, basic Gewürztraminer, for example, can be found for less than £3 a bottle at the region's many huge cooperatives, but you can find far more intense and interesting - and far pricier - examples of this grape made by domaines that may well work according to the rules of organic agriculture and limit yields to tiny amounts per vine.

Unless they are labelled Vendange Tardive - late harvest - or Sélection de Grains most wines tend to be fruity and rich but more or less dry. However, almost identically labelled bottles of Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris can vary widely in the level of sweetness they contain. The sweeter ones can be delicious, but it would be helpful if their producers gave some warning of the style you are going to find when you pull the cork.Where to buy Dom Weinbach (03 89 47 13 21 by appt) is run by Laurence Faller, one of France's growing band of highly successful winemaking women. It produces small quantities of all of the principal grape varieties in the village of Kayserberg. Cave de Turckheim (03 89 30 23 60 by appt) is a big cooperative with reliable wines at every price and quality level. Bordeaux The style of red Bordeaux is essentially dictated by three factors. First, there are grape varieties (Médoc and Graves tend to use more Cabernet Sauvignon, which explains their blackcurranty flavour, while St Emilion, Pomerol, Fronsac, Côtes de Castillon, Cotes de Blaye and Bourg all have much more Merlot and tend to be softer and plummier).

Second, there is the proportion of new oak barrels that has been used; and third, there's the vintage. The weather varies radically from one year to the next and a cool, rainy summer will make for dilute, unripe-tasting wines.Where to buy Château de la Riviere, Fronsac (05 57 55 56 56 by appt) has a classic fairy-tale castle that would be worth a visit even if it produced no wine at all. Look out for the recently launched "Aria" super-cuvee: costlier, but worth it. Château Bonnet (05 57 25 58 58) makes reliably good-value (under £5) red and white from the Entre-Deux-Mers region - and the family makes far pricier wine at the more famous Château la Louviere. Château Sociando-Mallet (05 56 73 38 80 by appt) is a top-class Médoc estate - the wine to buy is La Demoiselle de Sociando-Mallet, the château's lower-priced "second wine". Burgundy There is a ludicrous number of separate appellations here, ranging from large areas like Mâcon Villages and Beaujolais, whose wines appear in every supermarket, to tiny "Grand Cru" vineyards such as Clos de Tart that produce a few thousand bottles per year.

Burgundy has a few excellent large merchants and cooperatives, but most of the best wine comes from small, family-owned estates.Collecting a case of wine yourself could not only easily save you £7 or £8 a bottle; it will more than likely allow you to find a wine on which you could never lay your hands in Britain.Where to buy Chablis: La Chablisienne (03 86 42 89 89) is one of the best cooperatives in France, with wines ranging from the most basic Petit Chablis to the grandest of Grands Crus. Michel Laroche (03 86 42 89 28 by appt) is the region's most dynamic merchant. The St Martin is particularly good value. Moreau-Naudet (03 86 42 14 83 by appt) is a family-run business with superlative wines. The Chablis Vaillons is a great buy. Côte d'Or: La Cave des Hautes-Côtes (03 80 25 01 00), on the Route Nationale south out of Beaune, offers a wide range of wines of varying quality. The basic Burgundy is generally good value at under £5. A-F Gros (03 80 22 61 85 by appt) is one of many members of the Gros family who make wine in and around Vosne Romanée.

If you want to taste red Burgundy at its best, try the lovely rich "Aux Réas" 1999. Great value at about £15. Champagne The first key to buying Champagne lies in knowing the kinds of grape that have been used. Most of this region's wine is a blend of two black grapes (the Pinot Noir and its cousin, the little-known Pinot Meunier) and one white, the Chardonnay, which makes a richer style. A bottle labelled as Blanc de Blancs, however, will invariably be a pure Chardonnay, which gives it flavours of apple, pear and pineapple.Another useful hint is that Brut Champagne should be pretty dry, while Extra Dry is actually a little softer and sweeter.Where to buy Jacquesson (03 26 55 68 11 by appt) and Billecart-Salmon (03 26 52 60 22 by appt) are less often seen in Britain than the offerings of bigger producers, but these two firms produce some of the best Champagne of all. The Billecart-Salmon Rosé is superlative. Pierre Gimonnet (03 26 59 78 70 open daily; Sat by appt) is a small estate with lovely Blanc de Blancs.

The Loire Among the wines most worth buying are the reds of Chinon and Bourgueil whose fresh blackcurrant flavour offers an opportunity to taste the Cabernet Franc grape at its unadulterated best. Other areas to explore are Sancerre, Quincy and Pouilly Fumé, where the Sauvignon Blanc is often at its best, and Vouvray and Savennières which are the showcase for white wines made from the appley Chenin Blanc grape. Savennieres is invariably bone dry, but Vouvray comes in just about every possibly level of sweetness. Sec ought to be dry but, as in Alsace, often isn't.Where to buy Chateau de Chamboureau (02 41 77 20 04 by appt) is the place to find gorgeous dry Savennières with wonderful dry but honied Chenin Blanc flavours. Domaine des Aubuisières (02 47 52 67 82 by appt) is a small estate, offering lovely sweet Vouvray, and great value sparkling wine. Charles Joguet (02 47 58 55 53 by appt) is for many critics the king of Chinon. This is certainly a great place to discover the wines of this area.