The East of France is famous for being the region of Champagne and of Burgundy wines. But this vast group of regions also has food specialties that are internationally known.

There are basically 2 different kinds of Champagne.

- Vintage Champagne: the bottle displays a vintage year on the label. However they are made only on the years when the wine is good enough. They are the best Champagnes, especially Premium vintages (“Tête de Cuvée”) such as the most famous Dom Perignon.
- Non-vintage: they represent more than 80 percent of all Champagne bottles. They are made out of different harvests from different places. They mature in cellars for 2 to 3 years before being sold.

These 2 types of Champagne can be found in 6 different varieties:
“Doux” (sweet) - means that the Champagne contains 4% of sugar and more, “Demi-sec” (fairly sweet) - 2.5 to 5% of sugar, “Sec” (sweet/dry) - 1.75 to 2.5% of sugar , “Extra sec” (medium dry) - 1.5 to 2% of sugar, “Brut” (dry) - 0.5 to 1.5% of sugar (it is the most common variety these days) and “Extra brut” (very dry) - 0 to 0.5% of sugar

The size of the bottle can also vary, the different sizes are called:
A Quarter or "Piccolo" (0.188 liter), a Half (0.375 liter), a Full (0.75 liter), a Magnum (1.5 liter), a Jeroboam (3 liters), A Methuselah (6 liters), a Salmanazar (9 liters), and a Balthazar (12 liters).

Additionally, there are several types of Champagne according to the number and types of grapes that are blended to make the wine, and / or according to the number of vineyards where the grapes are harvested from. Indeed, beside the “regular” Champagne, you will find The “Prestige Cuvée”, the “Blanc de Blancs” ("white of whites"), the “Blanc de Noirs” ("white of blacks") and the “Rosé Champagne”.

To know more about the type of grapes and the classification of Champagne and Burgundy wines, please visit our dedicated page by clicking here.

In Alsace, the smallest region of metropolitan France (but one the most lovely and eclectic with its with green hills and its medieval villages), 90% of the wines are dry and sweet whites. Alsace accounts for about 20% of the total white wine production in France.
Alsace is historically one of the few European regions to label their wines by variety of grapes. Thus, The Riesling, the Gewurztraminer and the Sylvaner for example, are at the same time a wine and a grape variety.

Beside, there are 2 late harvest classifications: Vendange Tardive ("late harvest") and Sélection de Grains Nobles ("selection of noble berries", i.e. grapes affected by noble rot). Late harvest is usually an indication of a sweet dessert wine, such as late harvest Riesling. Late harvest grapes are often more similar to raisins, but have been naturally dehydrated while on the vine.
Both late harvests are intensely rich wines produced from late-picked grapes. They can be dry or sweet and tend to be higher in alcohol, thus low in sugar. Therefore, Riesling VT and Muscat VT tend to be semi-sweet rather than sweet.

Burgundy, and its 2000 year old history of wine production (the Celts were already producing wine there before the Romans conquered the region in 51 BC), is known for its velvety and subtle reds and for its sensual dry whites.

Another feature of Burgundy is its division into small vineyards: 85% of them are smaller than 10 hectares (25 acres). They are regrouped into 5 main sub-regions (located on a 225 miles long stretch): Chablis, Côte d'Or (divided into Côte de Nuits in the north and Côte de Beaune in the south), Côte Chalonnaise, Maconnais and Beaujolais.

The region counts no less than 99 AOCs! Some are among the most popular wines in France like Beaujolais or Chablis.

Burgundy’s wine production is not very high (180 million bottles - 3% of French wine production) compared to Bordeaux’s (800 million bottles) and Languedoc's (2 billion bottles) production.

It is composed of 65% dry white wines and 35% red wines. White wines are made mainly out of Chardonnay grapes (and in lesser proportions Aligoté and Pinot Blanc), and red wines out of Pinot Noir (and, for some wines, Gamay grapes).

The different types of wine in the region are:
- Dry white wines (Chablis AOC, Chassagne Montrachet AOC, Meursault AOC, Pouilly Fuissé AOC)
- Full-body red wines (Pommard AOC, Corton AOC, Romanée-Conti AOC (arguably the most renowned wine in Burgundy))
- Medium-body red wine (Beaune AOC)

Burgundy wines have their own classification. To know more about it, please visit our page Champagne and Burgundy wines.

How to pair wines from Eastern France and food?

- Champagne is usually served alone in a glass called “flute” (This kind of glass prevents the aromas to unfold, and the height of the glass is necessary for the bubbles to rise to the surface and keep a constant temperature), and drank during celebrations. However it is a perfect match with many dishes such as: Oysters, Caviar, Foie gras, Smoked Salmon and Lobster in white sauce, for example.
- White wines from Alsace such as Riesling, Sylvaner and Pinot Blanc go very well with fish, seafood meals, or Flammekueche
- Riesling or Sylvaner can be served with Alsatian Sauerkraut or “Choucroute”
- Pinot Blanc is ideal with onion tart
- Gewurztraminer is great with Foie gras, spiced dishes, strong cheeses like Munster or as a dessert wine.
- Burgundy Reds are ideal with beef, game such as pheasant and boar, roast of pork and delicate cheeses.
- Burgundy Whites are great with snails, shrimps, grilled fish, oysters and goat cheese.

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