History of French wine of Aquitaine and the future King Henry II of England brought a large portion of southwest France under English rule. When Henry's son John inherited the English crown, he sought to curry favor among the Gascons by bestowing upon them many privileges-the most notable of which was an exemption among Bordeaux merchants from the Grand Coutume export tax. With this exemption and favored treatment in London, Bordeaux wine became the cheapest wine in the London market and gained immense popularity among the English, who call it claret. For over the next 300 years much of Gascony, particular Bordeaux, benefited by
Alsace wine region Alsace wine region The wine region of Alsace produces wines under three different "Appellations d'Origine Contrôlées" (AOCs): Alsace AOC for white, rosé and red wines, Alsace Grand Cru AOC for white wines from certain classified vineyards and Crémant d'Alsace AOC for sparkling wines. This region is the only French wine region allowed to label its wines based on variety (i.e., varietal wines). Unlike most other French wine regions, there is only one AOC for most wines made in the whole of Alsace. In 2006, 78 per cent of the Alsatian vineyards were producing wine under the Alsace AOC appellation. Other