📍 Lorraine

Lorraine is a small wine area in north-eastern France, on the border with Luxembourg and Germany. There were once far more vineyards here, but their area shrank greatly over time.

Today the main zones are Moselle (named after the Moselle river, which flows on into Germany), Côtes de Toul and Côtes de Meuse. The climate is cool and continental, so wines are light with bright acidity. The rosé Gris de Toul, a very pale wine from Gamay and Pinot Noir, is well known.

Growers plant the local whites Aubin blanc and Aubin vert, as well as Gamay, Pinot Noir and a little Malbec. White, red, rosé and sparkling wines are made.

Lorraine is part of French winemaking and borders Alsace and Champagne. If a label says Moselle without mentioning Germany or Luxembourg, the wine was made in this French area. Lorraine wines are drunk mostly on the spot with local cooking, such as quiche Lorraine, and are seldom found outside the region. The name Lorraine on a label shows that the grapes grew in this very area, which makes it easy to look for similar wines.