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Ah, France. Thousands of years of experience can’t be wrong. And they certainly make for some epic, dramatic, exciting, and downright delicious stories (not to mention bottles—oh, the bottles!). Ma mére is the gold standard, the place where it all truly began (Mesopotamia, shmesopotamia!). The country from which most, if not all, other wine producing nations, for better or worse, find themselves making comparison. After all, France has kindly given us the crown jewels of Bordeaux; Burgundy, and Champagne. And if that weren’t enough (and, boy, wouldn’t it be??!), there’s so much more.

France has given us the delicious Rhone, both north and southerly in charm; it has given us the bountiful Loire, with its beauteous bounty of food-loving Muscadets, Chenins, Chinons, and Sancerres. It has given us the pretty pinks of Provence, the boot-strap bounty of Languedoc. The aromatic whites of Alsace, and the jaunty juice from Jura. France has given us so much venerable vin (not to mention the model of all models on how to classify it and show it at its very best), it boggles the mind and confounds the palate. How could so much stellar liquid sustenance come from one place?

Well, in large part because of its location, which is pretty magical when you think about just Chablis’ perfect chalky, limestone soils, or the heat-holding pudding stones of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The wind-blocking pine forests of Bordeaux, the fossil-laden lands of Sancerre, or the perfect botrytis-loving storm of morning humidity and dry afternoons in Sauternes.

And for all its dusty old-world charm and pomp, France is full of surprises, too. Just when you think you know her so well, she’ll throw you a Minervois that turns your head, or a crémant that makes you cry with joy. Yup, that’s France—it’s charms are endless and thank goodness is bottles are, too.