Geographical Locations

Question 1

At what altitudes are the vineyards of Bordeaux found?

Answer 1

The vineyards are flat and rarely at altitudes of over a few metres above sea level.

Question 2

What three bodies of water are the most geographically important to Bordeaux?

Answer 2

The Gironde Estuary and the rivers Dordogne and Garonne.

Question 3

Describe the geographical placement of Bordeaux.

Answer 3

Surrounding the port town of the same name, Bordeaux lies 245km to the north west of Toulouse and 120km to the south of the town of Cognac. The Armagnac region lies to the south.

Question 4

In what department to the vineyards of Bordeaux lie?

Answer 4

Gironde Department.

Question 5

Describe the geographical placement of Burgundy.

Answer 5

Burgundy lies in the central east of France. It stretches from Dijon at the northern most end of the Cotes de Nuits, to Lyon at the southern end of Beaujolais.

Dijon is 315km to the south east of Paris. Lyon is 465km from Paris and 195km south of Dijon.

Question 6

The subregion of Chablis is a little removed from the rest of the region, explain its geographical placement.

Answer 6

Chablis lies separated 150km to the north west of the Cote d’Or. It lies to the west of the town of Auxerre which itself is 160km to the south west of Paris.

Question 7

Name the principal towns of the Cote Chalonnaise and the Macon.

Answer 7

Chalonnaise - Chalon-Sur-Saone

Maçonnais - Tournas and Macon.

Question 8

Besides Lyon name the other principal town of Beaujolais and in what subregion it lies.

Answer 8

Villefranch-Sur-Saone, it lies in the greater ‘Beaujolais AOP’ to the south.

Question 9

Burgundy’s regions are spread over 4 Departments, name them.

Answer 9

Cote de Beaune and Cote de Nuits - Cote d’Or Department.

Cote Chalonnaise and Maçonnais - Saone-et-Loire Department.

Chablis - Yonne Department.

Beaujolais - Rhone Department.

Question 10

Name the principle towns of Alsace and the Departments they lay in.

Answer 10

Strasbourg - Bas-Rhin (North).

Colmar and Mulhouse - Haut-Rhin (South).

Question 11

What important geographical feature separates Alsace from the rest of France?

Answer 11

The Vosges Mountains which run from North to South along the region’s western edge.

Question 12

Alsace border which German regions and how are they separated?

Answer 12

Pfalz to the north, separated by the border.

Baden to the east, separated by the Rhine and the border.

Question 13

Where is Alsace?

Answer 13

In the east of France at 47.5-49 degrees north of the equator, with Germany to its east and Switzerland to its south.

Question 14

In what departments do the subregions of the Loire Vally lie?

Answer 14

Nantais - Loire-Atlantique Department

Anjou-Saumur - Main-et-Loire Department

Touraine - Indre-et-Loire Department (Cheverny however lies in he Loire-et-Cher Department).

Central Vineyards - Cher Department.

Question 15

Explain the placement of the Nantais.

Answer 15

The westerly most subregion straddling the River Loire close to the Atlantic coast. its principle city is Nantes which lies 344km of Paris. The Rivers Sevre and Maine flow into the Loire from the regions south east.

Question 16

Explain the placement of Anjou-Saumur.

Answer 16

To the east of the Nantais. Principal cities are Angers in the north, 80km from Nantes and Saumur to the east, 110km from Nantes. The River Layon flows in from the regions southeast.

Question 17

Explain the placement of Touraine.

Answer 17

To the east of Anjou-Saumur, situated on both sides of the Loire River situated around the town of Tours, 200km to the southwest of Paris. The tributaries Cher, Indre and Vienne all flow into the Loire from the regions east, southeast and south respectively.

Question 18

Explain the placement of the Central Vineyards.

Answer 18

In the regions extreme east, 485km from the Atlantic coast. The major AC’s are found either side of the Loire with the lesser regions to the west. The vineyards do not surround any major cities but but the region does have Nevers to its south and Orleans to its north.

Question 19

Explain the placement of the major towns of the Rhone.

Answer 19

Vienne - in the far north, the start of the Rhone region.
Valence - the southern end of the Northern Rhone.
Die - on the river Drome, in the Northern Rhone’s east.
Montliemar - Occupying the 50km between the end of the north and the start of the south.
Orange - central south.
Avignon - far south.

Question 20

Most vineyards of the Northern Rhone are planted on the western bank of the River Rhone, what are the notable exceptions?

Answer 20

Crozes-Hermitage and Hermitage.

Question 21

What are the four departments of the Languedoc?

Answer 21

Pyrenees Orientales in the southwest, then moving east, Aude, then Herault and finally Gard.

Question 22

Where are the vineyards of the Languedoc planted?

Answer 22

On the flat alluvial plane between between the Massif Central and the Mediterranean.

Question 23

Where in Languedoc is the city of Montpellier situated?

Answer 23

Near the coast in the department of Herault.

Question 24

Where does the the River Aude in Languedoc flow to and from?

Answer 24

From the Aude department through to the Languedocs most inland and elevated appellation Limoux.

Question 25

Describe the placement of Roussillon.

Answer 25

Located to the southwest, of the Languedoc, in the foothills of the Pyrenees.

Question 26

Roussillon lies in one department only, what is it?

Answer 26

Pyrenees Orientales.

Question 27

The vineyards of Roussillon lie in which three river valleys from north to south?

Answer 27

River Agly, River Tet, River Tech.

Question 28

Which two departments does Provence cover?

Answer 28

Buches-du-Rhone in the west and Var in the east.

Question 29

What are the principle towns of Provence and where are they?

Answer 29

Marseille on the coast in the Buches-du-Rhone department and Toulon, again on the coast but in Var.

Question 30

What department does Cahors lie in?

Answer 30

The Lot department.

Question 31

Describe the placement of Cahors.

Answer 31

Directly to the west, 166km from Bordeaux, in the upper valley of the River Lot. 210km from both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.

Question 32

Where is Bergerac?

Answer 32

East of the Entre-Deux-Mares, around the town of Bergerac 80km to the east of Bordeaux. It is bisected by the River Dordogne and lies in the Dordogne department.

Question 33

Describe the placement of Monbazillac.

Answer 33

Surrounded by Bergerac, vineyards lie on the southern bank of the Dordogne, south of the town of Bergerac.

Question 34

Where is Buzet?

Answer 34

Southeast of Bordeaux, high in the Garonne valley along the left bank of the Garonne river.

Question 35

Describe where Gallic is.

Answer 35

50km to the northeast of Toulouse, in the east of southwest France on the River Tarn. The town of the same name is in the centre of the production zone, but the most important town is Albi in the regions east.

Question 36

Where is Madiran? What three departments does it cover?

Answer 36

Southwest of Armagnac, 150km south of Bordeaux.

Departments of Gers, Haut-Pyrenees and Pyrenees-Atlantiques.

Question 37

Jurancon is where?

Answer 37

165km south of Bordeaux, vineyards at 300m around the town of Pau.

Question 38

Describe the location of Fronton.

Answer 38

North of Toulouse, between and on opposite banks of the Garonne in the west and the Tarn in the east. Situated in the Haut-Garonne department.