France, the Country of Wine; Trends and Tradition

“France, the Country of Wine” is our fourth book. The book is published in Swedish with the title Vinlandet Frankrike, trend och tradition (*). The full title is “France, the Country of Wine; Trends and Tradition”. It covers everything about France as a wine country, about the French wine regions, wine producers and vineyards. It also covers information about appellations, grape varieties, wine laws and regulations, geography, food, wine history and much more.

Awards and honours:

Best Wine Education Book 2014, in Sweden (Gourmand).
OIV Award for Wine and Territories 2015 (OIV)
Nominated in the category “Best Drinks Education Book” 2015, in the International Gourmand Awards

This book is currently only published in Swedish. Contact us for information about international rights.

For example, it explains the background to France’s position in today global wine market, as well as the latest trends. It is a book that gives ample information to the reader but that also entices and attracts the reader to make new discoveries and new wine adventures. A unique book that should be on every wine lover’s bookshelf.

France, the Country of Wine is first and foremost a book for those who want to know more about France and French wines. It is completely up-to-date with the latest rules and regulations and filled with facts. But above all it is intended to attract and to tempt the reader to discover more of the French wines. It is based on numerous interviews and discussions with winemakers that we have met. It is a colourful and lively description of the French wine regions and of how the French wine growers work.

(*) We welcome inquiries for international publication of the book.

Gourmand Awards Winner

Trend and tradition

Vinlandet Frankrike Omslag - big — Vinlandet Frankrike Omslag

The book describes why France is one of the most exciting wine countries in the world today, a country that is predecessor in many modern international wine trends. It also gives you tips on where to find the most exciting wines of France. But we also describe how all of this is based on hundreds of years of tradition in viticulture and in gastronomy.

France in the world of wine

But the book goes further than that. We also look at France and to position of French wines today on the world market of wine. Today French wines are on the rise, but for many years they have sailed in headwinds, particularly in Sweden (which is the target market for the Swedish edition), where France is only in around 5th position as a wine supplier.

Today competition is fierce from other wine producing countries around the world. We take a closer look at what is the causes for this. Was it the French nuclear tests that put “a nail in the coffin”? No, it turns out that the nuclear tests were not the start of a declining market share for French wines. This and much more is covered by the book.

All French wine regions

Each wine region gets a thorough presentation where we start with the basic facts, like vineyard acreage, grape varieties grown and so on. We then present the different types of wine in each wine region. We also mention some of the regions’ gastronomic specialties. In France, food and wine is always closely connected. No other country puts so much emphasis on the combination of wine and food. Finally, we make a brief analysis, from a strategic and marketing perspective, of each wine region’s strengths and weaknesses.

The most exciting wine country today?

Today many connoisseurs and wine lovers talk about France’s renaissance as a wine country; not least the Swedish wine writers and sommeliers. We have talked with some of the leading personalities in today’s world of wine who give their views on the themes covered in the book.

See the book of the video; a presentation (in Swedish) of the book that will give you an idea of how it looks:

The publisher about the book

This is what the publisher says about the book:

The modern introduction for those who want to know more about French wines and wine regions

As a wine country, France has always had a special place in the wine world. The books written on the subject are innumerable. Therefore, it is both provocative and bold to take on the task of telling the story of the world’s great power of wine, as Britt and Per Karlsson have done, in this new book that takes as its starting point the current situation.

All wine regions are covered as well as their wines. Throughout the text the authors examine how tradition and innovation are combined. How can France maintain its special status in wine? Where is it that the traditional grapes thrive? How does the appellation system work? Why is the cooperative movement so strong? What position does France have today on the world market? These are some examples of the issues and subjects addressed and answered in the book.

Competition in the world is getting tougher due to the many new wine countries that have developed and that produce excellent wines.

But France has been, and is, an inspiration and a benchmark for these countries. And in France the competition from these new wine countries has about brought a re-evaluation of the wine making sector. In the wake of the increasing interest and knowledge of wine the demand for French wines is growing, customers are going back to the roots, to the original. Classic wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone and the Loire are sought out, elegant wines to complement food are highlighted.

“France, the Country of Wine” captures the soul of the French wine world while featuring a variety of facts, all underlined and clarified by a generous and attractive photography.

Britt Karlsson is a journalist, international wine expert / wine taster and writer living and working in France together with the photographer and wine professional Per Karlsson. Together they run BKWine that organises wine courses, wine tours and publishes a wine newsletter in English and in Swedish. Their book “The Creation of a Wine” was named The World’s Best Wine Book for Professionals in 2010 by the Gourmand International Cookbook awards. Their most recent book “Wine and the Environment” (title of the English edition: “Biodynamic, Organic, and Natural Winemaking, Sustainable Viticulture and Viniculture”) received second prize in the same competition a year later in the category Educational Wine Books. Together with Bengt Rydén and Anders Levander they have also published “Languedoc”. All books have also received Swedish book awards.