Among the whole wine world, France is indisputably the headquarters. Most wines on the world market from the the top ones to budget table wines are modeled after French wines.
Every bottles of Chardonnay are modeled after white Burgundy. Every red wines of the world are labeled with the French grape names that they are made of such as: Carbernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah and others. All french grape names!
Since most of the wines of the world are more alike than different from their French models knowing the 9 most used grapes in France will help you to be better prepared to know what you are buying here in the United States or anywhere else for that matter.
The 9 most used grapes in France are Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Gamay and Grenache.
Of course there are other grapes used in France, but these are the most used all through the country or where most wines come from in a particular Region, such as Riesling which is use only in Alsace, but which is responsible for most Alsace wines.
Gamay is the most used grape in Burgundy and make 100% of Beaujolais wine. Sauvignon Blanc is the white grape of Bordeaux wine along with the Loire Valley and Languedoc Roussillon. Syrah is the red grape for all Côte du Rhône wines. Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon are used in different regions of France, some times mixed with other grapes.
French wine is the text book of all wines, and if you want to know more about wine it is inevitable that you try to understand the wine in his country of origin.