For many of us, France was more than likely the first place we started to really explore wine. It was the benchmark for us and the rest of the world. France taught us to contemplate wine and at the same time showed us the joyful simplicity of wines like Beaujolais that flow easily to lift our spirits and loosen our tongues. The popularity of this wine producing country waxes and wanes with political and economic tides, yet it remains steadfastly loyal to its A.O.C. rules and regulations. Lessons in French wine never have to be re-learned for this reason making our reflections on France timeless and imbedded in our reflections on wine.