Best French wine regions to visit and how to save on your purchases with tax-free shopping

France is known for its large selection of wines and Champagne, so enjoying some Champagne and wines is one of the great pleasures of travelling in France, especially for a wine enthusiast. With many region-specific appellations and grape varieties, the task of wines and Champagne shopping can seem daunting. However, with a little knowledge and guidance, you can make the experience a satisfying one.

In this blog, we will explore the key regions for tasting Champagne and wines, and if you would love to buy some to take home to enjoy, we can help you to save on your purchases by shopping tax-free wines and Champagne. Read below to learn more!

Famous French wine regions you should visit

Home to some of the world’s most renowned wineries, France boasts a rich history rooted in viticulture. From stunning vineyards to centuries-old caves, here are five of the most famous French wine regions you should visit.

Bordeaux

Located near the Atlantic Ocean and the Garonne River, Bordeaux is home to some of the most popular estates which produce some of the finest and most sought-after wines in the world, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc. The area boasts a great number of wineries that specialise in creating unique, high-quality wines. From full-bodied reds to crisp whites, you can explore all sorts of flavors and styles here.

Burgundy

Burgundy is home to some of the finest and most elegant Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the world. The region has a long history of winemaking and is particularly well-known for its white wines. The climate here offers perfect conditions for growing grapes, meaning the wines produced here are full of flavour and complexity. The soil here is also very unique and is able to bring out unique characteristics in each of the wines. Burgundy is a great place to enjoy a glass of wine in a relaxed atmosphere while learning more about the region's viticulture.

Rhône Valley

Located in the south of France, the Rhone Valley is renowned for its world-renowned red wines such as Syrah and Grenache, and its centuries-old winemaking tradition. It is home to some of the most prestigious vineyards in the world, producing some of the best examples of French wines. This region has long been known for its complex and varied terroir, with a variety of climates, soil types, and unique grape varieties. Whether you're looking to purchase a bottle or just curious about the area, it is worth a visit.

Loire Valley

Located in the east and center of France, the Loire Valley encompasses several appellations, such as Touraine, Anjou-Saumur, Sauvignon Blanc, and Cabernet Franc. In terms of the smell, Muscadets are amazing. The Loire Valley is renowned for its crisp whites and light-bodied reds, however, the region also produces sparkling and dessert wines. At Loire Valley, you can expect to buy high-quality wines at a cheap price.

Champagne

Not every sparkling wine can be called Champagne! This French wine region is known as the birthplace of sparkling wines and has been making them for centuries. It is located in the northeast of France and encompasses over 300,000 acres of vineyards. Here, winemakers use three varieties of grapes - Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier - to craft their distinctive bottles of sparkling wine.

Tips for shopping for wines and Champagne in France

Look for labels that list the grape variety, vintage, and producer on the back of the bottle, as these will provide you with more detailed information about what you're buying.
In France, winemakers sell wines directly to stores and restaurants in France, while in the UK and non-major wine production countries, the selling process is more complicated where foreign wine is bought by importers, then distributed, and sold for retail. Therefore, wine in France is much cheaper than in the UK. However, when taking wines and Champagnes from France to the UK, please be careful about the amount you can bring, since new restrictions were brought in on quantities permitted due to Brexit. Check the allowances from our blog.
On top of the lower prices, you can also make use of getting a tax refund on your wine shopping to save more money. Non-EU residents (including British travellers as a result of Brexit) can reclaim the VAT on purchases made at most retailers in France including vineyards, chain wine stores such as Nicholas, and grocery stores where you can buy wines including Monoprix and Carrefour, and save up to 13% from the shopping with the Wevat tax refund app. Check below to learn more.

How to get a tax refund on your shopping for wines and Champagne

There are two main ways you can get a tax refund on shopping in France – using a traditional in-store paper method, or a mobile tax refund app like Wevat. The main perk of using a digital method like Wevat is the higher refund rates you can enjoy compared with the traditional in-store method, not to mention the convenience of not having to deal with paper forms ever again.

In the past, you’d have to bring your passport around with you when shopping and show it to the store every time you buy something to get a tax refund form. With Wevat, all you need to do is to ask for a purchase invoice addressed to Wevat at the till – no more hassle and waiting around at the checkout.

Another benefit of shopping with Wevat is that there are no partner store restrictions. When shopping at vineyards that are more popular among locals than tourists, you might find they are not partnered with traditional tax refund companies to offer a VAT refund to tourists. However, by using Wevat, you can still take advantage of the VAT savings by asking for a ‘facture’ (’Invoice’ in French) when shopping for purchases made at stores not set up to issue a refund form. It couldn’t be better to shop for wines and Champagne and save some money by getting tax refunds with Wevat!

And there’s no minimum spending required in a single store with Wevat, as long as you spend a total of over €100 across all your purchases during your trip in France, you can claim your tax back!

When departing, traditional methods require you to undergo complicated airport procedures with customs, and you’ll have to wait up to 8 weeks to get your money back. Wevat’s scan-and-go system makes it much faster and easier, and you can track the refund progress from the in-app refund tracker or check with the friendly customer support team from the app. (See these articles to learn more about what you need to do at the airport, train station and ferry port you’re leaving from).

Recap of how to use Wevat

Follow these five steps to get your VAT back in a simple way with Wevat.

Download the app – make sure you have signed up and have onboarded before visiting the store
Request a ‘facture’ (invoice) - show the ”request an invoice” screen in the app to get a business invoice with Wevat name and address. Make sure the invoice is not addressed to yourself!
Snap your invoice – upload it straight to the app, ideally immediately before you’ve left the store
Generate refund barcode – follow the prompts on the screen to get your digital refund form
Scan and go – visit the tax refund kiosk at your departure point, scan your refund barcode on the Wevat app, and off you go! Make sure to keep your goods on hand in case customs inspects the goods (in unused and original packaging).

Examples of a valid invoice and Wevat address can be found in the app. We also have helpful step-by-step videos on our YouTube channel.

Tips for getting an invoice:

Ask for a “facture” (Invoice in French) with Wevat name and address (Click our mascot on the app homepage to find the “request an invoice” screen. Simply show the screen containing Wevat’s address details to the store staff to get the right purchase invoice
Do not mention tax refund in the store, otherwise the sales assistant will issue you a paper tax refund form from a traditional tax refund company and you will not be able to use Wevat

So, following this guide, you can go into your French wine shopping experience with knowledge and confidence when travelling to France. Whether you're looking for a full-bodied red, or a crisp white, or purchasing a large quantity for hosting big parties, you'll be able to find the perfect wine for you in France and take advantage of tax-free shopping with Wevat to save some money. Bon appétit!

About Wevat

Wevat is a digital tax refund app that makes it easy for travellers to save money on their shopping in France! We are a community of people who love traveling, shopping, and saving money. Since our launch in 2019, we've helped refund travellers from 88 countries more than €18 million on their shopping.

Compared with in-store VAT refund providers, Wevat gives you up to 23% more VAT back with no minimum spending requirements on each purchase. With Wevat, you can simply snap a picture of your purchase invoices and then generate and scan your barcode when you leave France. There are no paper forms, repeated scanning, or dropping off forms required with us. Our super-friendly, multilingual customer support team will be always on hand to support you throughout your trip via our app.

We are fully regulated by both French and UK customs and tax authorities.

Download our app now to start saving money on your shopping in France!

Download Wevat