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Wine making in France

French wine is produced all throughout France, in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France is one of the largest wine producers in the world, along with Italian, Spanish, and American wine producing regions. French wine traces its history to the 6th century BCE, with many of France's regions dating their wine making history to Roman times. The wines produced range from expensive wines sold internationally to modest wines usually only seen within France such as the Margnat wines of the post war period. Two concepts central to the better French wines are the notion of terroir, which links the style of the wines to the locations where the grapes are grown and the wine is made, and the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) system, replaced by the Appellation d'Origine Protégée (AOP) system in 2012. Appellation rules closely define which grape varieties and winemaking practices are approved for classification in each of France's several hundred geographically defined appellations, which can cover regions, villages or vineyards. France is the source of many grape varieties (such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot noir, Sauvignon blanc, Syrah) that are now planted throughout the world, as well as wine making practices and styles of wine that have been adopted in other producing countries. Although some producers have benefited in recent years from rising prices and increased demand for prestige wines from Burgundy and Bordeaux, competition from New World wines has contributed to a decline in the domestic and international consumption of French wine.

French wine originated in the 6th century BCE, with the colonization of Southern Gaul by Greek settlers. Viticulture soon flourished with the founding of the Greek colony of Marseille. Wine has been around for thousands of years in the countries on the Mediterranean but France has made it a part of their civilization and has considered wine making as art for over two thousand years. The Gauls knew how to cultivate the vine and how to prune it. Pruning creates an important distinction in the difference between wild vines and wine producing grapes. Before long, the wines produced in Gaul were popular all around the world. The Roman Empire licensed regions in the south to produce wines. St. Martin of Tours (316–397) spread Christianity and planted vineyards. During the Middle Ages, monks maintained vineyards and, more importantly, conserved wine making knowledge and skills during that often turbulent period. Monasteries had the resources, security and inventiveness to produce a steady supply of wine for Mass and profit. The best vineyards were owned by the monasteries and their wine was considered to be superior. The nobility developed extensive vineyards but the French Revolution led to the confiscation of many vineyards. The advance of the French wine industry stopped abruptly as first Mildew and then Phylloxera spread throughout the country and the rest of Europe, leaving vineyards desolate. Then came an economic downturn in Europe followed by two world wars and the French wine industry was depressed for decades. Competition threatened French brands such as Champagne and Bordeaux. This resulted in the establishment in 1935 of the Appellation d'origine contrôlée to protect French interests. Large investments, the economic revival after World War II and a new generation of Vignerons yielded results in the 1970s and the following decades, creating the modern French wine industry.

The wine classification system of France was revised in 2006, with a new system fully introduced by 2012. The new system consists of three categories rather than four, since there will be no category corresponding to VDQS from 2012. The new categories are:
Vin de France, a table wine category basically replacing Vin de Table, but allowing grape variety and vintage to be indicated on the label. Indication géographique protégée (IGP), an intermediate category basically replacing Vin de Pays. Appellation d'origine protégée (AOP), the highest category basically replacing AOC wines. The largest changes will be in the Vin de France category, and to VDQS wines, which either need to qualify as AOP wines or be downgraded to an IGP category. For the former AOC wines, the move to AOP will only mean minor changes to the terminology of the label, while the actual names of the appellations themselves will remain unchanged. While no new wines have been marketed under the old designations from 2012, bottles already in the distribution chain will not be relabelled.

All common styles of wine – red, rosé, white (dry, semi sweet and sweet), sparkling and fortified – are produced in France. In most of these styles, the French production ranges from cheap and simple versions to some of the world's most famous and expensive examples. An exception is French fortified wines, which tend to be relatively unknown outside France. In many respects, French wines have more of a regional than a national identity, as evidenced by different grape varieties, production methods and different classification systems in the various regions. Quality levels and prices vary enormously, and some wines are made for immediate consumption while other are meant for long time cellaring. If there is one thing that most French wines have in common, it is that most styles have developed as wines meant to accompany food, be it a quick baguette, a simple bistro meal, or a full fledged multi course menu. Since the French tradition is to serve wine with food, wines have seldom been developed or styled as "bar wines" for drinking on their own, or to impress in tastings when young.

Numerous grape varieties are cultivated in France, including both internationally well known and obscure local varieties. In fact, most of the so called "international varieties" are of French origin, or became known and spread because of their cultivation in France. Common grape varieties in France (2007 situation, all varieties over 1 000 ha) Variety Color Area (%) Area (hectares) 1. Merlot red 13.6% 116 715 2. Grenache red 11.3% 97 171 3. Ugni blanc white 9.7% 83 173 4. Syrah red 8.1% 69 891 5. Carignan red 6.9% 59 210 6. Cabernet Sauvignon red 6.7% 57 913 7. Chardonnay white 5.1% 43 887 8. Cabernet Franc red 4.4% 37 508 9. Gamay red 3.7% 31 771 10. Pinot noir red 3.4% 29 576 11. Sauvignon blanc white 3.0% 26 062 12. Cinsaut red 2.6% 22 239 13. Melon de Bourgogne white 1.4% 12 483 14. Sémillon white 1.4% 11 864 15. Pinot Meunier red 1.3% 11 335 16. Chenin blanc white 1.1% 9 756 17. Mourvèdre red 1.1% 9 494 18. Colombard white 0.9% 7 710 19. Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains white 0.9% 7 634 20. Malbec red 0.8% 6 291 21. Alicante Bouschet red 0.7% 5 680 22. Grenache blanc white 0.6% 5 097 23. Viognier white 0.5% 4 111 24. Muscat de Hambourg red 0.4% 3 605 25. Riesling white 0.4% 3 480 26. Vermentino white 0.4% 3 453 27. Aramon red 0.4% 3 304 28. Gewurztraminer pink 0.4% 3 040 29. Tannat red 0.3% 3 001 30. Gros Manseng white 0.3% 2 877 31. Macabeu white 0.3% 2 778 32. Muscat d'Alexandrie white 0.3% 2 679 33. Pinot gris grey 0.3% 2 582 34. Clairette white 0.3% 2 505 35. Caladoc red 0.3% 2 449 36. Grolleau red 0.3% 2 363 37. Auxerrois blanc white 0.3% 2 330 38. Marselan red 0.3% 2 255 39. Mauzac white 0.2% 2 077 40. Aligoté white 0.2% 1 946 41. Folle blanche white 0.2% 1 848 42. Grenache gris grey 0.2% 1 756 43. Chasselas white 0.2% 1 676 44. Nielluccio red 0.2% 1 647 45. Fer red 0.2% 1 634 46. Muscadelle white 0.2% 1 618 47. Terret blanc white 0.2% 1 586 48. Sylvaner white 0.2% 1 447 49. Piquepoul blanc white 0.2% 1 426 50. Villard noir red 0.2% 1 399 51. Marsanne white 0.2% 1 326 52. Négrette red 0.2% 1 319 53. Roussanne white 0.2% 1 307 54. Pinot blanc white 0.2% 1 304 55. Plantet white 0.1% 1 170 56. Jacquère white 0.1% 1 052 All white varieties 30.1% 259 130 All red, pink and grey varieties 69.9% 601 945 Grand total 100.0% 861 075

The concept of Terroir, which refers to the unique combination of natural factors associated with any particular vineyard, is important to French vignerons. In France the concept of terroir manifests itself most extremely in the Burgundy region.

The recognized wine producing areas in France are regulated by the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine – INAO in acronym. Every appellation in France is defined by INAO, in regards to the individual regions particular wine "character". If a wine fails to meet the INAO's strict criteria it is declassified into a lower appellation or even into Vin de Pays or Vin de Table. With the number of appellations in France too numerous to mention here, they are easily defined into one of the main wine producing regions listed below:

Alsace is primarily a white wine region, though some red, rosé, sparkling and sweet wines are also produced. It is situated in eastern France on the river Ill and borders Germany, a country with which it shares many grape varieties as well as a long tradition of varietal labelling. Grapes grown in Alsace include Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot gris, Pinot blanc, Pinot noir, and Muscat

Beaujolais is primarily a red wine region generally made from the Gamay grape. Gamay is characterized by an early ripening and acidic variety. Due to the carbonic maceration that producers use during the wine making process Beaujolais wines are brightly colored with a low level of soft tannin. They usually have an intense fruity flavor of raspberry and cranberry. Apart from Gamay grape some white and sparkling rosé are also produced. Beaujolais region is situated in central East of France following the river Saone below Burgundy and above Lyon. There are 12 appellations in Beaujolais including Beaujolais AOC and Beaujolais Villages AOC and 10 Crus: Brouilly, Regnié, Chiroubles, Cote de Brouilly, Fleurie, Saint Amour, Chénas, Juliénas, Morgon and Moulin a Vent. The Beaujolais region is also notorious for the Beaujolais Nouveau, a popular vin de primeur which is released annually on the third Thursday of November.

Bordeaux is a large region on the Atlantic coast, which has a long history of exporting its wines overseas. This is primarily a red wine region, famous for the wines Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Latour, Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Margaux and Château Haut Brion from the Médoc sub region; Château Cheval Blanc and Château Ausone in Saint Émilion; and Château Pétrus and Château Le Pin in Pomerol. The red wines produced are usually blended, from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and sometimes Cabernet Franc. Bordeaux also makes dry and sweet white wines, including some of the world's most famous sweet wines from the Sauternes appellation, such as Château d'Yquem. The Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 resulted from the Exposition Universelle de Paris, when Emperor Napoleon III requested a classification system for France's best Bordeaux wines that were to be on display for visitors from around the world. Brokers from the wine industry ranked the wines according to a château's reputation and trading price.

Brittany is not an official wine region anymore, but it has a rich history related to grapegrowing and winemaking and has recently been demonstrating a revival of its viticulture. Several small recreational vineyards were established in the last two decades e. g. in Rennes, Quimper, Morlaix, Le Quillo, Cléguérec, Sain Sulliac, Le Folgoët, etc.

Champagne, situated in northeastern France, close to Belgium and Luxembourg, is the coldest of France's major wine regions and home to its major sparkling wine. Champagne wines can be both white and rosé. A small amount of still wine is produced in Champagne using (as AOC Coteaux Champenois) of which some can be red wine.

Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean the wines of which are primarily consumed on the island itself. It has nine AOC regions and an island wide vin de pays designation and is still developing its production methods as well as its regional style.

Île de France is not an official wine region anymore. Yet it has a rich history related to grapegrowing and winemaking and has recently been demonstrating a revival of its viticulture. 5 villages of Ile de France (north east of the Seine et Marne department) are part of the Champagne area and more than 200 small recreational vineyards were established in the last decades covering about 12 hectares altogether.

Jura, a small region in the mountains close to Switzerland where some unique wine styles, notably Vin Jaune and Vin de Paille, are produced. The region covers six appellations and is related to Burgundy through its extensive use of the Burgundian grapes Chardonnay and Pinot noir, though other varieties are used. It also shares cool climate with Burgundy.

Languedoc Roussillon is the largest region in terms of vineyard surface and production, hence the region in which much of France's cheap bulk wines have been produced. So called "wine lake", Languedoc Roussillon is also the home of some innovative producers who combine traditional French wine like blanquette de Limoux, the world's oldest sparkling wine, and international styles while using lessons from the New World. Much Languedoc Roussillon wine is sold as Vin de Pays d'Oc.

Normandy is not an official wine region anymore. Yet it has a rich history related to grapegrowing and winemaking and has recently been demonstrating a revival of its viticulture. Several small recreational vineyards were established in the last two decades and at least one operates on a commercial scale in Grisy near Caen.

Picardy is not an official wine region anymore. Yet it has a rich history related to grapegrowing and winemaking and has recently been demonstrating a revival of its viticulture. 40 villages of Picardy (south of the Aisne department) are now part of the Champagne area and several small recreational vineyards were established in the last two decades e. g. in Coucy le Château, Gerberoy, Gouvieux, Clairoix, etc.

Provence, in the south east and close to the Mediterranean. It is perhaps the warmest wine region of France and produces mainly rosé and red wine. It covers eight major appellations led by the Provence flagship, Bandol. Some Provence wine can be compared with the Southern Rhône wines as they share both grapes and, to some degree, style and climate. Provence also has a classification of its most prestigious estates, much like Bordeaux.

Rhône Valley, primarily a red wine region in south eastern France, along the Rhône River. The styles and varietal composition of northern and southern Rhône differ, but both parts compete with Bordeaux as traditional producers of red wines.

Savoy or Savoie, primarily a white wine region in the Alps close to Switzerland, where many grapes unique to this region are cultivated.

France has traditionally been the largest consumer of its own wines. However, wine consumption has been dropping in France for 40 years. During the decade of the 1990s, per capita consumption dropped by nearly 20 percent. Therefore, French wine producers must rely increasingly on foreign markets. However, consumption has also been dropping in other potential markets such as Italy, Spain and Portugal. The result has been a continuing wine glut, often called the wine lake. This has led to the distillation of wine into industrial alcohol as well as a government program to pay farmers to pull up their grape vines through vine pull schemes. A large part of this glut is caused by the re emergence of Languedoc wine. Immune from these problems has been the market for Champagne as well as the market for the expensive ranked or classified wines. However, these constitute only about five percent of French production. French regulations in 1979 created simple rules for the then new category of Vin de pays. The Languedoc Roussillon region has taken advantage of its ability to market varietal wines.

L'Office national interprofessionnel des vins, abbreviated ONIVINS, is a French association of vintners.