France

French wine is produced throughout France, in quantities of 50 to 60 million hectoliters 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 regions. French wine traces its history back to the 6th century BC, with many French regions dating their winemaking history to Roman times. The wines produced range from expensive wines sold internationally to modest wines usually seen only in France, such as Margnat wines during the post-war period.

Two concepts central to the best French wines are the notion of terroir, which links the style of wines to the places 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) in 2012. The appellation rules narrowly define which grape varieties and winemaking practices are approved for classification in each of France's hundreds of 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 around the world, as well as winemaking practices and wine styles that have been adopted in other producing countries. Although some producers have benefited in recent years from rising prices and increased demand for some of the prestige wines of Burgundy and Bordeaux, the French wine industry has seen a decline in domestic consumption and, internationally, has had to compete with many new world wines.