French wine
French wine is produced throughout all of 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. 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 Protected designation of origin system, named Appellation d'origine contrôlée until 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 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 to 40 liters per capita.
History
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 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, destroying vineyards. Then came an economic downturn in Europe, followed by two world wars; 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.
Quality levels and appellation system
In 1935, laws were passed to control the quality of French wine. The Appellation d'origine contrôlée system was established, governed by a powerful oversight board. France has one of the oldest systems for protected designation of origin for wine in the world and strict laws concerning winemaking and production; many European systems are modeled after it. The word "appellation" has been put to use by other countries, sometimes in a much looser meaning. European Union wine laws have been modeled after those of the French.French law divides wine into four categories, two falling under the European Union Table Wine category and two the Quality Wines Produced in Specified Regions designation. The categories and their shares of the total French production for the 2005 vintage, excluding wine destined for Cognac, Armagnac and other brandies, were
Table wine:
- Vin de Table – Carries with it only the producer and the designation that it is from France.
- Vin de Pays – Carries with it a specific region within France, and subject to less restrictive regulations than AOC wines. For instance, it allows producers to distinguish wines that are made using grape varieties or procedures other than those required by the AOC rules, without having to use the simple and commercially non-viable table wine classification. In order to maintain a distinction from Vin de Table, the producers have to submit the wine for analysis and tasting, and the wines have to be made from certain varieties or blends.
- Vin délimité de qualité supérieure – Less strict than AOC, usually used for smaller areas or as a "waiting room" for potential AOCs. This category was abolished at the end of 2011.
- Appellation d'origine contrôlée – Wine from a particular area with many other restrictions, including grape varieties and winemaking methods.
Reforms
The wine classification system of France was revised in 2006, with a new system fully introduced by 2012. The newer system consists of three categories rather than four, with no category corresponding to VDQS. 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, an intermediate category, basically replacing Vin de Pays.
- Appellation d'origine protégée, the highest category, basically replacing AOC wines.
Wine styles, grape varieties and ''terroir''
All common styles of wine – red, rosé, white, 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.
Grape varieties
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. Since French appellation rules generally restrict wines from each region, district or appellation to a small number of allowed grape varieties, there are in principle no varieties that are commonly planted throughout all of France.Most varieties of grape are primarily associated with a certain region, such as Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux and Syrah in Rhône, although there are some varieties that are found in two or more regions, such as Chardonnay in Bourgogne and Champagne, and Sauvignon blanc in Loire and Bordeaux. As an example of the rules, although climatic conditions would appear to be favorable, no Cabernet Sauvignon wines are produced in Rhône, Riesling wines in Loire, or Chardonnay wines in Bordeaux. If such wines were produced, they would have to be declassified to Vin de Pays or French table wines; they would not be allowed to display any appellation name or even region of origin.
Traditionally, many French wines have been blended from several grape varieties. Varietal white wines have been, and are still, more common than varietal red wines.
At the 2007 harvest, the most common grape varieties were the following:
Terroir
The concept of terroir, which refers to the unique combination of natural factors associated with any particular vineyard, is important to French vignerons. It includes such factors as soil, underlying rock, altitude, slope of hill or terrain, orientation toward the sun, and microclimate. Even in the same area, no two vineyards have exactly the same terroir, thus being the base of the Appellation d'origine contrôlée system that has been a model for appellation and wine laws across the globe. In other words: when the same grape variety is planted in different regions, it can produce wines that are significantly different from each other. In France the concept of terroir manifests itself most extremely in the Burgundy region.The amount of influence and the scope that falls under the description of terroir has been a controversial topic in the wine industry.