With an annual production of seven to eight billion bottles per year, its no wonder France is the most famous and highest wine producing country in the world. There are a number of wine making regions dotted around France with some areas being dated as far back as 600 BC.
The wines produced today vary across the gambit of the pricing structure with both expensive and lower priced wines available worldwide. To keep its reputation as the top winemaking country, France has had to adapt and incorporate new manufacturing and transportation technology in its production process.
The French have been very protective of their origins in recent years, and rightly so, with the use of specific terms such as Bordeaux, Champagne and Burgundy now only apply to wines from those particular areas in France.
This is all governed under the Appellation d’Origine Controlee (AOC) system, which was established to preserve the naming rights for the produce from these regions. The AOE system is enforced by a governing body, which determines the winemaking practices and grape varieties used in each region.
Another term that is very French is "terrior", which indicates a number of growing factors that can vary from vineyard to vineyard, taking into account factors like, soil condition, orientation toward the sun and slope of the land.
A good portion of the most popular gape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah all originally hail from the vineyards of France. The last few hundred years of exploration and colonization has seen the spread on both number and popularity of these grape varieties across the globe.
However, not only the grape varieties were brought over and with them came people with the knowledge of French winemaking techniques.
The rich history embedded in the French winemaking conjures up dreamy images of the roving vinewyards of France. It has remained a leader in grape varieties, wine sales and production for hundreds of years. On top of all of this, it has managed to retain the pole position while still adhering to its age old winemaking traditions.
As a result French wine and particular houses remain in high demand around the world.
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