French wine is produced throughout France, totaling between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year. France has a long history of winemaking dating back to the 6th century BC. French wines range from expensive, high-end wines sold internationally to more modest wines usually only seen within France. Two important concepts in higher-end French wines are terroir, which links wine style to its location, and the Appellation d'origine contrôlée system which defines approved grape varieties and practices in different appellations. France is also the source of grape varieties and winemaking styles that have spread worldwide.

1. 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.[1] French wine traces its history to the 6th century BC, with many of France's regions
dating their wine-making history to Roman times. The wines produced range from expensive
high-end wines sold internationally to more modest wines usually only seen within France as the
Margnat wines were during the post war period.
Two concepts central to higher end French wines are the notion of "terroir", which links the style
of the wines to the specific locations where the grapes are grown and the wine is made, and the
Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) system. 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 entire regions, individual villages
or even specific vineyards.
France is the source of many grape varieties (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 some of the
prestige wines from Burgundy and Bordeaux, the French wine industry as a whole has been
influenced by a decline in domestic consumption, while internationally, it has had to compete
with the increased success of many
This is a list of cheeses from France. Traditionally, there are from 350 to 450 distinct types of
French cheese grouped into eight categories 'les huit familles de fromage'.[1] There can be many
varieties within each type of cheese, leading some to claim closer to 1,000 different types of
French cheese.[1]
In 1962, French President Charles de Gaulle was famously quoted as saying "Comment voulez-
vous gouverner un pays qui a deux cent quarante-six variétés de fromage?" ("How can you
govern a country which has two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese?")[2]
Under the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union, certain established cheeses,
including many French cheeses, are covered by a protected designation of origin (PDO), and
other, less stringent, designations of geographical origin for traditional specialities, such as the
French appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) system, the Italian denominazione di origine
controllata (DOC) system, and the Spanish Denominación de origen system.
A complete list of agricultural products with an EU Protected Designation of Origin (PDO),
Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), or Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG), listed
alphabetically by nation, is at the Europa Agriculture website.[