French Wine History

France and wine have been intertwined for thousands of years. Through the good and bad times throughout France’s history, wine has almost always been involved some way or another. And in turn France has had an enormous impact on the world’s wine industry.

France’s wine industry began with the Ancient Greeks. They were the first people to spread the grapevine and begin making wine in France. Later, the Ancient Romans continued the Greek custom of winemaking and went on to spread the vine to even more regions of modern-day France. They also introduced new technologies and techniques to improve both winemaking and grape growing.

The Catholic Church’s Role in French Wine

Once wine was introduced an industry quickly began flourishing. But after the decline of the Romans, it was actually the Catholic Church that became the main group involved in winemaking. The Church needed wine for their services and customs. The Catholic Church dominated the wine industry throughout the Middle Ages, and owned a large portion of France’s vineyards. Many monasteries of different orders were in charge of growing grapes and making wine for both the monastery and the church. The knowledge of winemaking and grape growing were preserved by many monks throughout the Church. These same monks also contributed new techniques, inventions, and ideas to the world of wine, some of which are still in use today.

The majority of the French wine industry was in the hands of the Church for centuries. However, this came to an abrupt end with the rise of the French Revolution. One of the goals of the French Revolution was to limit the massive amount of power and influence the Catholic Church had acquired. This was done in part by taking away many lands the Church owned, including many vineyards. These vineyards were passed out among the general population, ending the Church’s control over France’s wine industry.

France’s Wine Faces Hardships

By the 19th century, grapes were growing in almost every region over France, even Northern France, which today is known for cider production rather than wine. Wine had become a staple in the French diet, and plenty of wine needed to be produced to meet the demands. This continued until France experienced several historical events that would harm both the wine industry and country. The first was the grapevine disease, phylloxera from the United States. This disease nearly wiped out all of France’s vineyards before a feasible solution was found to stop the disease. The second and third were World War 1 and World War 2. Both wars created major hardships for both the French people and their wine.

Despite these major setbacks the French wine industry has remained strong in modern times. France is currently the second largest wine producing country in the world, behind only Italy. They produced a staggering 46.6 million hectolitres of wine in 2020, which accounted for about 18% of the world’s total wine production. Some of the most famous wine regions in the world are located in France, including Burgundy and Bordeaux. Both of which are responsible for producing some of the most expensive bottles of wine in the world.

Below is a timeline of some of the most important moments in France’s wine history. Together they show how France has achieved their successful modern-day wine industry, and how they became one of the world leaders in wine today.

References:

Karlsson, Per and Britt. n.d. “Wine Production in the World in 2020, a Detailed Look.” Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/karlsson/2021/12/30/wine-production-in-the-world-in-2020-a-detailed-look/.

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