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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.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://faostat3.fao.org/home/index.html )〕 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 new world wines.〔http://www.theguardian.com/guardianweekly/story/0,,1210238,00.html The Guardian: French attempt to arrest drastic fall in wine sales, accessed on 19 July 2014〕 ==History== (詳細は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 surrounding the Mediterranean, but France has made it a part of their civilization and has considered wine-making as an art for over two thousand years. Not only did the Gauls know how to cultivate the wine, they also knew 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 exceptionally famous all around the world.〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=Bonjour La France )〕〔''Medieval France: an encyclopedia'', William Westcott Kibler, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, p.964〕 The Roman Empire licensed regions in the south to produce wines. St. Martin of Tours (316–397) was actively engaged in both spreading Christianity and planting vineyards.〔Patrick, Charles H. ''Alcohol, Culture, and Society''. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press, 1952, pp. 26–27〕 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 motivation to produce a steady supply of wine both for celebrating mass and generating income.〔Babor, Thomas. ''Alcohol: Customs and Rituals''. New York: Chelsea House, 1986, p. 11〕 During this time, the best vineyards were owned by the monasteries and their wine was considered to be superior.〔Patrick, Charles H. ''Alcohol, Culture, and Society''. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press, 1952, p. 27〕 Over time the nobility developed extensive vineyards. However, the French Revolution led to the confiscation of many of the vineyards owned by the Church and others.〔Seward, Desmond. ''Monks and Wine''. London: Mitchell Beazley, Publishers, 1979〕 The advance of the French wine industry stopped abruptly as first Mildew and then Phylloxera spread throughout the country, indeed across all of Europe, leaving vineyards desolate. Then came an economic downturn in Europe followed by two world wars, and the French wine industry didn't fully recover for decades. Meanwhile competition had arrived and threatened the treasured 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 upturn following World War II and a new generation of ''Vignerons'' yielded results in the 1970s and the following decades, creating the modern French wines we know today.〔Dorling Kindersly ''Wines of the World''. Dorling Kindersly, London 2004, p. 49〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「French wine」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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