France

  France has the world’s second-largest total vineyard area. The wines produced today range from expensive high-end wines sold internationally such from Burgundy and Bordeaux, to more modest wines usually only seen within France. France is the source of many grape varieties (such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah ) that are now planted throughout the world, as well as several wine-making practices and styles of wine that are copied and imitated in other producing countries. French wine industry as a whole has been influenced by a decline in domestic consumption as well as growing competition from both the New World and other European countries.