With 46,4 million hl of wine produced in 2018 – amounting to the 16,4% of the world production – France is the second worldwide producer, following only Italy.
The average value of the wines produced, however, is very high, and places France in first place in the turnover ranking with a trade value of €9,1 billion (41% of the EU), ahead of Italy (€6 billion) and Spain (€2,9 billion).
All this makes France a market that is difficult to access to foreign exporters, as domestic consumption is mostly directed towards its own varieties and PDOs. Despite this, however, it offers various possibilities to exporters who know how to meet the market demands and particularities.
Among these, just think that consumption is totally driven by red wines (54%), although rosé has spectacularly increased over the years. The 100,2 million cases sold in 2017 makes France the largest consumer of rosé in the world. This is twice the consumption of whites, which constitute about a quarter of total consumption. It is also worth noting the substantial increase in IGP wines, the “bag-in-box” consumption and the constant increase in online sales, for an estimated global turnover of € 500 million in 2019.