France
French wines are produced in several regions throughout France, on over 800,000 hectares (over 2 million acres) of vineyards, and in a typical year between 50 and 60 million hectoliters of wine are produced, or some 7 to 8 billion bottles. France thus has the world's second-largest total vineyard surface (behind Spain) and competes with Italy for the position of having the world's largest wine production.
Over the last several hundred years, France has been the most influential country in the wine world: France is the source of more well-known grape varieties (such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah) and winemaking practices than any other country, the names of many French wine regions such as Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne are well-known throughout the world, and the style of top French wines have long been the benchmark for winemaking in most wine-producing countries of the world
French law divides wine into four categories, two falling under the European Union's Table Wine category and two falling under the EU's Quality Wine Produced in a Specific Region (QWPSR) designation. The categories are:
Table wine:
Vin de Table - Carries with it only the producer and the designation that it is from France
Vin de Pays - Carries with it a specific region within France (for example Vin de Pays d'Oc from Languedoc-Roussillon or Vin de Pays de Côtes de Gascogne from Gascony.)
QWPSR:
Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS) - Less strict than AOC, not often used
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) - Wine from a particular area with many other restrictions, including grape varieties and winemaking methods.
Today there are about 450 different wine appellations in France, yet only 15% of all French wines enjoy the marketing benefits of AOC designations