France is going through a difficult patch at present with sales of wine slumping both domestically and on the international front.. At home, consumption has been falling for a few years as the younger generation are simply not drinking as much as their parents and grandparents. Drink-driving laws that were fairly lax are now draconian and the ban on the advertising of alcohol has had sharp consequences. There has been an evident upgrade of the quality of wine being drunk as well with people drinking less but better.

Internationally sales of French wine have been hit by the huge increase of choice from around the world and it is no longer an option for the French winemaker to stand on his laurels.

Having said that, France can still be relied upon to produce some of the best wine available, more sublte than their new world counterparts, often more elegant and much more refined.