Organic Wine On The Rise In France

The French wine industry is steeped in history and tradition, but a growing number of producers are updating to accommodate a growing taste for organic wine.

According to The Local, a new poll indicates that French people are increasingly opting for organic wines, with a third of respondents saying they are already drinking organic wine. In 2012, organic wine sales in France accounted for €413 million, or about $570 million, a 15 percent increase over the previous year. In 2007 organic sales accounted for just €249 million, or $343 million.

While French consumers are demonstrating an increasing taste for organically produced wines, only 8.2 percent of the winemaking land in France is currently used to produce organic wines. That's 3 percent more than was producing organic wines in 2011, but it still comes in second place to Spain, which is the European country with the most land dedicated to producing organic wine. Italy also has land dedicated to the production of organic wine, but not quite as much as either France or Spain. 

About 60 percent of the organic wine made in France is currently consumed in that country, with the remaining 40 percent being sold abroad, primarily in Germany, Japan, and the U.S. The Local's Ben McPartland reports that Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur is the French region "leading the way for organic wine production."