Until 1956, French children attending school were served wine with their lunch.

World History

L est you doubt France's commitment to wine, know this: Until 1956, French schoolchildren were served it during lunch. Even the ban that came into effect that year applied only to enfants under the age of 14, and alcohol wasn't banned from schools entirely until 1981. Photos and videos of the practice can still be found, most of which are remarkable for how casual they are — as though choosing between red and white was as normal for a second grader as deciding between plain and chocolate milk.

That's probably because it was. Wine has been an integral part of French culture for more than 2,000 years, and you don't have to be a sommelier to know that France is widely considered the best wine-producing country in the world. And though consumption has been consistently dropping in the country as younger generations across the globe have opted to drink less than their parents and grandparents, wine is still a staple of daily life.

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By the Numbers

Liters of wine consumed per capita in France in 2024

22.5

Bottles of wine produced by France in 2024

~4.9 billion

Did you know?

The earliest known winery was in Armenia.

Though hardly synonymous with wine in the same way France is, Armenia has been producing it longer than any other country, as far as archaeologists know. The oldest-known winery was discovered in an Armenian cave in 2007, and dates back 6,100 years. A wine press, cups, withered grapes, and vessels used for fermentation and storage were all unearthed at the Areni-1 cave complex, as the site is known, which is also where the oldest known leather shoe was discovered. Today, the country's best-known alcoholic export is brandy, which is produced by distilling wine and has a higher alcohol by volume (ABV) content.