| Even though French wine has been produced in more | | | | cooking. There are different styles of French cooking |
| than a few regions throughout France, the quantity and | | | | that include the use of wine as a vital ingredient. It is |
| quality produced vary largely. There are districts that | | | | said that the richness of the wine adds to the flavor |
| produce at least 50 to 60 million hectoliters of wine | | | | and taste of the food. |
| each year. These are the areas that have at least 7-8 | | | | The use of dry wine has been fairly common in |
| billion bottles of wine. Today, France is only the world's | | | | French cooking. There are various kinds of white |
| second-largest vineyard area. The leader in vineyards | | | | wines available but most of the times dry white wines |
| is Italy. France competes with Spain for the position of | | | | are used extensively used for cooking. The idea of |
| being the world's largest wine producer. The French | | | | using dry white wine in cooking helps to preserve the |
| wines had exports of 17.6% in 2005. The history of | | | | sweetness and flavor of a dish. As compared to the |
| wines goes back to the 6th century BC. | | | | red wine the food cooked in white wine retains its |
| There are only a few countries that correctly use wine | | | | authentic taste. The wine associated with a particular |
| in French cooking. These are the ones that have | | | | food is also used as a drink along with the meal. There |
| altered wine-making standards the way France has. | | | | are various means of using wine in French cooking. |
| Today the art of winemaking in France is regarded to | | | | For instance, you can marinate a particular fish or |
| be as old as the country itself. But over the decades | | | | meat in the wine for added flavor. One can try the |
| many segments of society have emerged as | | | | option of marinating with meat, cheese and even |
| cultivators of good quality French wine. These include | | | | vegetables. The items which are marinated in wine |
| the peasants who made the wine and drank from | | | | tend to have a delicate flavor. It is seen that the |
| vineyards and also the rich who have appreciated the | | | | alcohol content present in wine evaporates. This |
| most expensive of wines. | | | | leaves behind a flavor that really adds to the taste of |
| The process of making wine in France was not | | | | the dish. However, you should be careful about the |
| always smooth. It is said that during the Roman era the | | | | quantity of wine used in cooking. Adding too much |
| emperor issued a decree to shut down all vineyards | | | | wine can cause an unsavory flavor, which will in turn |
| outside Italy. But as time passed France emerged in | | | | spoil the entire taste of the dish rather than making it a |
| winemaking but this wine was not made for drinking | | | | culinary delight. |
| alone, it had been used for different kinds of French | | | | |