Recent figures have confirmed what has been observed for years, that the number of regular drinkers of wine in France is declining. In 1980 more than half of adults were consuming wine on a near-daily basis. Today that figure has fallen to 17%.
“Wine has gone from being popular to elitist”
In 1965, the amount of wine consumed per head of population was a hearty 160 litres a year. In 2010 that had fallen to merely 57 litres, and will most likely dip to no more than 30 litres in the years ahead.
Changes in French drinking habits are displayed through the attitudes of successive generations. People in their 60s and 70s grew up with wine on the table at every meal. For them, wine remains an essential part of their cultural heritage. Whilst the middle generation - now in their 40s and 50s - see wine as a more occasional indulgence. They like to think they drink less but better. Members of the third generation do not even start taking an interest in wine until their mid-to-late 20s.
What concerns people are the effects of the change on life inside France, on French civilisation. They fear that time-honoured French values - conviviality, tradition and appreciation of the good things in life - are on the way out. Food writer Perico Legasse argues that,
"Wine is an element in the meal. But what has happened is that it's gone from being popular to elitist. It is totally ridiculous. It should be perfectly possible to drink moderately of good quality wine on a daily basis."
Other main factors that have contributed to the decline in the French wine glugging is that fewer people work outdoors, so the fortifying qualities of wine are less in demand. Offices require people to stay awake, so lunchtimes are, by and large, sans wine. As well as the rise of the car, changing demographics, with France's large Muslim minority, and the growing popularity of beers and mixers.
C'est la vie!
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21929287
“Wine has gone from being popular to elitist”
In 1965, the amount of wine consumed per head of population was a hearty 160 litres a year. In 2010 that had fallen to merely 57 litres, and will most likely dip to no more than 30 litres in the years ahead.
Changes in French drinking habits are displayed through the attitudes of successive generations. People in their 60s and 70s grew up with wine on the table at every meal. For them, wine remains an essential part of their cultural heritage. Whilst the middle generation - now in their 40s and 50s - see wine as a more occasional indulgence. They like to think they drink less but better. Members of the third generation do not even start taking an interest in wine until their mid-to-late 20s.
What concerns people are the effects of the change on life inside France, on French civilisation. They fear that time-honoured French values - conviviality, tradition and appreciation of the good things in life - are on the way out. Food writer Perico Legasse argues that,
"Wine is an element in the meal. But what has happened is that it's gone from being popular to elitist. It is totally ridiculous. It should be perfectly possible to drink moderately of good quality wine on a daily basis."
Other main factors that have contributed to the decline in the French wine glugging is that fewer people work outdoors, so the fortifying qualities of wine are less in demand. Offices require people to stay awake, so lunchtimes are, by and large, sans wine. As well as the rise of the car, changing demographics, with France's large Muslim minority, and the growing popularity of beers and mixers.
C'est la vie!
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21929287
