The trend is apparently falling as in 2000, 24 percent of those polled declared that they drank wine regularly compared with 51 percent in 1980. This has a major impact on the amount of wine consumed which in the last four decades has gone from 160 litres per person per year to about 67 litres today.
The French wine industry doesn't prosper as it used to as domestic consumption is much lower and because of the competition from wines from Australia, Chile, South Africa and the United States. The situation may seem surprising, especially for foreigners who tend to associate France with wine production and consumption.
