French wine exports slip in recession

France exported$11.7 billion worth of wine last year, said Claude de Jouvencel, the head of the French Federation of Wine and Spirits Exporters.

Though the world export market held out surprisingly well and was just under the record-breaking result of about 9.4 billion euros in 2007, de Jouvencel said the outlook for 2009 is murky.

"It will be a difficult year, without a doubt," de Jouvencel told journalists at a news conference.

While exports of Champagne and wines from Burgundy slipped, and exports of table wines and Bordeaux were up — mainly on sales of the critically acclaimed 2005 vintage, which went on sale in early 2008, the group said.