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Alcohol

La politesse: what habits can make you seem rude to French people?

Sometimes it can be all too easy to commit a cultural faux pas without even realising it. We look at some of the most common

'Lacking’ ‘nice’ 'pointless': your view on no-alcohol wine in France

Updated: mixed responses from readers, who believe industry still has a way to go

How do you compare to new regional drinking stats for France?

Four regions are still seeing relatively high levels of binge drinking, new figures show

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‘British drinking habits come as a shock now we live in France’

They drink so much and so fast, says columnist Samantha David after a trip to London

Prosecco gains ground as Champagne sales drop by 20% in France

Shoppers are swerving the more-expensive drink for less-costly alternatives, figures show

Chartreuse: monks’ silence on green French liqueur is marketing gold

The monastery in the French Alps refuses to increase production, pushing prices ever higher

Five things they don’t tell you about getting tipsy in France

Do not be drawn into French drinking songs - being noticeably drunk in public is against the law

How incorrect French customs checks led to €40bn loss for UK

Mafia gangs have managed to dodge billions in excise duty due to allegedly less-than-thorough checks at French customs

Weird French laws that are still technically valid in France

Did you know all these things that you are not supposed to do in France?

Petanque refs threaten to boycott French contest over drunk players

‘The day we have a death in the field because of alcohol, we will say: "Something should have been done",' said one referee

Cross-border shopping: what do people in France head to Italy to buy?

Many people who live in the south drive to Ventimiglia to save money on various items - but things are changing

Addiction experts criticise plans not to raise alcohol tax in France

Increased taxes could have helped pay healthcare costs and even save lives, says President of the French Federation of Addictology

France heatwave: what to (and not to) eat and drink

Keeping hydrated and eating the right foods can help keep you energised for longer and maintain a better internal body temperature

Why alcoholic water drinks loved in the US do not work in France

French people do not go to bars to drink sparkling water said one former stockist in Paris

Where in France do people admit to drinking too much alcohol?

More than a quarter of respondents in two western regions of France say they exceed recommended drinking guidelines

Four boozy French phrases to describe having drunk too much

Getting ‘blind drunk’ is not part of the French culture but here are some colloquial expressions for that rare occasion

People in France are still biggest drinkers of rosé wine in world

Adults in France enjoy the equivalent of 20 bottles per year, a new report finds

Motorists 20 times more likely to be breathalysed in France than in UK

France also has a lower drink-drive limit. Being just over the English limit can result in a €4,500 fine and prison sentence

Why can I no longer find Campari in French supermarkets?

The red spirit is commonly used to make Negronis and Americanos but has been missing from shelves in recent months

Map: our tour of France by local apéritif

Apéritifs actually started out as medical drinks and were popular in the 19th century among soldiers struggling with malaria in Africa

French still love to apero but with no- or low-alcohol wine and beer

French alcohol consumption has more than halved in the past 50 years, prompting a surge in no- or low-alcohol options

Pro-wine President Macron pleases industry but upsets doctors

The ‘two-glasses-a-day’ president has often referred positively to wine’s cultural heritage and significance - a stance which concerns health professionals

French cancer expertise will help Europe’s fight against the disease

However, an inconsistent approach to tobacco and alcohol consumption across Europe threatens to hold up progress

What are alcohol limits for France-UK travel? Per person or per car?

The amount of alcohol which you can bring into the UK depends on its type

Will Brexit mean caps on taking alcohol from France to UK?

The famed ‘booze cruise’ that sees British people load up on cheap alcohol in France will no longer be possible to the same extent

Dry January grows in France but not funded like anti-smoking campaign

The first edition of #LeDefideJanvier was set for state funding but this was retracted allegedly after outcry from the wine sector lobby in 2019

France is country where alcohol is drunk the most often, poll finds

People in France drink alcohol on 132 days of the year, well above the global average of 101, but they are not the heaviest drinkers

Are France-UK duty-free allowances per person if you are in a car?

Since January 1, set limits exist again on amounts of alcohol and tobacco that can be brought from France to the UK (or vice versa) before import taxes apply

Almost quarter of people in France drink more alcohol than recommended

Santé publique France advises that people do not drink more than 10 units of alcohol per week, but found that a significant percentage regularly exceeds that amount

French firm sees ‘wine-in-a-can’ sales boom – but most are for export

The main buyers of canned wine are in the US and Asia. Will the convenient, single-glass option ever take off in France?

French crème de cassis producers stop Chinese firm using Dijon name

The China intellectual property administration agreed that allowing a Chinese wine and spirits company to use the brand ‘Dijon’ would ‘give rise to confusion’

UK-France booze cruises down before Covid travel ban

UK quarantine rules put dampener on hoped-for pre-Brexit rush

French driver found seven times over legal alcohol limit

The 58-year-old man had drunk 12 litres of beer, a bottle of pastis, and a bottle of rosé - and did not have a licence

Wine not? New canned rosé breaks French drinking taboo

Cans of beer are 10 a penny, and you can buy cider and even G&T in ring-pulls, but a wine giant has broken a taboo by selling canned rosé.

New laws and changes in France: July 2020

From litter and drug use fines to the temporary unemployment scheme, here are the new laws and changes to note this month.

Quoi de neuf - French shopping in June 2020

New products, designs and ideas from around France

Still life: On-the-road with a trade of France past

We meet one of a rare, dying breed of travelling distillers – or bouilleur de cru – who are licensed to make moonshine from other people’s garden produce

Cocktail hour, Paris-style

We are in 1920s Paris and the spirit of partying and indulging in cocktails is in full swing, under the influence of American style bars. Author of a new book on the subject, Franck Audoux raises a glass to good times and picks three great tipples from the era to try at home

French food focus: haggis, cheese and rum

A focus on food in France. This month, we meet a haggis producer, and discover Bandon cheese and Guadeloupe rum

Why people booze but don’t binge in France

Wine columnist Jonathan Hesford asks if France’s drinking habits are in good health

Zero alcohol drink-drive level problematic: French MP

MP and doctor was reacting after Minister of Agriculture Didier Guillaume declared himself in favour of dropping the legal drink-drive limit in France

French anti-cancer group condemns super-strong beer

A French anti-cancer campaigner is calling for stricter laws and higher taxes on super-alcoholic beer, to make it less attractive to younger people, and to raise awareness of alcohol’s link to cancer.

Drivers in France no longer need breathalyser kits

Drivers in France will no longer be obliged to carry breathalysers in their vehicles at all times, as the discredited and ignored law that required it has finally been formally scrapped.

French restaurant burglar became too drunk to escape

A man who broke into a restaurant in northern France, and then drank so much of its alcohol that he was left unable to escape, has appeared in court.

You can enjoy French wine without the after-effects...

Non-alcoholic wines are enjoying new popularity as people cut down their alcohol intake.

Have gin delivered to your doorstep

Sponsored content: A special offer from GINSATIONS - The World's First and Only French Gin Subscription Box - as it announces a new concept recently launched in France

Alcohol blamed for 41,000 deaths a year in France

Figure shows fall from previous study, but officials warn that many 55 to 75-year-olds still exceed recommended limits

French food focus - December 2018

A focus on food in France. Includes meeting producers, artisan cheese and a local speciality...

Doctors call for higher alcohol taxes in France

Doctors in France have called on health minister Agnès Buzyn to raise taxes on alcohol and spend the funds on more awareness campaigns against addiction and excess alcohol consumption.

French pastis producers aim to raise spirit popularity

One of the only remaining 100% Marseille manufacturers of the alcoholic spirit pastis is aiming to revive its flagging popularity by exporting most of its production under a “Made in France” banner.

The rise of French craft beers

Every edition we assess an aspect of the French zeitgeist. This month: what’s brewing in France’s beer scene, by Jane Hanks

Minister wants larger ‘no alcohol when pregnant’ logo

Health minister Agnès Buzyn has called for a larger “no alcohol when pregnant” warning logo on alcohol bottles in France, sparking criticism from producers who say it gives a bad impression of their products.

Jail for four-times limit lorry driver in Occitanie

A truck driver in Occitanie has been jailed for 10 months after being caught driving while more than four times over the legal blood alcohol limit, while also talking on his mobile phone.

French support alcohol price rise to boost health

The majority of the French people are in favour of raising the price of alcohol in a bid to improve public health, a new report has found.

Cognac’s growing pains distil into vine war

Sales are booming but success brings a whole raft of new dilemmas, writes Brian McCulloch

Health plan attacked over alcohol

Called the Stratégie nationale de santé, it has four key targets

Raising a glass to the language of intoxication

Language notes on the French art of drinking

Sober and civilised

In reply to your online article about the [alcohol-free] L’Arbre qui marche festival in St.Martin du Bois (49): I live on the road that leads to the festival car park and the numbers of very polite young people who walked past whilst I was in the garden, all with a polite bonjour or bonsoir , was a delight.