Many a French pundit insisted back in 2002 that the American boycott of French wines would not last.
In 2005, the French are clearly admitting that the boycott is still very, very real.
Too bad.
Posted on 01/26/2005 7:45:27 PM PST by quidnunc
Paris – In A gesture likely to bring an apoplectic flush to the face of any dedicated claret drinker, French wine growers have proposed a desperate plan to prop up their slumping industry against New World competition by handing thousands of barrels to industrial distillers.
It is the first time that grand wines protected by the Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) label have been treated in such a way. And as is usually the case with French agriculture, the vignerons are counting on their Government and Brussels to foot much of the bill for mopping up a wine lake of eminently drinkable if unfashionable quality.
The plan to distil more than 266 million bottles of Appellation d’origine contrôlée wine, to become ethanol for vehicles or other products, conjures up the bizarre concept of European drivers filling their tanks with 2004 Bordeaux — and other vintages.
It is a symptom of the plight of growers in Bordeaux, Burgundy and other traditional wine regions as they face their worst crisis since the phylloxera disease killed many of the country’s vines a century ago. The world’s drinkers are turning away from complicated and uneven French AOC wines which bear the names of obscure châteaux in favour of simply and memorably branded tipples from the New World. At the same time the domestic market is shrinking as the French heed medical advice and the threat of the breathalyser and cut down on their consumption.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
People aren't buying their wine like they used to! That has to cut them to the quick.
I'm sure this has nothing to do with the fact that they are no longer our "allies."
Paging Teddy Kennedy, sKerry and RATs to the rescue! UN should order the world to buy Freaking Vines. Winoes of the world unite!
Fill 'er up with Chateu Mouton Rothschild. And check the oil, please.
"French wine growers have proposed a desperate plan to prop up their slumping industry against New World competition"
Too late. Many consumers switched to American wines to protest French hatred for the United States. To their surprise, the new brands were impressive. There's an economic term for it (I forget) but the short version is: you've lost a chunk of your customer base... and they aren't going to come back.
Phruck the Fench.
Many a French pundit insisted back in 2002 that the American boycott of French wines would not last.
In 2005, the French are clearly admitting that the boycott is still very, very real.
Too bad.
As the wine wars heat up, the french hit upon a plan. SURRENDER MILLIONS OF BOTTLES!
LOL... great post! (#4)
It will make good vinegar for those sour pusses.
I love French wine. But I'm not planning to buy any more of it. Let them eat cake.
Gotta love it! We're still drinking Australian Shiraz here...
I would say that one mistake is responsible for more industries going down the tubes than any other.
Hell, if Tubby switched from Scotch to French wine and there would be a shortage within a year!
Good news.
Here on Free Republic, only yesterday, there was a (French)Freeper complaining that the US entered World War II too late - thus allowing Germany to invade them. And they wonder why we have boycotted French products!
Once you're diagnosed with this problem the first piece of advice you are going to get is give up alcohol. That includes French wine.
Best thing the French could do is provide us with very low-alcohol, low-carbohydrate content wines. They'd gain access to a very large, and growing, new market with such products.
I wouldn't market them to folks who are able to consume the regular stuff, but when you are drinking NO WINE AT ALL, an inferior product such as I have described, which also meets health requirements, will taste great!
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