It is Bush's fault. When we stopped buying French products due to their stabbing us in the back, the money dried up and they were forced to reduce their whine and cheese industry.
"They were forced to reduce their whine and cheese industry"
Actually, French wine is no longer competitive, either on price, or on quality.
From winemag.com, December 2004:
The last time you pulled the cork on a French wine, did you hear the scream? The French wine industry has been in free fall since the mid-1990s, a fall that accelerated in 2000 with the enormous influx of Australian wines into American wine shops. France—198,000 growers farming 1.6 million acres of vines—went from reigning king to the Avis of the wine world. The only problem is they don’t yet know how to try harder.
What went wrong?
In no particular order: erratic pricing, complacency, a fragmented industry, an inability to think beyond the next harvest, unreliable quality, an emphasis on tradition instead of innovation and a basic unshakeable belief that the producer, not the consumer, is king. With the notable exception of Champagne, wineries across France are closing or being taken over, and négociant firms are merging or liquidating stock. And in many countries of the world, France is losing market share.
Nor is the crisis over. In interviews with winemakers, exporters and brokers throughout France, the general consensus is that while plans are in the works, a resolution—a revolution—is still years away.
“Why does nothing happen? In France you spend your time around tables discussing things, you even get a consensus, and then it all takes time,” said Alain Sichel, president of the Bordeaux négociants association and of négociant Maison Sichel. “Yet everyone realizes fundamental changes need to be made.”