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French Wine Sales Down In United States
Wine Spectator ^ | April 30, 2003 | Dana Nigro

Posted on 05/06/2003 5:21:50 PM PDT by concentric circles

How much have poor Franco-American relations affected sales of French wine in the United States? With some wine drinkers and politicians boycotting Bordeaux and Burgundy ever since France opposed war in Iraq, anecdotal reports from individual retailers, restaurateurs and wine producers indicated that French wines were taking a hit.

Finally, some hard numbers are now available. According to data provided by Information Resources Inc., which tracks retail purchases in the United States, sales of French table wine were indeed off in late February and March. French wine sales have declined over the past year, but the recent drop is more marked, and is far higher than the corresponding dip in sales of U.S. table wine.

For the four weeks ending March 23, 2003, total sales of French table wine in the United States dropped by 17.2 percent in case volume, and 19.4 percent in dollar value, compared to a year earlier. For the 52-week period ending March 23, sales were down 13.9 percent in volume and 13 percent in dollar value. IRI's InfoScan tracking service collects scanner data from multiple retail outlets.

In comparison, sales of U.S. table wine in this country only dropped 1.2 percent by case volume for the same four-week period, and 3.2 percent in dollar value. American wine sales were actually up 3.4 percent in volume and 3.6 percent in dollar value for the 52 weeks ending March 23.

Despite declines in sales in these two categories, overall sales of table wine from around the world were up 1.8 percent in volume during those four weeks and up 5.6 percent in volume for the 52-week period. That means that the percentage increase in sales of imported wines would have even higher if it had not been for the downward pressure on French wines.


TOPICS: Activism/Chapters; Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: boycott; france; iraq; waroniraq
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...total sales of French table wine in the United States dropped by 17.2 percent in case volume, and 19.4 percent in dollar value...

Previous discussion on this subject here.

1 posted on 05/06/2003 5:21:50 PM PDT by concentric circles
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To: concentric circles
Goodie, goodie.Now if the lifers (j*ck*sses) at the State Department would do something more concrete...yeah, right. It might hurt their PR.
2 posted on 05/06/2003 5:33:44 PM PDT by Cathryn Crawford (Self-righteousness is a sin, too.)
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To: concentric circles
*BUMP !*

'I drink no wine before its time' -- The Frog's 'time' is now and that means I will consume not one drop from this day forward and forever. F'daFrogs.

Spanish Wine, Aussie Wine and anyone else's wine is just more fun, too.

3 posted on 05/06/2003 5:34:34 PM PDT by ex-Texan (primates capitulards toujours en quete de fromage!)
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To: concentric circles
And according to French law the first to be laid off will be Americans who work for French wine distributors . . . Good going.
4 posted on 05/06/2003 5:34:53 PM PDT by Burkeman1 (i)
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To: concentric circles
"French table wine?" Like Vino de Tavola? Like low end stuff only? What about the high end stuff?
5 posted on 05/06/2003 5:35:22 PM PDT by sam_paine
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To: concentric circles

See, this is why the Democrats will never be the party of business. Here is a tremendous opportunity for wine growers in the United States, and all the Democrats can think to do is peddle sour grapes.


6 posted on 05/06/2003 5:40:05 PM PDT by Nick Danger (The liberals are slaughtering themselves at the gates of the newsroom)
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To: concentric circles
Bite me France...
7 posted on 05/06/2003 5:42:17 PM PDT by Drango (There are 10 kinds of people in this world. Those that understand binaries, and those that don't.)
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To: Burkeman1
A small price to pay. Plus, maybe they can go work for some other wine producer. Sounds like other countries' aren't having such a bad time.
8 posted on 05/06/2003 5:43:27 PM PDT by ItisaReligionofPeace ((the original))
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To: concentric circles
French wines aren't the only decent wines out there. Californian and Australina wines are very good, and recently, I bought a good bottle of Israeli wine.
9 posted on 05/06/2003 5:45:02 PM PDT by Bella_Bru (For all your tagline needs. Don't delay! Orders shipped overnight.)
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To: ItisaReligionofPeace
A small price to pay for what?
10 posted on 05/06/2003 5:46:50 PM PDT by Burkeman1 (i)
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To: Drango
France is biting America and so are other European nations. Pratt and Whitney submitted the lowest bid for Airbus transport engines by 20% and Chirac will make sure they do not get it. It is a two way street guys.
11 posted on 05/06/2003 5:51:00 PM PDT by oldironsides
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To: concentric circles
Look out French Fries, your next.
12 posted on 05/06/2003 5:52:28 PM PDT by VRWC_minion (Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and most are right)
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To: concentric circles
I still am reluctant to buy toshiba products because of what the Japanese did to the navy. It will be a long time before I buy anything French. I think because of the way they treated us and to put a face on it Colin Powell. I don't believe he deserves the hate he gets on here. He'll always have my support even if I disagree with what is going on at the time.
13 posted on 05/06/2003 6:03:05 PM PDT by grapeape (Hope is not a method. - Gen. Hugh Shelton)
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To: concentric circles
"That means that the percentage increase in sales of imported wines would have even higher if it had not been for the downward pressure on French wines."
Huh?
I would bet based on the fact that overall, wine sales were down, that people who wanted to make a statement chose to buy imported Anything-but-French wine. Which means that imported (ABF) wines would have been flat or would have fallen.
14 posted on 05/06/2003 6:08:04 PM PDT by ODDITHER
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To: Bella_Bru
"I bought a good bottle of Israeli wine"

Better watch that stuff! I rarely ever drink alcohol, but I had some Israeli wine once that was supposedly made from grape leaves - it about knocked my socks off. I ended up being treated in a hospital in Jericho the next day for dehydration and the worst hangover ever.
15 posted on 05/06/2003 6:09:59 PM PDT by RepublicanHippy
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To: ex-Texan
Argentina has good vintage for Merlot and Malbec for 2003, if you like red and fruity in your wine but not your politics...
16 posted on 05/06/2003 6:15:16 PM PDT by Dutchgirl
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To: concentric circles
How much have poor Franco-American relations affected sales of French wine in the United States?

My opinion would be for France to change its corporate name to "Franco-Arabia" to strengthen its hold on the Iraqi wine market. Maybe no one will be beheaded now.

17 posted on 05/06/2003 6:17:44 PM PDT by johniegrad
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To: concentric circles
My wife and I went to a fancy restaurant to celebrate our anniversary this past weekend. The wine list offered various French wines at prices comparable to their non-French alternatives. That tells you something right there. Usually the French wines are considerably more expensive than most other wines. The waiter also "suggested" wines and all of them were French. Obviously they are eager to move some of that inventory. I ordered a California red (J. Lohr "Seven Oaks" cabernet) and the waiter practically sniffed as he took the order.
18 posted on 05/06/2003 6:18:10 PM PDT by SamAdams76 (California wine beats French wine in blind taste tests. Boycott French wine.)
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To: RepublicanHippy
" I rarely ever drink alcohol" That's your first problem. Wine of any kind will make you very hungover, and it takes less of if than other drinks, IMHE (experience)
19 posted on 05/06/2003 6:22:10 PM PDT by Hillary's Folly
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To: concentric circles
Works for me. The US and Aussie wines are just as good and in some cases better. Especially since they have a "capitalist" flavor instead of a commie backstabbing one.
20 posted on 05/06/2003 6:33:23 PM PDT by Beck_isright (If a Frenchman and a German farted in the Ardennes, would Belgium surrender?)
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