Posted on 09/16/2006 7:04:30 PM PDT by quantim
It is the ultimate irony. For the wine growers of Bordeaux, already suffering a financial crisis, the season has been too good. Though the quality appears to offer hope of salvation, the quantity of the 2006 vintage is causing problems.
(Excerpt) Read more at observer.guardian.co.uk ...
Additionally, the low end wines have never been much of a market domestically. Their problem is they can't compete with other countries when it comes to quality on the low end price points. Even Australia who is clobbering the French, are also suffering from gluts.
loads up on dirt-cheap, high-quality wine::
I assume MD20, Thunderbird and other moderately priced wines will also go down in price. This will save me bundles of cash.
Well, that does explain why French wine companies are heavily investing in California wineries. And with good reason: California grows more predictably good wines than in France, especially in the Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley, Paso Robles, Solvang and Lodi areas.
Another thing that is scaring a lot of French winemakers is that Gallo is now heavily investing in high-end wine production. Given Gallo's superior economies of scale, they could run rings around most French wineries fairly quickly.
Current Music: "Let's all get drunk tonight" by Afroman
How much money does ADM get from the government?
The legendary French wine producers are also well established in the Chilean wine industry.
Goodness, when I drank, expensive French wine was never a consideration. I preferred the big boxes of the least expensive wine I could get. I went for quantity, not quality. Priorities.
The French are dismayed by everything, including sunrise.
Chile has produced a lot of fine wines in recent years because winemakers have discovered that central to southern Chile are excellent wine-growing regions with conditions like that of Napa and Sonoma Valley in California.
I would drink French wines if their prices were even comparable to what one can buy now.
I do love buying cheap french wine... it is a lot like buying cheap Mexican Carnitas from the taco stand. All the pleasure without the hit to the wallet.
Viva the third world nations.
France has the best cheese AND cider in the universe. The best.
"Monsieur Le President Bush... A Votre Sante!"
Anything the Fwench can do, a non socialist can do better, cheaper and quicker.
The Fwench operate on a combination of the old Roman system of organization and Marx's society.
Rome and Communism both fell under the weight of the combination of their bureaucracy, sense of entitlement and laziness. The same three things seem to collapse the Fwench about every 50 years or so since Napoleon.
Nothing to see here. Move along.
I used to buy a lot of French wine. Never again. When they have wine tasting in a store, I always ask if it is French. Always walk away when they say yes. I have been told that I am not the only one.
Wine is such a terrible waste of good grape juice.
MD20...I think that's what I use on squeaky door hinges!
France is such a waste of prime real-estate.
I got curius and did a search on this topic.
Seems that the shortage crisis was something that was started by CA champagne producers, wasn't it? Very interesting. The market for champagne is fairly limited I'd imagine. Not too smart to drive their consumers to find alternatives. Too many choices at more reasonable prices and they generally taste far better.
Oh well, seems to be a trend in the industry these days.
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