How about these?
Posted on 11/27/2006 11:34:11 PM PST by MadIvan
MORE than eight million litres of this season's production of Beaujolais wine is being turned into near-pure alcohol for use in disinfectants, cleaning products or fuel additives, as French vineyards face up to a massive overproduction crisis.
A chronic wine glut, falling domestic consumption and fierce overseas competition have converged to create a wine crisis on an unprecedented scale. With "lakes" of unsold wine threatening to undermine prices, the European Union has resorted to paying vintners to destroy some of their stock each year, distilling billions of bottles of perfectly drinkable wine into pure alcohol.
Sceptics say the measure, which cost EU taxpayers 150 million (£100 million) last year alone, is merely a quick fix that does not get to the root of the problem - which is that Europe simply produces too much wine for too few consumers.
A new plan aims to fix at least the production side by downsizing Europe's wine industry by ripping out huge swaths of vineyards. Some 100,000 acres of vines, more than 10 per cent of Europe's total, could be lost over the next five years across Spain, France and Italy.
But as more wine is distilled each year - reaching 2.8 billion litres in 2005 - even the most virulent opponents of the EU plan acknowledge that something has got to give. "For years, we shrugged the crisis off as a temporary downturn," said Gilles de Longevialle, who heads a group representing the vintners of Beaujolais. "But we're beginning to see it's here to stay."
Until last year, so-called "crisis distillations" were considered only for the cheapest table wines. Now, quality wines are also boiled away in large quantities.
So for the second autumn in a row, Philippe Terrollion, director of the Beaujolais Distillery in central-eastern France, sent out a fleet of lorries to pick up an expected 8.5 million litres of unbottled, unsold Beaujolais. That's enough to fill about 125 swimming pools.
"For vintners, the decision to distil is a hard one," Mr Terrollion said. "But in the end, they have to do it to get rid of the old stuff to make room for the new."
With funds from the EU and local authorities, Mr Terrollion paid vintners the EU-fixed price of about 35 cents (24p) per litre - about one-fifth of the average price paid by wholesalers for bottled wine sold for consumption.
The problem is, the wine just doesn't sell. European vintages are languishing on the shelf as consumers around the globe reach for bottles from New World producers in the likes of Chile, Australia and South Africa. Louis-Fabrice Latour, who heads the Louis Latour label in Burgundy, admitted a feeling of superiority had made them slow to react. "In France, we used to think we were the biggest and best and no-one could touch us," he said.
The wine-makers warn against tearing out vineyards, saying that would effectively tie their hands and prevent them from adapting to a changing world market. They point to India and China - where an emerging middle-class is beginning to acquire taste for wine. "When the Chinese really get into wine, demand for our product is going to explode to the point where if we cut back today, we might not be able to fill it," Mr de Longevialle said.
But with distilleries working overtime, nearly everyone admits the status quo is not viable. "It's clear we can't go on like this," Mr Terrollion said. "But we can't just snuff out wine-making, especially in a region like ours. Wine runs in our veins."
• WINE consumption is down across Europe, with Italy and France leading the decline.
In 1980, the French and the Italians each consumed about 5 billion litres of wine a year, according to the European Commission. By 2005, yearly consumption in both countries had dipped to roughly 3 billion litres.
Many French vintners blame tougher laws aimed at curbing drinking and driving for the country's precipitous decline in wine consumption. In 1960, the average Frenchman drank 3.1 bottles of wine per week. Today, the average intake is 1.4 bottles per week and falling, according to Michel Baldassini, who heads the main Burgundy wine growers' association.
Once a French dietary staple as fundamental as bread or cheese, wine is increasingly regarded, and treated, as a luxury product, Mr Baldassini said.
The change is hurting middle market regions like Beaujolais while favouring the vineyards of Champagne, Bordeaux and Burgundy - the prestigious regions on which Europe is betting its winemaking future.
Yikes! Block that metaphor!
Wouldn't that be loverly!!!!!!
And perhaps their muslims are contributing to the devestation of their wine sales.
I am very into the Breede Valley, South African wines right now....verrrrry nice!
How about these?
Regards, Ivan
Perhaps they'll be drinking Miller Lite soon. :)
Regards, Ivan
I have always preferred California wines, but have recently been trying Australian wines. Very good indeed.
Silly wrote: "What not just sell it cheap? Give the world a chance to see if French wine is any good."
Silly person, the French have long given up the concept of a free market economy. If I read the article correctly, they would rather have the government pay them to destroy the wine. The problem would be quickly solved by the free market. No demand for wine? Go out of business or figure out a more efficient way of a making and/or marketing it. The French foolishly use the government to protect them from the very market forces that would make their businesses more competitive. Unfortunately, our leaders aren't doing much better--consider our corporate welfare and farm subsidies.
That's what happens when your foreign policy steps all over one of the biggest wine markets.
Yep, dog haters, all. I cannot respect a man who does not like dogs.
Ah yes....the Georgian wines.... My family is Russian and Czech so I am very familiar with wines from the region ;) Boy, can they make a mean port!
This is true. They make good wine at a good price. Chile has good worldwide trade relations, for sure.
Then a paragraph below the frogs say, "When the Chinese really get into wine, demand for our product is going to explode to the point where if we cut back today, we might not be able to fill it,".
What, you think Chile, Australia, South Africa, USA won't sell to the ChiComs?
yitbos
French wine. I do not buy their wine nor do I buy their whine.
Certainly the boycott in the U.S. added to the troubles.
My wife and I have boycotted "Cheese Eating Surrender Monkey" wines since the bastards cut us off at the knees pre Iraq war. The White Flag country has there lips firmly pressed against their Muslim Imam's butts and this country boy won't finance their cowardice.
Could this be the free market at work? Has France fallen behind in grape technology?
The boycott had the unforseen effect of getting lots of Americans to realize that there are many and many better wines out there.
I doubt many view their "non-purchase" of French wines as much of a sacrifice anymore.
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