| Topic: |
Politics > Politics-USA |
| User: |
"Captain Compassion" |
| Date: |
30 Jan 2005 01:39:51 AM |
| Object: |
Too Much Wine In France? |
Too Much Wine In France?
PARIS, Jan. 27, 2005
(AP) It wouldn't quite be pouring good wine down the drain, but close.
Stuck with hundreds of millions of bottles they can't sell in a
toughening global market, vintners want to distill some of France's
winelake, or surplus, into industrial-use alcohol.
It wouldn't just be swill heading for destruction: Most of the 66
million gallons vintners hope to recycle is considered high-quality.
Such destruction would be unprecedented for "appellation" wines that
carry France's AOC seal of origin and quality. Although nearly 71.3
million gallons were distilled into alcohol in 2002, that was
second-rate table wine. This time, 267 million bottles of AOC wines
would be boiled down in stills if vintners get their way.
"Generally, distillation is for the worst products," said Robert
Beynat, chief executive of the Vinexpo international wine fair.
That vintners are clamoring to destroy stocks of wine that would
nicely accompany a meal underscores their difficulties. Vintners, some
bearing a mock coffin marked "Here lies the last winemaker," held
protests in several cities last month to appeal for government aid.
The average Frenchman still downs 13.2 gallons of wine a year — but
that is half as much as in 1961. A study for Vinexpo published
Thursday predicted that the United States will overtake France as the
leading overall wine consumer by 2008 — although the French would
still lead on a per capita basis.
Pressured by Californian Chardonnays and other vintages from the new
world, French wine exports fell by 6.6 percent in volume and 6.1
percent in value in the first 11 months of 2004.
Vintners say distilling wine into alcohol would cut surplus stocks —
which were swelled by a bumper harvest last year — and help restore
the balance between supply and demand.
But because of European Union regulations, the process requires
getting not only French but also European official approval.
The proposal from the Confederation of French Wine Cooperatives, which
represents 110,000 winemakers who account for half of France's wine
production — would require the French government to ask the EU's
executive commission for a "crisis distillation."
The measure is designed to partly finance winemakers struggling with
surpluses. Vintners would get an EU-fixed price for wine sold to
distillers, who in turn would get an EU pledge to buy up the alcohol
they produce.
The government's wine office, Onivins, says AOC producers in France,
whose wines are generally more marketable because they age and taste
better, have never before resorted to an EU crisis distillation —
which would be a last resort.
AOC vintners would get only one-fifth of the usual market price if
they sell to distillers — better than nothing but still "an extremely
low compensation of the winemakers' work," said Roland Feredj of the
Interprofessional Council of Bordeaux wines, which groups winemakers
and wholesalers from that famous viticultural region.
The government has not said if it will approach the EU commission for
help. Agriculture Minister Dominique Bussereau said this week that the
proposal needs to be discussed first with the wine industry. He plans
to hold talks next week with wine representatives about how to help
the struggling sector.
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"Why would I listen to losers?" -- Arnold Schwarzenegger
"Long term commitment in relationships is only necessary because it takes
so damn long to raise children. Marriage may well be some kind of trick
to keep the males around beyond sexual satiation." -- Captain Compassion
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--Will Durant
Joseph R. Darancette
res0mp8t@NOSPAMverizon.net
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| User: "InsuranceBroker" |
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| Title: Re: Too Much Wine In France? |
30 Jan 2005 08:51:59 AM |
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Subject: Too Much Wine In France?
From: Captain Compassion
Date: 1/30/2005 2:39 AM Eastern Standard Time
Message-id: <ti3pv0lvir03s5sopkqga1jhpl5j5jrkr5@4ax.com>
The average Frenchman still downs 13.2 gallons of wine a year — but
that is half as much as in 1961. A study for Vinexpo published
Since 1961 probably over 30 percent of the present population of France has
been immigrants from Muslim countries. The Muslims do not drink much and many
do not drink wine at all. That is why numbers are usually so meaningless. The
drop in the average does not accound for the fact that there are so many more
Frencgh.
They produced a lot and had a great year.
Yes California cuts the amount sold in the United States but not as much as the
40 percent increase in the euro.
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