Leading members of the French wine industry have signalled their intention to challenge EU winemaking reforms.
Earlier this year, the EU announced a raft of reforms that will see the phasing out of vine-pulling, crisis distillation, and grants for retiring from viticulture.
It cited both the high cost, and the fact the measures do nothing to encourage producers to address the problem of quality.
The reforms will mostly affect France, Spain and Italy, who between them receive almost 90% of EU subsidies. Current proposals are due to be fomally voted on in the European parliament on 24 January, with decisions being made public from February and brought in from 2008.
In the lead-up to this, in a move that is becoming known as the 'reforms of the reforms', leading members of the French wine industry are calling for countrywide action to ensure their voices are heard.
While agreeing that reforms are inevitable and necessary, there are several key areas that they say need protecting. First, that all reforms take into account social needs, that wine is seen not just as a business but as part of France's 'heritage', and third, that each individual country remains largely responsible for their own wine making regulations.
In the last few weeks the EU has agreed to the use of wood chips, but the INAO in France has said it remains banned for AOC wines.
Joel Castany, president of Europe's wine grape growers' association told an assembled group of winemakers at the recent Vinitech fair, 'France needs to find a compromise, but we only have until February to pressure the government over our official position on these reforms. We need to be united.'
Alain Vironneau, president of the CIVB, told decanter.com, 'For me, the most important thing this week has been that Russel Milldon from the EU Commission for Agriculture has visited Vinitech and kept this debate open. What Europe needs is a dialogue, not a diktat.'
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Wood chips? All's good in VdP, Vino de la Tierra, or IGT, but come on…let's get some clarification. This declaration of approved wood chips is awfully ambivalent.
Scott Cameron, Austin, Texas, USA
No surprise. The Brusselization of Europe guarantees a homogenized culture, where local practices and traditions are trampled. Interesting that Brussels' agricultural claim to fame rests upon mini-cabbages, while France has Chateau Mouton-Rothschild. Well, send in the wood chips, maybe the beavers want to eat and drink all at once. Lewis Taishoff
INAO is part of the problem!
In the wood chips issue, the only problem is that the French INAO is on the wrong track. They try to protect authenticity. Which is a good goal, but certainly not for the basic table wine the so-called “vin de soif”. For these wines authenticity is a non-issue. INAO should realise this!
As we all do know. The use of wood chips is intended for the wines that currently don't sell, partly because they have to compete with wood-chipped wines from overseas. This affects the simpler daily drinking wines.
Let's say the “lesser” wines in for instance a French AOC or even a VDQS or “Vin du table”. These are the wines that are not selling nowadays. Not the big names like Rothschild, DRC, Guigal and Hugel. These producers have no problem and are sold out every year. I just mentioned a few good performers per region.
These “lesser” wines that don't sell cannot compete with the Argentinean, Oz, NZ, and Californian (wood chipped) wines in the lower price range that sell so well in the supermarkets today. It is easy to raise the quality of these “simple” wines by using wood chips and other newer techniques. So it is not acceptable that a ruling authority like INAO doesn't allow this. INAO is making it more difficult for the producers of daily drinking wines in France. INAO is part of the problem that France experiences.
These “lesser” wines (not the big names) want to be able to compete with the “new world” like the (among others) Peñaflor/Penfolds/Hardy's/Sutter/Sebastiani wood chipped wines in the lower to mid price range. So what these winegrowers and producers ask for is a regulation that allows them to compete on term of equality of arms. What is wrong with that?
There is not one high-class winegrower that has the intention to use wood chips. Why should they? The classy wines of Europe sell very well. And still are the examples for the new world.
Roland Koornstra, Leiden, Netherlands
I agree whole heartedly with Mr Koornstra.
Not allowing the wines of Europe to at least get on an equal footing with
the New World wines in terms of achieving "styles of wines" without the cost
implications imposed upon them by the regulatory bodies of each of the
European country is economic suicide.
Let's get things in perspective the EU is allowing the wine maker to have a
choice, not imposing that choice on them.
Everybody has focused on the minor issue of wood chips. The major issue is
that of the reduction of subsidy and the phasing out of grubbing up poor
quality vines by thr EU. This will send shock waves throughout France. I say
bravo. Finally the EU are beginning to understand the subsidy drives down
quality. It is about time we let the market place drive up the need for
quality. If a French winegrower cannot drive up the quality of his/her
product by investment, let somebody come in who will invest in creating good
quality wines
Sean Hardon
Who ever said that cheap was good? I say good luck to the French and any other country that wants to preserve their culture and quality standards. It starts with wood chips and before we know it they are allowing colourings and food flavourings to all wines, just to keep the cost down. I say keep fighting for your rights to stay old world. New world is not always the best. Australia is becoming too much the same as far as taste and style goes. There is no excitement of finesse and character in their wines. Most reds are big and bold and becoming to heavy in alcohol. Give me something I can talk about not slur over. With the quality controls of france I know I can enjoy and not suffer the next day.
What's the old saying; too many cooks spoil the broth. Too much political influence can destroy an industry. Good luck to the French.
Daniel Dyer, Senior Executive Wine Consultant, WIV, Australia
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Wood chips? All's good in VdP, Vino de la Tierra, or IGT, but come on…let's get some clarification. This declaration of approved wood chips is awfully ambivalent.
