The French drink less than previously thought, according to new figures that question the way the government has been measuring drinking statistics.
The APV (Association Presse du Vin) has claimed that the official statistics have aided the anti-drinking lobby, which is becoming increasingly powerful in France.
In fact, APV claims, the nation is only drinking 43 litres per head (a figure on a par with Spain and Italy), not 54l as previously thought.
This means the French are in fact 'moderate and responsible' rather than the biggest drinkers in the world, they according to Jerome Baudouin of the APV.
The reason for the discrepancy is that the national statistics office (Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques) simply divides the amount of wine sold, by the number of inhabitants, the APV said at a Paris press conference last week.
'The official statistics are at best misleading, at worse lies,' Michel Bettane, APV president, told decanter.com, suggesting that the figures were 'influenced' by the anti-alcohol lobby.
'They consider that wines bought by around 60m tourists each year are in fact drunk by the French, and do not take into account that many wines are bought to be laid down for future consumption, or are bought over-the-border and taken back to other countries.
'The anti-alcohol lobby is so powerful it can influence things at the highest level.'
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I do not think we British have ever regarded the French as big drinkers. They drink wine with their food as part of their tradition and national heritage. They do not drink it to get drunk, and they are to be admired on this front. The French will soon be seeing a return to cross-channel shopping after the recent budget. How do they account for these figures I wonder, and are they ready for an increase in their duty? I have been in the Wine Trade since 1974, and the words "Duty harmonisation across the EU" resonate quite regularly. At 2p against £1.44 per bottle on table wine, the French have good reason to be happy. Their wine is cheap at home, and they drink sensibly. Why can we not follow suit? Our wine is expensive and we cannot drink sensibly. It does not make any sense at all!
Leigh Claridge, Maison Sichel UK Office, London, UK
So it's Official: The U.S. is now the #1 consumer of wine in the world! Of course, that is if we accept this new information, but certainly it suggests that French wine figures were less than accurate - many tourists, particularly the British purchase significant amounts of wine in French stores and take them back home. Dividing the amount of wine sold, by the number of inhabitants seems like a really strange way to calculate the local consumption patterns, especially on an individual basis. It just goes to show you that statistics can prove anything - you just have to decide in advance what outcome you're looking for!
Charlie Adler, President, TasteDC.com
As the saying goes, "Lies, damned lies and statistics"
Tony Hirons, The Merchant Vintner, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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