Bettane and Desseauve ‘will definitely’ quit Revue

Two of France’s most influential wine journalists will certainly leave La Revue du Vin de France as a result of the magazine’s sale to Marie-Claire.

Journalist Michel Bettane has told decanter.com he and his colleague Thierry Desseauve will no longer be on the Revue’s payroll as a result of disagreements over the editorial direction they suspect the new owners will impose on the magazine.

The takeover – which was completed on July 13 – is part of a wider deal, with Marie-Claire buying four titles in the Media Publication group which include Votre Beauté, Mariage, La Revue Viticole Internationale and La Revue du Vin de France.

Marie-Claire – as distinct to the British women’s title of the same name, which is part-owned by IPC – is part of the Lagardere publishing group and also owns the magazine Cuisine et Vins de France.

Bettane, 54, said, ‘We will no longer have a salary at the Revue. We have some more negotiating to do and may continue with the magazine in a consultancy role. There is a lot of disagreement with the new buyer over the future of the Revue.’

The nature of the disagreement is over Marie-Claire’s ‘feminine culture’, Bettane said.

‘At Marie-Claire they are used to magazines about and for women. It is a different culture to that of the Revue. It is a good thing to get new readers, but not at any price.’

A senior source at La Revue told decanter.com there was some disquiet amongst journalists about the takeover, mainly due to Marie-Claire’s radical re-direction of the venerable Cuisine et Vins de France, which it bought in the 1990s.

‘It used to be a luxury cookery magazine with five-page features on truffles and so on,’ the source said. ‘Marie-Claire changed its direction completely to cover things like ready-made meals for working women.

‘I fear that may happen with La Revue, but no-one knows that for certain.’

La Revue du Vin de France sells around 40-45,000 copies a month and has been published since 1927

Written by Adam Lechmere