The French minister of health supports changing the Evin Law to allow wine advertising on the internet.

Despite continued fierce opposition from anti-alcohol groups, Roselyne Bachelot told Le Figaro, ‘When we initially drew up the Evin Law we did not take into account the internet, because at the time it was not as developed as it is today.’

A CIVB spokesperson told decanter.com, ‘While we welcome the news that the internet may now be a legal method of promotion for winemakers, this has not yet been made official – and is not the only threat to French wine.’

Demonstrators will cover up any signs for villages that also carry the name of an appellation – such as Saint Emilion, Pauillac or Margaux – to highlight the absurdity of the censorship.

Laurent Gapenne, president the Fédération des Grands Vins de Bordeaux, said, ‘It’s a way of showing that defending wine is also defending something at the very heart of our heritage and our land.’

Written by Jane Anson in Bordeaux

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Jane Anson
Jane Anson

Jane Anson was Decanter’s Bordeaux correspondent until 2021 and has lived in the region since 2003. She writes a monthly wine column for Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post, and is the author of Bordeaux Legends: The 1855 First Growth Wines (also published in French as Elixirs). In addition, she has contributed to the Michelin guide to the Wine Regions of France and was the Bordeaux and Southwest France author of The Wine Opus and 1000 Great Wines That Won’t Cost a Fortune. An accredited wine teacher at the Bordeaux École du Vin, Anson holds a masters in publishing from University College London, and a tasting diploma from the Bordeaux faculty of oenology.

Roederer awards 2016: International Feature Writer of the Year