Thursday December 2, 2004

VINTAGE CONFUSION

French wine growers once again find themselves in a state of total confusion as the 2004 vintage is laid down. Vineyard owners who recently pulled out of governing body ONIVINS, now see conflicting arguments over how best to recover their falling exports and domestic sales.

Government backed ONIVINS was set up to promote and market French wine but its failure to deliver, coupled with the departure of agriculture minister Hervé Gaymar to the finance ministry, has left members seething with anger at a decline which been steadily increasing over recent years.

To add to the confusion, two new initiatives are likely to drive an even greater wedge through the industry. Bordeaux wine growers have launched a campaign promoting wines priced at less than €15, but CIVB president Christian Delpeuch has warned that the campaign is not enough to halt the slide. He wants production to be cut, but the government and local authorities are refusing to increase the €6,300 per hectare compensation paid for uprooting vines.

Meanwhile, the National Committee of the INAO has taken a totally opposite view by allowing growers to increase their yields including raising the limit for Champagne by 1,000 kilos to 14,000 kilos of grapes per hectare. They also plan to lift the ban on irrigation to further help production.

Commented Maurice Carroll of wine web site winedrive.com: "How the industry expects to save itself when its own governing bodies make conflicting declarations like this is beyond me. How can two bodies with the same aims in the same industry preach directly conflicting arguments?

"The wine growers are tearing their hair out with frustration over the incompetence of those charged with looking after their interests. For years, they have failed to respond and ignored what is happening under their noses, refusing to come to terms with a changing market. 2004 will certainly go down as a vintage year for confusion and apathy."

France wine sales are now running second to Australia in the UK, the largest single export market for French wine, with the gap continuing to grow. According to Maurice Carroll, the only way it can recover is for the industry to bring together the fragmented governing bodies and adopt a co-ordinated strategy to tackle the competition.

Ends

373 words