21/12/2005
Paul Carrel
The French government has vowed to help winemakers boost exports to claw
back business lost to "New World" producers and offset waning domestic
demand.

Falling consumption among a more health-conscious population and increased
competition from the New World rivals such as Australia and Chile have hit
French winemakers hard and prompted them to stage street protests in recent
weeks.

"We are going to prepare a national strategy to reconquer our market share,"
Agriculture Minister Dominique Bussereau told reporters after he and Prime
Minister Dominique de Villepin met a delegation of winemakers.

France and Italy are the world's top winemakers, with France accounting for
around a fifth of world production, but New World countries have been
increasing their market share.

Villepin said he would appoint officials in each of France's wine producing
regions to coordinate marketing efforts and report to the Agriculture
Ministry, rather than leaving it up to the regions to market their own
wines, Bussereau said.

The winemakers backed the government's pledge to help boost exports.

"Faced with the decrease in French consumption, the salvation of the
national wine-growing sector will come only from exports," said Dominique
Granier, president of the southern Gard region's agriculture association.

Winemakers barricaded offices of a major wine industry group in Bordeaux
earlier this month and others occupied an agriculture association's office
in Nimes in protest at falling prices and competition from New World wines.

The French wine sector provides some 75,000 jobs but is suffering from
changes in tastes among consumers. Over the last 40 years, alcohol
consumption per head has decreased by more than a third in France.

Winemakers faced with the weaker domestic market needed to take a new
approach to appeal to consumers abroad who are often mystified by labels on
French wine bottles, Bussereau said.

"When they see Costieres du Gard, Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil or Chinon or
Saumur-Champigny, they must wonder what that means," he said.

"We need to create generic brands and make a big effort to simplify what we
offer because when you find a Chilean wine labelled Cabernet, Pinot Rouge,
Pinot Noir, with an explanation, a colourful label ... that's what
international consumers expect."

Winemakers in countries such as Australia, Chile, New Zealand and South
Africa usually label their wines by the grapes used to make them - such as
Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir - and often add a description of the wines'
qualities.

The French usually label their wines by region, or even vineyard, but buyers
who are not connoisseurs of the characteristics of a Saint Emilion or
Pouilly Fuisse can be left wondering how they might taste.

May I be so bold as to suggest a reduction in price???


"st.helier" > wrote in message
...
> 21/12/2005
> Paul Carrel
> The French government has vowed to help winemakers boost exports to claw
> back business lost to "New World" producers and offset waning domestic
> demand.
>
> Falling consumption among a more health-conscious population and increased
> competition from the New World rivals such as Australia and Chile have hit
> French winemakers hard and prompted them to stage street protests in
> recent weeks.
>
> "We are going to prepare a national strategy to reconquer our market
> share," Agriculture Minister Dominique Bussereau told reporters after he
> and Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin met a delegation of winemakers.
>
> France and Italy are the world's top winemakers, with France accounting
> for around a fifth of world production, but New World countries have been
> increasing their market share.
>
> Villepin said he would appoint officials in each of France's wine
> producing regions to coordinate marketing efforts and report to the
> Agriculture Ministry, rather than leaving it up to the regions to market
> their own wines, Bussereau said.
>
> The winemakers backed the government's pledge to help boost exports.
>
> "Faced with the decrease in French consumption, the salvation of the
> national wine-growing sector will come only from exports," said Dominique
> Granier, president of the southern Gard region's agriculture association.
>
> Winemakers barricaded offices of a major wine industry group in Bordeaux
> earlier this month and others occupied an agriculture association's office
> in Nimes in protest at falling prices and competition from New World
> wines.
>
> The French wine sector provides some 75,000 jobs but is suffering from
> changes in tastes among consumers. Over the last 40 years, alcohol
> consumption per head has decreased by more than a third in France.
>
> Winemakers faced with the weaker domestic market needed to take a new
> approach to appeal to consumers abroad who are often mystified by labels
> on French wine bottles, Bussereau said.
>
> "When they see Costieres du Gard, Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil or Chinon or
> Saumur-Champigny, they must wonder what that means," he said.
>
> "We need to create generic brands and make a big effort to simplify what
> we offer because when you find a Chilean wine labelled Cabernet, Pinot
> Rouge, Pinot Noir, with an explanation, a colourful label ... that's what
> international consumers expect."
>
> Winemakers in countries such as Australia, Chile, New Zealand and South
> Africa usually label their wines by the grapes used to make them - such as
> Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir - and often add a description of the
> wines' qualities.
>
> The French usually label their wines by region, or even vineyard, but
> buyers who are not connoisseurs of the characteristics of a Saint Emilion
> or Pouilly Fuisse can be left wondering how they might taste.
>

Lets see now, maybe its not the marketing that's the problem forLa Belle
France. France stayed out of the whateveryoucallinIraq and were quite huffy
about not backing an ally in Two, countem World Wars and who let them have
Vietnam 1946-1954. France leads the world in instances of anti-Semitism,
without a single group being arrested. Now much French exports are ignored
by Jewish American's who are not Francophiles and/or cork dorks. Oh yeah
Mr. Kiwi, how bout them nukes the French have & want to test in your
backyard. What the French winebusiness needs is the guts to take their
leaders who are making them very unpopular, either that or destroy Robert
Parker's palate!!!!
"st.helier" > wrote in message
...
> 21/12/2005
> Paul Carrel
> The French government has vowed to help winemakers boost exports to claw
> back business lost to "New World" producers and offset waning domestic
> demand.
>
> Falling consumption among a more health-conscious population and increased
> competition from the New World rivals such as Australia and Chile have hit
> French winemakers hard and prompted them to stage street protests in
recent
> weeks.
>
> "We are going to prepare a national strategy to reconquer our market
share,"
> Agriculture Minister Dominique Bussereau told reporters after he and Prime
> Minister Dominique de Villepin met a delegation of winemakers.
>
> France and Italy are the world's top winemakers, with France accounting
for
> around a fifth of world production, but New World countries have been
> increasing their market share.
>
> Villepin said he would appoint officials in each of France's wine
producing
> regions to coordinate marketing efforts and report to the Agriculture
> Ministry, rather than leaving it up to the regions to market their own
> wines, Bussereau said.
>
> The winemakers backed the government's pledge to help boost exports.
>
> "Faced with the decrease in French consumption, the salvation of the
> national wine-growing sector will come only from exports," said Dominique
> Granier, president of the southern Gard region's agriculture association.
>
> Winemakers barricaded offices of a major wine industry group in Bordeaux
> earlier this month and others occupied an agriculture association's office
> in Nimes in protest at falling prices and competition from New World
wines.
>
> The French wine sector provides some 75,000 jobs but is suffering from
> changes in tastes among consumers. Over the last 40 years, alcohol
> consumption per head has decreased by more than a third in France.
>
> Winemakers faced with the weaker domestic market needed to take a new
> approach to appeal to consumers abroad who are often mystified by labels
on
> French wine bottles, Bussereau said.
>
> "When they see Costieres du Gard, Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil or Chinon or
> Saumur-Champigny, they must wonder what that means," he said.
>
> "We need to create generic brands and make a big effort to simplify what
we
> offer because when you find a Chilean wine labelled Cabernet, Pinot Rouge,
> Pinot Noir, with an explanation, a colourful label ... that's what
> international consumers expect."
>
> Winemakers in countries such as Australia, Chile, New Zealand and South
> Africa usually label their wines by the grapes used to make them - such as
> Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir - and often add a description of the
wines'
> qualities.
>
> The French usually label their wines by region, or even vineyard, but
buyers
> who are not connoisseurs of the characteristics of a Saint Emilion or
> Pouilly Fuisse can be left wondering how they might taste.
>
>

"Joe \"Beppe\"Rosenberg" > wrote in
:

> Lets see now, maybe its not the marketing that's the problem forLa
> Belle France. France stayed out of the whateveryoucallinIraq and were
> quite huffy about not backing an ally in Two, countem World Wars and
> who let them have Vietnam 1946-1954. France leads the world in
> instances of anti-Semitism, without a single group being arrested.
> Now much French exports are ignored by Jewish American's who are not
> Francophiles and/or cork dorks. Oh yeah Mr. Kiwi, how bout them nukes
> the French have & want to test in your backyard. What the French
> winebusiness needs is the guts to take their leaders who are making
> them very unpopular, either that or destroy Robert Parker's palate!!!!

Joe,

I suppose you are referring to the U.S. with your reasoning. First, I do
not think that the U.S. market is the sole responsible for the decay in
the sales of french wines and, second, I am convinced that the U.S.
citizens are intelligent enough to separate the purchase intention of
wine and the character or charisma of the political leaders of any
country.

IMHO, the main problem with french wine, and specifically with Bordeaux
is a problem of producing wine in un-appropiate land. When Bordeaux had a
great reputation, both in the top of the line (which is mantained, I
think) and the "more affordable" category, there was a strong incentive
to plant vines in every single plot of land where the Bordeaux
appellation was possible to achieve. As a result, tons and tons of
mediocre grapes were picked and bad quality wine was produced with them.

This practice has a secondary effect in the form of reducing the image
perception of the Bordeaux A.O.C. and, as result, nice wine and plonk are
covered under a same label that does not mean quality anymore.

Only solution is, IMHO, to do a more restrictive selection of the
vineyards under the appellation, and to declassify those vineyards or
those wines that not reach an acceptable standard. Or let the market
forces destroy the Bordeaux A.O.C. and see the good wines adopt another
A.O.C. with a better peception.

About Robert Parker, I think he can be a great aid to those small
Chateaux that produce good wines. Why? because he separates the good
producers from the plonk ones. A Chateau without a reputation, bottling
under a Bordeaux A.O.C. or a Cotes de Francs A.O.C. can sell his
production in weeks if it makes good wine just because Robert Parker says
"90". He does not care where the wine comes from. If the wine is good, he
rates high. And, so, Robert Parker is the opposite of the A.O.C. system
which equals of the wines under a mediocrity umbrella. Look at Reignac or
Chateau des Francs as two examples of good producers of wine in not so
well regarded plots of land in Bordeaux.

Finally, I can perfectly understand why the market favours a fruit
forward nice Australian wine than a green, acidic and sour Bordeaux that
costs 50% more. And it has nothing to be with politics ;-)

Best,

Santiago

I think we should have a new acronym--TIC for Tongue in Cheek so my posts
can be understood.

As a member of RMP Jrs original "control group" I can attest to all the
attributes Santiago mentioned.

The bottom line on why all but the 1st growths & super-seconds are
"struggling" is that the Bordelaise have had their heads up their arse's
every since the Spurrier tasting in the mid 70's. 95% of people who are
buying fine wine today in Tokyo or Texas are looking at QPR not "prestige".
The big score is bagging a WA 90 pointer, not a 2000 Meyney or a Mouton
Cadet. While most of their countrymen in other regions except Burgundy, are
"selling" their wines with attractive prices and packaging, the Medoc
greedheads stick to their old ways with a multiplicity of sources and
pricing that is ego-driven. This first tranche/second tranche mumbo-jumbo
is valid for the "hot" estates and Franco-philes who buy anything they can't
pronounce. I imagine less then 5% of the global market still buys wine for
their prestige. But that universe now includes Super-Tuscans, California
cults. a few Aussies and Spanish wines--almost all backed up by a WA or WS
review.

When I handled DeGrazia for Maryland, I found I was competing for
allocations, not only state-side but with the Swiss, Luxies and Japanese. I
think most of the fine wine sales still depend on a salesperson in a store
or restaurant or at the wholesale level who convinces a store to stock a
wine either because of their rating, QPR or reputation in the trade. I
could see this in the introduction of "Yellowtail" no reviews, great price
and packaging. All at once you cork-dorks saying "this stuff's not bad" and
in a matter of weeks, Yellowtail displays are in the mom n pops to the heavy
hitters among retailers. When have we seen something out of Bordeaux like
that? What you have is Maitre d'Estournel/Mouton Cadet unexciting plonk at
prices too high to make it a QPR item. Some like Cordier price wines to
move. Other keep their heads ensconced in their anal cavity, saying "We are
Francois, Napoleon, Lafayette, Maurice Chevalier, Grand cuvees" while most
imbibers say "So what!"
"Santiago" > wrote in message
.. .
> "Joe \"Beppe\"Rosenberg" > wrote in
> :
>
> > Lets see now, maybe its not the marketing that's the problem forLa
> > Belle France. France stayed out of the whateveryoucallinIraq and were
> > quite huffy about not backing an ally in Two, countem World Wars and
> > who let them have Vietnam 1946-1954. France leads the world in
> > instances of anti-Semitism, without a single group being arrested.
> > Now much French exports are ignored by Jewish American's who are not
> > Francophiles and/or cork dorks. Oh yeah Mr. Kiwi, how bout them nukes
> > the French have & want to test in your backyard. What the French
> > winebusiness needs is the guts to take their leaders who are making
> > them very unpopular, either that or destroy Robert Parker's palate!!!!
>
> Joe,
>
> I suppose you are referring to the U.S. with your reasoning. First, I do
> not think that the U.S. market is the sole responsible for the decay in
> the sales of french wines and, second, I am convinced that the U.S.
> citizens are intelligent enough to separate the purchase intention of
> wine and the character or charisma of the political leaders of any
> country.
>
> IMHO, the main problem with french wine, and specifically with Bordeaux
> is a problem of producing wine in un-appropiate land. When Bordeaux had a
> great reputation, both in the top of the line (which is mantained, I
> think) and the "more affordable" category, there was a strong incentive
> to plant vines in every single plot of land where the Bordeaux
> appellation was possible to achieve. As a result, tons and tons of
> mediocre grapes were picked and bad quality wine was produced with them.
>
> This practice has a secondary effect in the form of reducing the image
> perception of the Bordeaux A.O.C. and, as result, nice wine and plonk are
> covered under a same label that does not mean quality anymore.
>
> Only solution is, IMHO, to do a more restrictive selection of the
> vineyards under the appellation, and to declassify those vineyards or
> those wines that not reach an acceptable standard. Or let the market
> forces destroy the Bordeaux A.O.C. and see the good wines adopt another
> A.O.C. with a better peception.
>
> About Robert Parker, I think he can be a great aid to those small
> Chateaux that produce good wines. Why? because he separates the good
> producers from the plonk ones. A Chateau without a reputation, bottling
> under a Bordeaux A.O.C. or a Cotes de Francs A.O.C. can sell his
> production in weeks if it makes good wine just because Robert Parker says
> "90". He does not care where the wine comes from. If the wine is good, he
> rates high. And, so, Robert Parker is the opposite of the A.O.C. system
> which equals of the wines under a mediocrity umbrella. Look at Reignac or
> Chateau des Francs as two examples of good producers of wine in not so
> well regarded plots of land in Bordeaux.
>
> Finally, I can perfectly understand why the market favours a fruit
> forward nice Australian wine than a green, acidic and sour Bordeaux that
> costs 50% more. And it has nothing to be with politics ;-)
>
> Best,
>
> Santiago

> "We are going to prepare a national strategy to reconquer our market share,"
> Agriculture Minister Dominique Bussereau told reporters after he and Prime
> Minister Dominique de Villepin met a delegation of winemakers.
>
SNIP

> Winemakers faced with the weaker domestic market needed to take a new
> approach to appeal to consumers abroad who are often mystified by labels on
> French wine bottles, Bussereau said.
>
> "When they see Costieres du Gard,
SNIP
> they must wonder what that means," he said.


I shoudl think they would - it hasn't been called that for some years
now - try Costieres de Nimes instead

We are obviously not the only ones to have gormelss politicians.

Timothy Hartley

Timothy Hartley > wrote in
:

>
>> "We are going to prepare a national strategy to reconquer our market
>> share," Agriculture Minister Dominique Bussereau told reporters after
>> he and Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin met a delegation of
>> winemakers.
>>
> SNIP
>
>> Winemakers faced with the weaker domestic market needed to take a new
>> approach to appeal to consumers abroad who are often mystified by
>> labels on French wine bottles, Bussereau said.
>>
>> "When they see Costieres du Gard,
> SNIP
>> they must wonder what that means," he said.
>
>
> I shoudl think they would - it hasn't been called that for some years
> now - try Costieres de Nimes instead
>
> We are obviously not the only ones to have gormelss politicians.
>
> Timothy Hartley
>

Hey he is only the Agriclulture expert what do you want? besides, I love
that the Loire Valley wines he mentions are truly affordable, don't
really want Saumur Champigny and Chinon and Bourgueil to becomes cult
wines.

The bottom line is probably more like what Santiago said, increase the
quality and let the properties that don't make good wine go back to
growing fruit trees or other agricultural products.

What the article hints at is encouraging plonk by "broadening" the
appeal and marketability rather than by encouraging the production of
good stuff.

In article 36>,
says...

> What the article hints at is encouraging plonk by "broadening" the
> appeal and marketability rather than by encouraging the production of
> good stuff.

That would be political suicide to make a tough choice like that. For
one thing I think it would be acknowledging whatever controls they have
in place now are not working.
I don't know how they could get much higher prices for Bordeaux or
Burgundy with the dollar being so weak. Getting more money for wines in
the other areas of France might be the least politically paintful
strategy.
Kermit Lynch will be given the Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur, the
same award the French government gave Parker. That's a good step towards
acknowledging someone who has done a lot to improve French exports
outside Burgundy and Bordeaux.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?
f=/c/a/2005/12/22/WIGDGGB6HT1.DTL

I'm bringing a Kermit Lynch-imported rose to drink with our Christmas
ham. . . .

Steve Timko > wrote in
. net:

> In article 36>,
> says...
>
>> What the article hints at is encouraging plonk by "broadening" the
>> appeal and marketability rather than by encouraging the production of
>> good stuff.
>
> That would be political suicide to make a tough choice like that. For
> one thing I think it would be acknowledging whatever controls they have
> in place now are not working.

And it seems with rivers of Boreaux ordinaire, the controls are dare I say
it, not working.

> I don't know how they could get much higher prices for Bordeaux or
> Burgundy with the dollar being so weak.

First thing we must acknowledge that the price of DRC has nothing, rien,
nada, to do with the quality of other wines. Reliability in the Bordeaux
superior would be a great start.

Getting more money for wines in
> the other areas of France might be the least politically paintful
> strategy.
> Kermit Lynch will be given the Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur, the
> same award the French government gave Parker. That's a good step towards

Kermit deserves anything he can get, he imports some great stuff.