Wine in crisis AGAIN!

[SaligoBay]

I went to the Mairie yesterday, but it was closed - in solidarité with the problems of the viticulteurs.

Then the manifestations in Narbonne and goodness knows where else were on the news.

I really get a feeling they're living in the past.   In the old days it was just quantity that counted, but even French people aren't drinking as much wine as they used to.  When will they get their fat winey fingers out and realise that all they have to do is make decent wine?   They're not going to beat the Chile/California/Australia/German/whatever market by whingeing. 

They're slowly getting to grips with the marketing, and even the grottiest caves are putting inventive/nostalgic names on fancy labels, so I guess that's a start.

What do you think should happen?

 

[PossumGirl]

I think they're going to have to learn that there's no guarantee of anything in this world, the way that other industries have had to do.

I think of how things are in the U.S., where there is almost no manufacturing left. Everything is being made in China or somewhere else with cheap labor.  Everyone complains about it; but they all keep shopping at WalMart, which buys EVERYTHING from overseas.  You can't have it both ways: cheap goods for you, selling expensive goods to others.

Clearly, there's something being offered by the other wine producing countries that people aren't finding from French wines.  The viticulteurs need to see what that is and figure out a way to beat it. Otherwise, they're doomed.

PG