Future of French Wine?

[WJT]

Has anyone seen the documentary film "Mondovino"? Watched this film for the first time last night, very interesting insight on the wine industry as a whole. Very sad and not very positive for the future of traditional methods and old world wines. Was quite surprised to see how many of the finest Bordeaux wine makers have opted for new world technology.

[Cat]

Yes, I saw it at the cinema last year.  Interesting, sad, but not terribly surprising to watch the slow globalisation of the wine industry.

Amazing the power that the big wine-critics in America have, and that so many Grand Crus will never be drunk in France due to the ludicrous prices that they can command in the US. 

I remember reading somewhere that France regards wine-making as an art, whilst the new world treat it as a science. With everyone chasing the profits then business, science and a homogenised product will eventually win out over the craftmanship, tradition and slightly hit-or-miss quality of many french wines.

 

 

 

[Anton Redman]

Not seen the documentry but am following French press with some interest. There seem to serious attempts to reform/improve the Appelation Controle system which seems locked in the first half of the last century.