Winegrowers are sounding the alarm and are ready to take extreme measures: put part of their land under the knife. They intend to uproot up to 15,000 hectares of the most valuable vineyards, but at the same time they demand state compensation of 10,000 euros for each hectare liquidated. It is clear that for winegrowers such an approach is a necessary measure. “We have no choice, says Jean-Samuel Einar, owner of one of the farms there. There are situations where you have to cut your finger so as not to lose your whole arm due to gangrene. ”
Without this, according to the interprofessional council of Bordeaux winegrowers, the sector is on the edge of the abyss and 80,000 people risk finding themselves out of work. Will the authorities follow? The question is open. Especially when we know that the current Minister of Agriculture Marc Fenault has already promised to allocate 160 million euros to the transformation of huge wine surpluses into technical alcohol for the needs of the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.
How is it that the region once prosperous thanks to viticulture found itself in such a difficult situation? Indeed, in our eyes, red wine, in particular Bordeaux, remains the same essential symbol of France, like the Eiffel Tower and the baguette, recently included in the list of intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO. . And, indeed, it has been so for centuries. Previously, the French would not sit down for lunch and dinner without a bottle of their traditional drink appearing on the table. Moreover, even in school canteens, high school students were allowed to drink wine, however diluted with water. And it is only since 1981 that this practice has been abandoned.
Since then, a lot has changed in the country in this area with the change of generations, and first of all, it affected wine, especially red. Over the past half century, its consumption has decreased three times – from 120 liters to 40 liters per person. Moreover, this trend has increased in recent years. This does not mean that the French refuse alcohol as such. It’s just that many, especially young people, now prefer other drinks, such as beer and stronger ones – whiskey, vodka, rum and wines – white, rosé and sparkling. One should not overlook such a social phenomenon as the increase in the number of households with only one parent, who in most cases is not inclined to drink alone. Added to this is an external factor: if previously a significant part of Bordeaux wines was exported to China, in recent years these supplies have halved.
