French wine to undergo sea change in bid

[smurfe]

I ran across this article in Yahoo News. Thought it might be of interest to some. I found it interesting. It really shows just how important the wine industry is in France and what it means to their way of life.


Smurfe

French wine to undergo sea change in bid to help industry
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by Sophie Kevany<EM =timedate>Thu May 11, 1:44 PM ET[/i]
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French wine is set for a sea change thanks to new legislation removing some of the beleaguered industry's previous taboos by allowing wood chips to be added to the drink and an adjustment of alcohol levels.


"I went much further than anyone expected," said Bernard Pomel, an official with the agriculture ministry and author of a report on which the plan is based, which could see the changes in place by September.


"This report addresses criticisms by French winemakers that they were losing market share because they did not have the right to use the same methods as their competitors," Pomel said.


French wines, particularly Bordeaux, have increasingly seen their market share eroded by competition from cheaper New World wines from countries such as Australia, Chile and California.


Even though worldwide consumption of wine has slowly crept up over the decade, France is continuing to suffer from a slump in consumption.


Last year saw a 1.6 percent drop over the previous year to 32.6 million hectolitres, or 55 litres per inhabitant per year, the Paris-based International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) said in a report last month.


And in 2005 France's loss of prestige in a market it once dominated was made clear by the export numbers, when it fell to third place sending abroad less wine than Italy and Spain.


One New World practice, long scorned by the French, of putting of wood chips into wine to provoke an oaky flavour, rather than storing the wine in wooden barrels, will be made legal "any day now", said Georges Pierre Malpel, of the agriculture ministry.


This will apply to wines outside the rigid Appellation dOrigine Controlee (AOC) system of quality control.


But the 40-page report released in March also includes suggestions that the AOC system, controlled by Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO), will need to implement to soften its demands on winemakers.


Wood chip suppliers are already stocked up, ready for the day the documents are signed, first by the European Union and then by the French government.


The vast difference in cost, about 10 times less than using barrels, is the main attraction. Barrels currently cost about 66 euros per 100 litres, while chips are just five euros per 100 litres.


Barrel aging however will remain the preferred method for top quality wines.


"Adding aromas to a wine has nothing to do with the evolution of a wine in a barrel, which benefits from oxygenation, from an exchange between air, wood and liquid," said Francois Brissot, a Margaux winemaker.


"It is the difference between something that is married together and something that is superimposed."


Another proposal in the Pomel report is to allow winemakers to adjust alcohol levels, raising the question of whether one day the addition of water will be allowed.


"Adding water to wine is seen as a fraud here. But it is done in other parts of the world, so France has to take this into consideration. Who knows, in the future, why not?" said Roland Feredj, director of Bordeaux's regional wine body, the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vins de Bordeaux.


The technique is widely used in California, where tanks in which the water is mixed into the wine are known as Jesus Tanks.


Lowering alcohol levels is an increasing demand from health-conscious consumers who like richer flavoured wines, but don't always welcome the correspondingly higher alcohol levels of 14 and 15 percent.


But for the moment reducing the alcohol levels in French wine will be limited to allowing producers to experiment with different -- legal -- techniques such as passing wine through a membrane fine enough to filter out alcohol molecules.


"The proposals are a miracle of realism, but the real miracle will be having all this translated into fact, not just as proposals," added Feredj.


One of the main aims of the report however is to set out two major choices for French wines, one consumer-led for easy drinking, and the other more sophisticated producer-led, with neither suffering from any stigma.


The two main wine producing regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy will be encouraged to produce more consumer-led wines, that compare with new world mass market products.


But for classic Bordeaux brands like Margaux, Petrus or Haut Brion -- the addition of oak chips, or reducing of alcohol remains unthinkable.


Other restructuring measures proposed in the report are aimed at helping consumers better understand French wine classification by reducing it to three categories: AOC, for the higher end and vin de pays and vin de table, for lower range.


The use of a new "Vin de France" logo will also now be encouraged on all wine labels, along with the labelling of popular varieties such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, another idea taken from new world wine labels.


A cash injection of 90 million euro will also provide subsidies and loans to wine makers.
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[PolishWineP]

Well, the French do enjoy being purests. Let them have it. The world is full of change and evolution, and those who don't care to participate are free to make those choices. I myself enjoy change.

 

[sally3]

Thank you for posting that article. That is exactly the type of
information that I like to say updated on. Good Job!! Sally

 

[rgecaprock]

There is something to be said for the traditional ways of winemaking, but time moves on and all those Mondovino Crocks will move on to the vineyards in the sky and the younger generation will be there to step up.


Ramona

 

[peterCooper]

Ah...but... is there room for the home wine maker who stick to traditional
process?

 

[PolishWineP]

Of course there is! It's much easier for the home wine maker to do that than the commercial wine maker. And there is also room for the commercial wine maker who wants to maintain the traditional methods. But, if they want to compete in the global market, their niche will be the consumers who want wines crafted in a traditional manner and are willing to pay for that. If the average Joe or Andre' want a good bottle of wine for a reasonable price, we know what he's going to buy.

 

[peterCooper]

Yup, WE from George!

 

[sally3]

Ramona, you used the term "Mondovino". Are you referring to
the documentary of the same title? It's very, very
interesting. Not only is the clash between old world and new
world effectively shown in real life situations...with real people, but
just to see the country side and the "flying winemakers" is
fascinating. You all probably have private copies of the DVD and
I'm waaay behind on this. If not...check it out, I think
you'll like it. Sally3.

 

[earl]

Carlson Vineyards here in Colorado use's only wood chips and no barrels in making their wine. They produce some fantastic wines and I would of never known the difference without taking a tour of the winery.


earl

 

[smurfe]

Carlson Vineyards here in Colorado use's only wood chips and no barrels in making their wine. They produce some fantastic wines and I would of never known the difference without taking a tour of the winery.


earl

Earl, thats the jist behind this article. The French want to be able to produce wine like the places you refer to. As it is now, the French regulate how wine is made and require barrel aging. They want to be able to use the wood chips to speed up the process, lower their bottom line and increase their profits. The rest of the world has put a big hurt on the French wine industry and they are finally realizing that the industry is not "theirs" anymore.

 

[geocorn]

I think the French are starting to wake up to a lot of things! The world around them is changing and they don't want to change. Unfortunately, the only thing consistent is change!

 

[Angell Wine]

You got to love the French, they will eventually lose every war they start.

 

[winesnob]

Italy also has the traditionalist that will not change.

This is an interesting article. In an ironic note, there are many producers that are going biodynamic. I've had many biodynamic from Burgundy and they were absolutely fabulous. I think the AOC should not give up their traditional ways. There are so many hand-crafted biodynamic wines that are very special. But, if a winemaker from a Grand Cru location were to put oak chips in a bottle, would I be able to tell the difference?? I don't know.

 

[PolishWineP]

Okay. Color me stupid. What is boidynamic?

 

[winesnob]

Okay. Color me stupid. What is boidynamic?

Being biodynamic is more of a commitment than being organic. It's about the using the earth in a way to allow it to self heal. Here are a couple of links to look at:
http://www.biodynamics.com/biodynamics.html

Here is a French producer in Loire and what he does:
http://www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsprofile/couleedeserrant .shtml

 

[PolishWineP]

Cool! It works within the circle of life!

Thanks for the links!