Although Michel Chapoutier is not a Loire producer – not yet anyway as far as I know though he might welcome having a decent white grape to work with – the threat from the French Government policies is the same. Taken from John Livingstone-Learmonth's excellent Drink Rhône site:
‘In response to the continuing French government clampdown on the wine industry, with prohibition on any Internet mention or promotion of wine (i.e. a good mention = promotion), Michel Chapoutier of Maison Chapoutier in Tain l`Hermitage, Northern Rhône, issued the following statement on Saturday 20 September, 2008:
"Given the anti wine policy of those who govern us (take advertising on the Internet as an example), we are deciding to re-orient an important part of our future French investments towards countries outside France. That is why we are therefore stopping our researches in Beaujolais to head our capital towards Portugal, and also some declarations of intent to invest in the Languedoc Roussillon will be diverted to Australia and California."
Mont Ventoux from vineyards in Rasteau. Ventoux dominates the southern Rhône
where Chapoutier has some of his vineyards.
"Some other fruity comments attached themselves to modern dictatorships, but we needn't concern ourselves with those from the always voluble Michel. His view reflects what many growers tell me in private - that when received in the USA, for instance, or generally outside France, they no longer feel as if they are criminals. Truly, the French government is building up problems around a lost generation of wine drinkers, since much of the youthful drunkenness does not involve wine. Yet wine bottles are shown when binge drinking is portrayed (much as is done by the BBC in Britain), while the culprits are most commonly alco-pops, spirits and beers.
"As a good friend, I have often discussed such matters with Michel, and "il faut dénoncer" (one must denounce or expose) is exactly what he has done with this statement."
(www.drinkrhone.com/goings-on.html)
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