A glass and bunch of grapes on a roundabout between Saint-Nicolas and Bourgueil
Following François Audebert's comment on my post reporting the vote by the Bourgueil producers to leave Interloire, I spoke to François this afternoon. He is both vice-president of the Bourgueil appellation and a delegate to Interloire.
It was soon clear that my flippant comment about a re-run of Clochemerle was precisely that and that the malaise and sense of grievance is strong and not confined just to the appellation of Bourgueil. At the heart of the dispute is the age-old and often prickly relationship between the négoce and the growers, which here is demonstrated by a belief that greater emphasis should be placed on promoting the appellations. The need to create an image of the Loire in export markets is recognised but that the emphasis has swung too far to La Loire and it is time to return to promoting the appellations.
François Audebert: For the last two years the promotional approach of Interloire has been driven by the négoce with an emphasis on La Loire and on selling red Loire wine at the cheapest possible price. The appellations have not been valued. This is a terrible mistake as in the world market it is our appellations – our terroir and history that is our only defence against wines from other parts of the world that can be produced more cheaply because their labour costs are lower.
It isn't just Bourgueil that has become very disenchanted with Interloire's approach. There are similar strong feelings in Vouvray and, last night in a vote at Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil over whether to withdraw from Interloire, the vote was 101 to stay in with 91 to pull out.
(Jim: so just over 45% wanted to withdraw. At the vote in Bourgueil it had been 92% to pull out.)
François Audebert: We haven't taken any pleasure in this vote to pull out. It is a cry of despair – an extreme measure. I recognise that it is not possible for Bourgueil to promote its appellation by itself but we cannot continue like this – the appellations have been forgotten. Other Loire appellations are equally discontent but their protests are taking different forms.
Jim: Do you think you will be allowed to leave by the French government, who are currently looking to create fewer, larger and more powerful Interprofessions?
François Audebert: We haven't yet had a reaction from the French Ministry of Agriculture. In the future it may well be impossible to leave an Interprofession – we needed to make our protest before we were completely manacled to the Interprofession. There was a lot of anger from the appellations at Interloire's AGM in November last year. That is still the case in many appellations – it is just that protests take a different form in each appellation.
Following my conversation with François Audebert, I phoned Jean-Max Manceau, président du Syndicat des vins de Chinon. He confirmed that, like Bourgueil, Chinon has some of the same concerns with Interloire's approach.
Jean-Max Manceau (Domaine de Noire, Chinon) in his vines with 2009 juice: 8.10.09
Jean-Max Manceau: We need to see the appellations being given greater value and greater emphasis under the umbrella image of La Loire. We are observing and want to continue to talk. We are not ready to leave Interloire.
On Friday 11th December I spoke to Jacques Couly (Couly-Dutheil) and Jean-Martin Dutour. (Baudry-Dutour). They were both critical of Bourgueil's decision to vote for independence. Couly-Dutheil and Baudry-Dutour have a foot in both camps: on the one hand as the two leading Chinon producers but on the other as négociants.
Jacques Couly
Jacques Couly: The vote for independence does not take account of reality. An appellation like Bourgueil does not have the resources to go it alone*. We all have to make a sacrifice to promote Vin de Loire. In the current economic recession it is all the more important that we all work together. It is hard for all of us – I met Guigal in Paris the other day and was told that sales in the UK are a "catastrophe".
Jean-Martin Dutour
Jean-Martin Dutour: Partir c'est une bétisse. We have to create a strong image for La Loire.
(* I understand that hiring an attaché de presse (press officer – presumably part-time would cost in the region of 20,000€.)
(NB: All of these conversations were in French. In translation it is possible that I may have changed unintentionally the nuance of what was said.)
It was soon clear that my flippant comment about a re-run of Clochemerle was precisely that and that the malaise and sense of grievance is strong and not confined just to the appellation of Bourgueil. At the heart of the dispute is the age-old and often prickly relationship between the négoce and the growers, which here is demonstrated by a belief that greater emphasis should be placed on promoting the appellations. The need to create an image of the Loire in export markets is recognised but that the emphasis has swung too far to La Loire and it is time to return to promoting the appellations.
François Audebert: For the last two years the promotional approach of Interloire has been driven by the négoce with an emphasis on La Loire and on selling red Loire wine at the cheapest possible price. The appellations have not been valued. This is a terrible mistake as in the world market it is our appellations – our terroir and history that is our only defence against wines from other parts of the world that can be produced more cheaply because their labour costs are lower.
It isn't just Bourgueil that has become very disenchanted with Interloire's approach. There are similar strong feelings in Vouvray and, last night in a vote at Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil over whether to withdraw from Interloire, the vote was 101 to stay in with 91 to pull out.
(Jim: so just over 45% wanted to withdraw. At the vote in Bourgueil it had been 92% to pull out.)
François Audebert: We haven't taken any pleasure in this vote to pull out. It is a cry of despair – an extreme measure. I recognise that it is not possible for Bourgueil to promote its appellation by itself but we cannot continue like this – the appellations have been forgotten. Other Loire appellations are equally discontent but their protests are taking different forms.
Jim: Do you think you will be allowed to leave by the French government, who are currently looking to create fewer, larger and more powerful Interprofessions?
François Audebert: We haven't yet had a reaction from the French Ministry of Agriculture. In the future it may well be impossible to leave an Interprofession – we needed to make our protest before we were completely manacled to the Interprofession. There was a lot of anger from the appellations at Interloire's AGM in November last year. That is still the case in many appellations – it is just that protests take a different form in each appellation.
Following my conversation with François Audebert, I phoned Jean-Max Manceau, président du Syndicat des vins de Chinon. He confirmed that, like Bourgueil, Chinon has some of the same concerns with Interloire's approach.
Jean-Max Manceau (Domaine de Noire, Chinon) in his vines with 2009 juice: 8.10.09 Jean-Max Manceau: We need to see the appellations being given greater value and greater emphasis under the umbrella image of La Loire. We are observing and want to continue to talk. We are not ready to leave Interloire.
On Friday 11th December I spoke to Jacques Couly (Couly-Dutheil) and Jean-Martin Dutour. (Baudry-Dutour). They were both critical of Bourgueil's decision to vote for independence. Couly-Dutheil and Baudry-Dutour have a foot in both camps: on the one hand as the two leading Chinon producers but on the other as négociants.
Jacques CoulyJacques Couly: The vote for independence does not take account of reality. An appellation like Bourgueil does not have the resources to go it alone*. We all have to make a sacrifice to promote Vin de Loire. In the current economic recession it is all the more important that we all work together. It is hard for all of us – I met Guigal in Paris the other day and was told that sales in the UK are a "catastrophe".
Jean-Martin DutourJean-Martin Dutour: Partir c'est une bétisse. We have to create a strong image for La Loire.
(* I understand that hiring an attaché de presse (press officer – presumably part-time would cost in the region of 20,000€.)
(NB: All of these conversations were in French. In translation it is possible that I may have changed unintentionally the nuance of what was said.)
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