Feel Sorry for the French?

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The European Union gave the country $172 million to destroy 80 million gallons (100 Olympic sized swimming pools, worth $216 million) of wine in June 2023, and the French recently announced they had scraped together the remainder of the money needed.

Though it might seem like a waste, this wine is not going down the drain. Producers are expected to use the funds to distill the wine into pure alcohol to be used for other cleaning products and perfumes.

France is experiencing a wine crisis. Consumption of the beverage has plummeted significantly in the country since its peak in 1926, when the average Frenchperson consumed about 36 gallons every year. Now, that amount hovers around 10.5 gallons. Experts trace the drop in consumption to individuals having more drink options. (Maybe they prefer better, less expensive wines?)

A dramatically changing climate also plays a big role in the French wine industry. The above-average temperatures in its wine-growing regions, like Bordeaux, paired with more frequent droughts and storms, are changing how fast the grapes ripen.
Me: They were so smug, when they denounced the efforts of American winemakers to adjust to climate, changing palates, and the economy.
Merlot, which encompasses 60%!<(MISSING)/a> of the vineyard production in Bordeaux, is expected to be one of the first species to succumb to the changing climate entirely.

The adaptions needed to grow wine grapes are becoming more costly for vineyards, which, when paired with the lower demand, is causing it to be cheaper to convert the wine into other products than to grow and sell it.

Experimental laboratories in France are looking for more drought-tolerant grape species that can keep the cost of production low for vineyards and stay alive as the climate continues to change.

Meanwhile, experts hope the wine buy-back will hold space and time to consider alternative solutions. “We need to think in terms of … long-run adaptation to these changing conditions,” said food and wine researcher Olivier Gergaud.

“We need to help this market to transition to a better future, maybe with more wines that would respect the environment. Adaptation to climate change is a real challenge.”
Me: Of course, when I asked about change, they so smugly said that French "regulations" prevent them from doing anything different!!! And that their methods were better than American wines. But I do feel badly for the small farmer, anywhere in the world.
From SF Chron: While wine overall is seeing sluggish sales, sparkling wine is going strong, and I’m betting it will get even stronger. The number of Americans who drink sparkling wine grew by 30%!b(MISSING)etween 2019 and 2022, according to drinks-industry analyst IWSR, and about a quarter of those drink sparkling wine at least twice a week (what a great way to live!). This tracks with our increasingly insatiable thirst for all sorts of fizzy drinks, from seltzer water to kombucha.
Champagne from famed producers like Moët et Chandon, Taittinger, Mumm’s, Veuve Cliquot, Bollinger, and Krug, is known all over the world, and can be wonderful stuff. But it can also be very pricey, and there’s a whole world of superb sparkling wine out there these days. Thibault Dubreuil, sommelier at Eli’s Table in New York City, told VinePair “If you’re gonna drink bubbles, look for smaller independent Champagne winemakers, or winemakers in Spain within the Corpinnat territory, like Recaredo, that are redefining what Cava is.” Great advice!
No, I don't feel sorry for the French. They are always so smug when they find out Californians are in their wine tours. They always bad mouth Napa and Napa wines. They accuse us of having no rule of law for wine making. All of a sudden, the proverbial shoe is on the other foot!!! Deservedly so!

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