Unbelievable

[Thraz]

Not US politics but I'm not sure where else this topic would fit.

I read an article about a guy who planted syrah in the Loire valley. Apparently there is a regional organization called Onivins Val de Loire, which represents the wine chain professionals of the Loire valley. Evidently the law says that Onivins should have authorized the planting because there is no syrah in the region. So the national Customs office goes to court to get him to remove the vines. And they win! He has to remove them! And according to the guy's lawyer, Onivins could have authorized it even after the planting and Customs would have gone away. Way to promote creativity in the wine region whose interests they claim to promote. The winemaker was not even trying to use a local appellation or anything, he just wanted to make wine from syrah in the Loire valley. So now he has just one barrique of wine that he has produced, and that is all there will ever be.

Having written this I realize I should have placed this topic in the "Rants" forum. But his sort of thing really gets to me, and is so representative of France even beyond the world of wine. (full disclosure: I am French).