Socialism run amok!

[Thraz]

I understand the systems were set up for different purposes - but I'm not sure that's relevant today. Is there any information that a US winery is not allowed to give? I can think of plenty for French wineries that want to follow the AOC system. So in answer to which system gives the most information: well US labels give the information the consumer wants to see, French labels give you the information the government allows you to see. I have to choose as a consumer on this one.

Also, you chose two AOCs that are very similar (Chablis and Meursault, both 100% chardonnay). Leaving out the 0.01% of the population that would pass that taste test (and Foodie I am certainly not saying that you would not be part of that small percentage - only that I wouldn't), most of the appellations are not that crystal clear. The Bordeaux and Rhone appellations, for instance, allow for a lot of manipulation and variations (which is a good thing - please nobody get the idea to get rid of that too!!!). As a consumer, you have no idea what's in the bottle unless you are a professional with good access or a consumer with an exceptional palate. The winery just can't tell you, even if they want to. And if the worldwide market wants to know what's in the bottle - well, too bad, as a winery you still can't tell them because some civil servant in Paris said no (and yes, I'm also from Paris). So you're not allowed to compete with other countries that can market according to the demands and tastes of the market. You have to wait until some bureaucrat decides to come up with a solution, and it will still be the wrong one, along the lines of the WSJ article.

Again, I like labeling systems, I'm certainly not advocating getting rid of them. But when a bureaucrat comes up with yet another government solution as described in the article, I have to wonder what the winery that competes with Yellow Tail thinks. Or with Grange or Montelena for that matter.

And going back to the Chablis and Meursault reference, I think the percentage of people that know what grape goes in there when shopping for wine is small. But they know they like chardonnay, so maybe they will buy Yellow Tail or Beringer instead because they know what that is - even if it's only 75% intead of 100%. So, as a French consumer looking at the plight of the French winemaker, I still have to wonder who the system is protecting. The system should not be ditched, but change is inevitable and overdue.

By the way, that was a rhetorical question, and yet I have the answer. The system protects the bureaucrats who perpetuate it, as so many others in France do.

[This message has been edited by Thraz (edited 07-09-2006).]