Business Week article

[joeyz6]

Did anyone read the Business Week cover story about the "Wine War?" As a francophile, it really distressed me -- not only because the solidity of France's place as the world's No. 1 wine producing country seems to be eroding, but also because of the slightly militant attitude some French seem to be taking against foreign wines. It reminds me of the ultra-conservative French political party called the National Front, which has recently received as much as 15% of the vote in elections. The motto of the National Front, or 'La Peine' as it's called in France, is "France is for the French." I hate that attitude. But I still feel terrible about the situation that age-old French wine producers are stuck in.

The article made some excellent points about appelation control and labels; it's frustratingly true, for example, that a non-wine expert often can't tell what grape a French wine is made from if the label doesn't say. That is a pretty rare problem with New World wines, though.

I'm a pretty hard-core American capitalist, but I don't like what our capitalism has done to wine production, in California for example. Their regulations and laws are obviously minimal (seemingly TOO minimal), especially compared to the French laws. The French laws, while maybe a little outdated, seem very romantic to me. I think it was foodie who was talking about oak flavoring in California wines. Apparently it is ILLEGAL in France to use oak chips to flavor wine (barrels are legal, of course, just not the chips). The BW article quoted a French winemaker who complained about this law, but to me it seems that the French gov't just doesn't want to compromise the quality of its wine. Which I love. Leave it to the French to put sophistication and tradition ahead of all else.

Then there's the Bordeaux cru classes -- again, very charming, but why won't they allow changes? According to the article, in the 146-year history of the classes, there has been ONE solitary addition, that of the Chateau Mouton in 1973. That seems silly.

Maybe if the French relax their laws just a bit, that will help them regain a stronger hold on their production level.