European Wines in New Bottles

Filed in archive French Wines on November 28, 2006

Nothing ticks me off more than to discover that an open bottle of wine has turned to vinegar. But, what if that wine turned into rubbing alcohol or even additives for gasoline? Ugh!

It's one thing for something like this to happen by accident but to have it happen on purpose? {cringe!}

But, it looks like some grape growers in France, Italy, and Spain may have to resort to destroying some perfectly good vino in order to save their businesses. Here's more from Europe Vintners Turn Wine Into Alcohol:

At some of France's most celebrated vineyards, vintage wine is being transformed into alcohol for disinfectants or gasoline additives _ a high-tech process winemakers hope will help them stay afloat.

Chronic overproduction, dipping domestic consumption and fierce overseas competition have created a European wine crisis of unprecedented scale.

With lakes of unsold wine threatening to undermine prices, the European Union has resorted to paying vintners to destroy some of their stock each year, distilling billions of bottles of perfectly drinkable wine into pure alcohol.

The steaming grape juice that's left is hauled back to the vineyards, where it will be used to fertilize next year's vintage.

Skeptics say the measure, which cost EU taxpayers $190 million last year, is a quick fix that does not get at the root of the problem _ Europe simply produces too much wine for too few consumers.

A contested new EU plan aims to downsize Europe's wine industry, shifting from distillation to ripping out huge swaths of vineyards _ some 100,000 acres of vines, or more than 10 percent of Europe's total, over the next five years.

Across Spain, France and Italy, Europe's vintners are putting up a united front against the proposal. But as more wine is distilled each year _ reaching 740 million gallons in 2005 _ even the most virulent opponents acknowledge something has to be done.