French Winemakers Get Boost

Filed in archive French Wines on February 25, 2007

Things may be looking up for french wine makers. Finally! It took some laws to be passed and some prices to be worked on, but it may just make a difference according to this article French wine fights back:

A series of reforms in the way wine is produced in France, which include labelling wines by grape variety as well as by region, appear to have boosted the beleagured industry.

The latest figures show wine and spirit exports grew by 13% last year, to reach a record €8.74bn, with a notable increase in foreign sales of still wines.

France's share of the still wines market in the United States - set to become the world's biggest consumer next year - has gone up two points to 14%, at the expense of Australia.

"The export figures show that we are going in the right direction. We must advance towards the path of committed reform," Louis Regis Affre, managing director of the Federation of Exporters of Wine and Spirits in France (FEVS), told AFP.

Two "good quality" vintage years in 2005 and 2006 and a 20% to 25% drop in prices that is "indicative of the crisis" have improved the competitiveness of French wine, he said.