“We have three million hectoliters too many all over France”, deplores the National Committee of Wine Interprofessions

“We have three million hectoliters of wine too many throughout the territory”, warns Bernard Farges. The president of the National Committee of Wine Interprofessions, guest of franceinfo on Monday February 13 on the occasion of the start of Wine Paris – Vinexpo Paris, a trade show dedicated to professionals in the sector, lists several factors that have caused the accumulation of stocks: lcessation of exports to China with the pandemic, the drop in consumption in France and the American taxes on French wine. The state has released 160 million euros to transform these reserves using distillation. But Bernard Fages calls for structural changes, in particular by reducing the size of the plots.

franceinfo: Why are French winegrowers unable to sell their stocks?

Bernard Fage: We have three million hectoliters of excess wine throughout France at the moment, particularly red wines. First, because the Chinese market closed with the pandemic, trade came to a halt. There is also a sharp drop in the consumption of red wine in France: it has fallen by 30% in ten years. The Trump taxes on French wines also closed the American market for fifteen months. With all these shocks, we end up accumulating stocks.

What should be done to remedy this situation?

Structurally, we have to go harder towards exporting. We need to win back China’s market share. And we also need to address more consumers who have lost the habit of drinking red wines or who do not really know what red wine is. We have products that may appeal to younger generations, provided they are presented in a different way, with different packaging or even with lower alcohol content.

Is the uprooting of plots of vines a solution?

It’s very difficult, but it’s a necessary evil to get through this crisis. It is absolutely necessary to reduce the size of the vineyards to find a new breath. This is a way to reduce the costs and stocks that currently weigh on companies. Distillation is expensive and does not solve the structural problem. Reducing the surfaces is essential. It is a whole economy that must be saved and a sector to be restructured. We fear a job loss of 100,000 to 150,000 jobs in the next ten years if we do not manage to raise the bar.