Bordeaux protests

This week growers in Bordeaux went on a march to demand state funding to grub up vines. Much of Bordeaux wine is low to mid-priced red wine, which has fallen out of favour with French drinkers resulting in demands to grub up up to 10% of Bordeaux vineyards.

To date, it is estimated that approximately 10,000 hectares should be permanently uprooted in Bordeaux said Christophe Chateau, communication manager for the CIVB. Bordeaux AOC has 108,000 hectares and is the largest AOC vineyard in France.

The CIVB said ‘structural’ and ‘cyclical’ issues were to blame, from higher costs and the impact of Covid, to falling red wine consumption in France and difficulties in reaching key export markets.

The low demand for some of the less prestigious vineyards in Bordeaux means that there is little hope for their sale as older growers look to retire. They are demanding state funding to grub up these sites.