With the wine harvest still in full swing, some conclusions have been made from the 2010 vendanges, and not all news is good. The Languedoc-Roussillon region where I live produces the most amount of wine in France, but it has lost 10,000 small vineyards in less than 10 years. These vineyards are on average less than 7 acres and often represent an additional modest income for a family. Of these, almost 80% brought their grapes to a cooperative which represented 71% of regional production; hence, even small business means money. The irony is, the decrease in acres harvested does not translate into a decrease in the quantity produced; 83% of the vineyards that remain are harvested mechanically and therefore are more profitable.
While these are just numbers from a country far away from “2 Buck Chuck”, they do show a growing trend: small producers are being forced out and that will have an impact on the local economy and the end product. Less money in mean less money out and quality can decrease when there is less of a choice, or does it? If your vineyard only produces a small benefit, is it worth holding out if a better offer is presented? Half of winegrowers hold an official label, such as appellation d’orgine protégée or indicate a geographic protection, so their quality has to meet certain expectations that are not found from its two dollar counterpart.
Personally, I am for all the small vineyards; after all, it is the culture here and not too long ago each family had a vineyard to produce its personal wine consumption. I would like to see all the vineyards stay, but it should not mean a loss to the winegrowers. It’s a quandary, what should the small winegrowers do?
(Data: L’Hérault de Jour, September 29, 2011.)
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