Christian Delpeuch
Encyclopedia
Christian Delpeuch is president emeritus of the French
Conseil Interprofessionel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB). He won support for Plan Bordeaux, an effort to save the wine industry of Bordeaux
. The plan calls for growers to reduce yields, decrease total area of vineyard
s, divert excess wine into production of ethanol fuels and cleaning solutions, reclassify lesser vineyards as vin de pays
, and start putting varietal names on wine labels.
wines have been sold for that purpose.http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/le-vin-distilled-to-drive-le-van/2005/10/06/1128562943521.html
New World consumers tend to prefer buying wine by grape variety and also from brand name producers rather than from unknown chateaux. Domestic consumption in France continues to shrink in the face of a growing neo-prohibitionism. At the same time exports are falling in the face of growing competition from excellent wines sold at lower prices.http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:-gLcIIGih5EJ:news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3927427.stm+French+wine+problems&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=11 Australia now exports more wine to Great Britain than does France and the latter's share of the U.S. market continues to drop.
Many producers have had to sell their wine below cost, leading to bankruptcies and early retirements. Between 1994 and 2005, the number of growers in Bordeaux shrank from 14,000 to 10,000. It is expected that this trend will continue, with more estates going out of business while others merge and grow in size.
Delpeuch hoped to reduce production, improve quality, and sell more wine in the United States. However, two years after the beginning of Plan Bordeaux, Mr Delpeuch http://www.wineint.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storyCode=2089 resigned, "citing the failure of the French government to address properly the wine crisis in Bordeaux." Delpeuch told journalists assembled at the Bordeaux Press Club “I refuse to countenance this continual putting off of decisions which can only end in failure.”
"Delpeuch said he was shocked and disappointed by the failure of his efforts – and by the lack of co-operation from winemakers and negociants
themselves - to achieve anything concrete in terms of reforms to the Bordeaux wine industry over the last 24 months." http://www.wineint.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storyCode=2089
His resignation took effect on 10 July 2006.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Conseil Interprofessionel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB). He won support for Plan Bordeaux, an effort to save the wine industry of Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
. The plan calls for growers to reduce yields, decrease total area of vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s, divert excess wine into production of ethanol fuels and cleaning solutions, reclassify lesser vineyards as vin de pays
Vin de pays
Vin de pays is a French term meaning "country wine". Vins de pays are a step in the French wine classification which is above the table wine classification, but below the VDQS and Appellation d'origine contrôlée classifications...
, and start putting varietal names on wine labels.
Background
The wine industry of Bordeaux has been facing continuing and severe economic problems. A wine glut led to the sale of 26 million bottles of wine for conversion into industrial alcohol in 2004. This was the first time in history that AOCAppellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...
wines have been sold for that purpose.http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/le-vin-distilled-to-drive-le-van/2005/10/06/1128562943521.html
New World consumers tend to prefer buying wine by grape variety and also from brand name producers rather than from unknown chateaux. Domestic consumption in France continues to shrink in the face of a growing neo-prohibitionism. At the same time exports are falling in the face of growing competition from excellent wines sold at lower prices.http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:-gLcIIGih5EJ:news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3927427.stm+French+wine+problems&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=11 Australia now exports more wine to Great Britain than does France and the latter's share of the U.S. market continues to drop.
Many producers have had to sell their wine below cost, leading to bankruptcies and early retirements. Between 1994 and 2005, the number of growers in Bordeaux shrank from 14,000 to 10,000. It is expected that this trend will continue, with more estates going out of business while others merge and grow in size.
Delpeuch hoped to reduce production, improve quality, and sell more wine in the United States. However, two years after the beginning of Plan Bordeaux, Mr Delpeuch http://www.wineint.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storyCode=2089 resigned, "citing the failure of the French government to address properly the wine crisis in Bordeaux." Delpeuch told journalists assembled at the Bordeaux Press Club “I refuse to countenance this continual putting off of decisions which can only end in failure.”
"Delpeuch said he was shocked and disappointed by the failure of his efforts – and by the lack of co-operation from winemakers and negociants
Négociant
A négociant is the French term for a wine merchant who assembles the produce of smaller growers and winemakers and sells the result under its own name....
themselves - to achieve anything concrete in terms of reforms to the Bordeaux wine industry over the last 24 months." http://www.wineint.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storyCode=2089
His resignation took effect on 10 July 2006.
Further reading
- Frank, Mitch. Bordeaux tries to save itself: The region's growers take drastic steps to cut their glut and pump up sales. Wine Spectator, 2005 (November 30), 30(12), 17.