An unprecedented legal case being dubbed Winemakers Vs Négociants is expected to be wound up on 22 February. The decision could have a long-reaching impact on grape prices, and place limitations on the activities of Bordeaux négoces. db reports. Two major Bordeaux négociants, Ginestet and Excell (a subsidiary of Cordier), were called before the Bordeaux Commercial Court in January, charged with unfairly driving down the price of a winegrower’s grapes. The case has kept French vintners on the edge of their seats, as it’s seen by many to highlight the wider issue of grape growers receiving pitifully small sums for their crops, or risk being “blacklisted” by négociants. The current system, say the country’s grape growers, effectively has them over a barrel. If the ruling goes against the négociants, it could set a legal precedence in terms of who determines the price of grapes, and how. The case is being unofficially dubbed by those following it as Winegrowers Vs Négociants. Instigated by Médoc grower Rémi Lacombe (of Château Bessan-Ségur) more than a year ago, the court case hinges on the fact that Ginestet and Excell wanted to buy Lacombe’s wines at a price of €1,200 per tonneau (900 litres), when the cost of Lacombe’s production stood well in excess of this at an estimated €1600 per tonneau. According to Lacombe’s attorney, a law established in 2018 (the Egalim Law) states that the seller should set the price for its goods, and not the buyer. Furthermore, the same law prohibits
This Article was originally published on The Drink Business - Fine Wine
