French winegrowers smashed hundreds of crates of Cava and dumped thousands of gallons of Spanish rosé to protest cheap imports impacting domestic wine sales. Vignerons protesting in the border town of Boulou intercepted lorries carrying Spanish wine into France, smashing 10,000 bottles of Cava and spilling a whole lorry load of rosé imported in bulk onto the road. Around 500 French winegrowers were involved in the protest, which took place on Thursday 19 October.
Winemakers in France have poured thousands of liters of Spanish wine on the road in protest.
French winemakers are unhappy with government support for cheap alcoholic beverages from abroad. Yesterday morning, 300-400 winemakers from several regions in southern France… pic.twitter.com/TT1m6x3s8I — Slava (@Heroiam_Slava) October 20, 2023 Low prices of foreign wine have caused problems for local vignerons, who are struggling to sell their own products, taking to the streets to demonstrate against what they claim is unfair competition. Frédéric Rouanet, chairman of the Aude Vignerons Association, who spearheaded the protest, warned French officials of the protest on Tuesday, as wine growers gathered in Ferrals-des-Corbières to discuss what they described as the worst wine crisis in 20 years. “If you want peace, prepare for war,” he said during the meeting. “Let it be known in Paris,” he continued, “that the situation in southern France is getting a bit worse every day and that us honest workers have decided to revolt.” “Let Paris know that the government bears a heavy responsibility for the drop in wine
This Article was originally published on The Drink Business - Wine
