Passions rise in France
Well they say the French are passionate. But this week there are several stories about the French getting passionate about wine growing with disputes left bank, right bank and centre! One wine producer in the Loire has had 5,000-6,000 vines sabotaged by vandals. This is thought to be connected to a feud in the Loire over who should and shouldn't be allowed to grow Sauvignon Blanc. Tensions have been running high in the Loire due to a dispute over vine planting rules outside of AOC vineyards. Whilst meanwhile in the Languedoc 13 militants attacked Sudvin,one of Southern France's biggest wine companies, ransacking offices in this subsidiary of co-operative producer and merchant Vinadeis. The militants are claiming allegience to the shadowy French winemaker group CRAV. The attackers said local winemakers were sitting on full vats of wine only weeks ahead of harvest, and blamed big companies in Languedoc for importing cheap wine.
