The world’s biggest wine drinkers are losing business through problems in the wine industry. Bordeaux area has been hit particularly badly.France is not only the
world’s number one country for tourism, yet is also the
world’s most famous wine drinking nation. It is suggested that the average Frenchman drinks 53 liters a year. Indeed, some French people talk about wine as if it were not an alcoholic drink, as if it were merely the liquid of life without any alcoholic connotations.
Wine being absent on a French table is something like paprika being absent in a Hungarian menu or vodka in a Russian one. Wine has traditionally been very important for French tourism, luring millions of wine enthusiasts from all around the globe, especially to the south where the vineyards are particularly fantastic.
However, as with many tourism sectors, the French wine industry has been struggling in recent years. The global financial crisis, which needs no introduction, is naturally to blame. However, French wine has been experiencing also other problems. A typical slide in wine export has been around
10% in recent years. A lot of the blame has been put on some government officials wanting to put less-attractive warning labels on the products. For example, “drink in moderation” has become “drinking alcohol detrimentally damages health”. This is hardly a great advert.
The French are planning to invest in promoting their great wines to counter attack against the crisis, especially in areas such as
Bordeaux where the wine industry is particularly floundering. There are also environmental concerns. As the planet’s temperature changes, the wine is naturally going to follow suit. Despite these threats and setbacks, the French are confident that they can turn the tables and put French wine back on the tourism table the way it used to be.
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