Pour One Out for Bordeaux Wine

Mon Dieu!

Et merde!

Repetez, s’il-vous plaît.

The French government is spending millions — millllllll. Yuns — of euros to destroy surplus gallons of wine, writes Jelisa Castrodale of Food & Wine.

Government officials in France believe that it’s necessary to eliminate a significant percentage of its wine crop — about 7% of last year’s total — because there’s a wine surplus caused by a combination of factors, including the lingering effects of the pandemic, the ongoing war in Ukraine, consumer inflation, and a change in drinking habits throughout the country.

Not only that, the government is paying to clear over 23,000 acres, or roughly 8.5% of total acres planted, of vines in the Bordeaux region and making funds available for farmers who want to start growing olives or other crops.

To which I say:

But zut alors (emphasis de moi):

Agence France-Presse explains that the sharp decline in demand for wine means that prices have also fallen, leading to financial challenges for winemakers in the Bordeaux and Languedoc regions. “We’re producing too much, and the sale price is below the production price, so we’re losing money,” Jean-Philippe Granier, from the Languedoc Wine Producers’ Association, told the AFP.

So if it’s too expensive to sell French wine in Europe, the added costs of shipping to the States means it’s really not worth it to send here.

Which means any existing Bordeaux is going to become rarer and more expensive. If you can find any.

We’d best enjoy it while we can.

Today I’m enjoying some 2016 Chateau Moncets Lalande de Pomerol. Lalande de Pomerol is just next door to the more famous (and about to shoot sky-high) Pomerol region. It hails from the Right Bank, north of the Dordogne River. This vintage is 86% merlot and 14% cabernet franc.

The nose is still fairly tight upon opening. I’d decant for a minimum of half an hour. There’s lots of blackberry and woodsy flavor on the palate. It’s a big wine you should save for a nice dinner, something beefy or with sausage and tomato.

Strange days indeed. Will any other wine regions get the chop?