2.5million hectolitres of mainly red wines will be removed from the market.

2.5million hectolitres of mainly red wines will be removed from the market.
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France ready to turn wine into disinfectant

Because of overproduction, the French government wants to use wine for industrial purposes.

Red wine from Bordeaux is something appreciated and sought after, so it’s hard to imagine that disinfectants could be made from it. But that is exactly what the French government is now planning because of the sales problems with wine, with surplus quantities taken off the market. The industry will be helped by subsidies from the state and the EU amounting to €160 million in 2023, with the alcohol distilled from the surplus wine to be used to produce disinfectants, perfume or bioethanol.

Specifically, it is about red wine from the Bordeaux region, with the winegrowers there complaining about overproduction, their demand for set-aside premiums to remove vines on parts of the land. The French Ministry of Agriculture has promised help for the region, with Languedoc and Rhône Valley also affected to a lesser extent.

The programme is intended to remove 2.5million hectolitres of mainly red wines from the market. The main reason given for the sales problems is a decline in red wine consumption amongst the French, with inflation is also having an effect; in addition, the export market in China has been greatly affected by the Covid pandemic.

Robert Prazak
Robert Prazak
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