For many, Bordeaux is the ultimate red wine. Now France is paying winegrowers in the region a premium for uprooting the vines as there is overproduction. Minister of Agriculture Marc Fesneau announced that the state, region and industry association want to pay up to 67 million euros for restructuring winegrowing around Bordeaux. One reason for the sales problems is the declining consumption of red wine. Abandoned cultivated areas are to be reforested. Winegrowing in the Bordeaux region generates an annual turnover of four billion euros and secures 48,000 jobs. The association of Bordeaux winegrowers, who had demonstrated several times for state aid, welcomed the decision from Paris. The set-aside premiums made it possible to end wine-growing on 9,500 hectares. There are currently around 110,000 hectares of cultivated land in the western French region.
Bordeaux – please rip out vines – economy
