PULLING UP VINES

When the price is right, it’s right – and French winemakers need money. In exchange for remuneration from the EU, French wine producers are planning to uproot more than 15,OOO hectares of vines in the 2OO9/2O1O growing season. According to state agency FranceAgriMer, more than 3OOO applications to uproot vines have been received. This is all part of the European Commission’s effort to uproot 175,OOO hectares of vines across the EU in order to reduce overproduction. However, according to the agency, French applications to uproot vines are down 43% on the previous growing season and show a fall of 32% in terms of hectarage. Languedoc-Roussillon accounts for three quarters of the vines to be pulled up in the coming year. The European Commission has allocated EUR334m (US$488m) in compensation to growers in all of the EU’s 27-member states who uproot vines in the 2OO9/2O1O growing season.