"It's a real heartbreaker," said Didier Pettermann, director of the Interprofessional Council of Alsace Wines (CIVA), commenting on the green light given by FranceAgriMer. On June 3, the establishment under the authority of the Ministry of Agriculture authorized crisis distillation in French vineyards.
"It is unheard of for the Alsace vineyard" recognizes Didier Pettermann. It remains very marked by the Covid-19 epidemic which deprived Alsatian winegrowers of outlets. “Each year, 6 million tourists crowd the wine route in Alsace. Since March 15, all the sales rooms have been closed, ”he laments.
Add to that the closure of restaurants for two months, the reduction of mass distribution circuits and almost zero export activity and you get a loss of 70 million euros for Alsatian vineyard professionals between mid-March and mid-May.
Huge stocks to sell
"Our winemakers thus end up with huge stocks of wine in their cellars and this as the next harvest approaches" explains Didier Pettermann. The Romann distillery, in Sigolsheim (Haut-Rhin), will thus contribute to the processing of 2 million hectoliters of wine by September 12.
“The winemakers have until June 19 to indicate the volume they wish to distill and we will collect them. In exchange, they are compensated 78 euros per hectolitre, ”explains Erwin Brouard, the director of the Romann distillery. A meager consolation prize compared to the 250 euros per hectoliters represented by the production costs of Alsace wine.
Once distilled, the wine will transform into alcohol at 92 degrees and will be used to make hydroalcoholic gel or bioethanol.
