Le Figaro Bordeaux
This spring in Gironde, the vines are growing at the same time as discounted prices are flourishing in supermarkets.
After singling out Lidl for offering local bottles at 1.89 euros during its wine fair, Girondin winegrowers denounced the prices charged by the Carrefour de Lormont on Saturday.
The franchise brand offered the fruits of the vines and the work of the men of Bordeaux at... 1.66 euros per bottle.
A dozen Gironde winegrowers, united under the banners of the young farmers of Gironde (JA 33), the local branch of the National Federation of Farmers' Unions (FNSEA) and Viti 33, awarded the store the diploma of the lowest price, far from being honorary in their eyes.
“Below 3 euros, the price of the bottle is lower than the production cost of Bordeaux wine.
Without wine, a bare bottle already costs a winegrower 1.10 euros
,” warns Serge Bergeon.
The general secretary of the FNSEA 33 denounces
“the
massacre
carried out”
by wine fairs offering such indecent prices.
“This denigrates the value of all producers’ efforts.
It's ridiculous, no one wants to buy Bordeaux wine at 1.66 euros and no one gains from selling it at that price”
insists the farmer, according to whom Carrefour internally subsidizes this promotion at a loss.
The wine fair should not be the fair with the lowest prices.
And burgundy is not a first prize.
Serge Bergeon, president of the FNSEA 33
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Tastings
Not ignoring the fact that wine fairs can be an opportunity for great discoveries and good deals, because supermarkets are essential distribution places for winegrowers, Serge Bergeon insists on their primary mission in his eyes:
“to be a place of exchange, tasting and promotion of wine
.
Before summarizing:
“The wine fair should not be the fair with the lowest prices.
And burgundy is not a first prize.”
And for good reason, according to the latest official figures from the Chamber of Agriculture, published in 2020, the production costs of a 900-liter barrel of Bordeaux wine are
at least
1,250 euros for conventional vineyards and 1,850 euros for those who produce organically.
“Knowing that with the
climatic hazards
of recent years which have caused yields to decrease, we estimate these costs to be higher
,” adds Serge Bergeon.
A satirical diploma
“for the lowest price”
was presented by angry winegrowers to the leaders of Carrefour de Lormont.
FNSEA 33
When contacted, the director of this Carrefour franchise did not wish to comment.
The Carrefour wine subsidiary which organizes this wine fair, Maison Johanès Boubée, has not responded to our requests for the moment.
On Saturday, these store representatives spoke with the winegrowers for more than an hour, recognizing according to Serge Bergeon
“an error”
and
“a clumsiness”
.
A new meeting has been scheduled between the two parties for Friday, and the bottles in question have so far been removed from the shelves.