During the International Agricultural Show, the Salon de l'Agriculture, which took place from February 22 to March 2, the French wine industry presented a recovery program. According to French media reports, the program provides in particular for a modernization of the image of wine.
"Thick clouds are gathering over the entire industry," summarizes Bernard Farges, President of the Comité National des Interprofessions des Vins (CNIV). According to media reports, the professional associations had already begun 18 months ago to draw up a diagnosis of the sector, which is facing a decline in wine consumption in France as well as exports and climatic fluctuations.
Goals without measures
The recovery program, entitled "Cap Vins", aims to align supply with consumer demand in order to appeal to the younger generation as well. The focal points of the recovery plan include innovations in packaging and non-alcoholic wines, the promotion of environmental protection measures, and more comprehensive export strategies.
It was not until October 2024 that the French state, in response to the crisis, released subsidies of €120m for the grubbing-up of vineyards to counteract overproduction. Despite the obvious urgency, the sector has not set itself a precise timetable in the recovery program, according to French media. "We had to share a unified vision, which was not necessarily easy. It took a lot of discussion and consensus," says Jérôme Bauer, President of the Confédération Nationale des Appellations d'Origine Contrôlées (CNAOC). The plan is a declared and shared objective, and despite a lack of concrete measures, "not an empty document".
