Vino Business: The Cloudy World of French Wine

This sharp critique of French winemakers, and Bordeaux’s Saint Emilion region in particular, caused quite a stir when it was published in France in 2014, and it even resulted in a defamation lawsuit from Hubert de Boüard, one of the vintners mentioned in this dishy exposé. Saporta (The Black Book of Agriculture) doesn’t pull any punches, portraying an industry rife with enormous egos and long histories of trying to become even more profitable, tradition be damned. The most glaring embodiment of this is in the shifting classification of vineyards in order to raise their profiles and prices, as well as to attract the attention of the highly lucrative and fast-growing Chinese market. Prominent producers once focused on quality and tradition are now said to display a cavalier attitude toward pesticides and chemical residues in wines, regardless of their effects on taste and quality. Saporta is not afraid to name names and highlight the ramifications of a few elites’ backroom machinations on smaller producers, as well as on France’s beloved wine industry as a whole. Saporta’s precision in identifying her targets and laying out supporting evidence adds drama to an already-melodramatic saga, and teetotalers and oenophiles alike will find it hard to resist. [em](Nov.) [/em]