More quantity and "simple" wines: A collective of French winemakers aims to revolutionize the Bordeaux system

The Collectif des Viticulteurs 33 has suggested a division of the Bordeaux vineyard into an Aoc Cru Bordeaux and Igp Bordeaux Atlantique to address the crisis that French wine is currently experiencing. A new designation.

A new designation

The association has emphasized that for years they have supported "the need to reconquer markets, open specifications to listen to consumers, and create a consistent segmentation where Bordeaux and others have their place," highlighting the crisis situation faced by many French winemakers. The group, recognizing "the inability to change the paradigms of remunerating Bordeaux winegrowers for decades," has proposed "an immediate evolution of the offer."

The solution put forward by the collective involves a change starting from the 2024 harvest, suggesting a division between "Cru Bordeaux and Cru Bordeaux Supérieur AOC that allows us to maintain what works, improve it, and strengthen it, while allowing for a period of adaptation" and a "Bordeaux Atlantique IGP, maintaining the geographical scope of the AOC but innovating significantly in terms of grape varieties, types of wine, and cultivation methods (fresh reds, sweet, from resistant vines, fewer treatments, etc.)."

Temporary Solution

The Viti 33 collective has emphasized that these PDO and IGP designations are simply proposals to initiate the debate and that "it is essential that they maintain Bordeaux identity." According to the Viti 33 group, the idea would "quickly restore profitability to our farms, thanks to higher IGP yields, and meet the expectations of traders in terms of prices and products for the entire sector. It will also allow the entire Bordeaux region to assert itself in terms of demand and innovation, preserving our world-famous expertise." Another issue raised by the Viti 33 collective is "to obtain a minimum price for our wine and the creation of a Producer Organization (PO) as a regulatory and marketing tool that authorizes price agreements within it," which would be "the only regulatory framework that allows the creation of minimum prices."