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| 2007-05-29 |
| A shadowy group of wine activists has issued a one-month ultimatum to Nicolas Sarkozy threatening “action” if the new French President fails to help the industry. The Regional Committee for Viticultural Action (CRAV) has been known to hijack tankers of foreign wine and dynamite government buildings or supermarkets. In a pre-recorded message delivered to France 3, a regional television channel, from “somewhere in the Languedoc hinterland”, five balaclava-clad men read out a statement addressed to Sarkozy. Looking more like Corsican nationalists or masked Islamic fundamentalists than winemakers, the “wine terrorists” vowed that if nothing changed and the price they received for their wine had not gone up, they would go “into action”. In a reference to the French resistance in World War II, the CRAV said it would “come out of the maquis (scrub) and go into action”. Calling on fellow winemakers to unite, the activists referred to the 1907 winemakers’ uprising in Montpellier, when thousands took to the streets and the army opened fire, killing six. The intimation was that once again lives could be lost. While nobody will own up to being a member, it is an open secret that the CRAV is the Just like Hamas, with political and "militant" wings. Emilien Jubineau, the France 3 journalist who filmed the message, said the CRAV members wanted the European Commission to drop its plan to “grub up” 200,000 hectares of vines. They also want Europe to maintain a subsidy for distilling surplus wine into alcohol spirit. However, Michel-Laurent Pinat, the general manager of the French wine bottlers and distributor’s association, said the militants refused to face the realities of the open market. Mon Dieu, non! Anything but compete fairly on quality and price. |
| Posted by:Jackal |
| #10 When France goes Islamic they'll be out of a job. Perhaps they should support Sarkozy now rather than playing at being radicals. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2007-05-29 19:54 |
| #9 3dc, what's your favourite site/shop to buy truffles from? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-05-29 16:34 |
| #8 To the best of my very fuzzy recollections, the corsican separatist movement - initially the Flnc, which eventually splintered into various antagonist movements all to happy to gun each others down, all very militarized (see this, scroll down for effect) and active (up to 600 bombings a years in the mid 90's, no, you read that right) - started that way. IIRC, the movement was launched after a bloody stand off at the home of a corsican winemaker, caused by resentment of native corsicans about the (relative, Corsica is only 250 000) massive arrival of pieds-noirs (french algerian refugees). This is most probably just boast and huffing, but agricultors are a very powerful lobby in France, and their "demonstrations" tend to be very violent when they go berserk, fishers, vinemakers and all, their riots are noteworthy (and usually unpunished, see the "powerful lobby" note above). |
| Posted by: anonymous5089 2007-05-29 15:08 |
| #7 Should take a page from the U.S and proposed making ethanol out of it. |
| Posted by: DoDo 2007-05-29 12:07 |
| #6 Life imitates Scrappleface? |
| Posted by: xbalanke 2007-05-29 11:49 |
| #5 Vinicultural Terrorists. Only in France. |
| Posted by: mojo 2007-05-29 10:34 |
| #4 It seems like Sarkozy will have to confront these guys, or he will go the same way as his predecessors. They have gotten their way before, so by using the process of inductive reasoning, they can again achieve success. I wish Sarkozy well, and hope that he does not back down. They have thrown down the gauntlet. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2007-05-29 10:29 |
| #3 Oregon White Truffles cost about $60/lb compared to French Whites Truffles at about $1800/oz. The French will not allow Oregon Truffles to be called Truffles nor allow them to be sold with another name. Seems the best French chefs can not tell the difference in a taste test. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2007-05-29 09:57 |
| #2 “wine terrorists” Ohforgawdsake. How long til the baguette bakers and truffle hunters follow suit? |
| Posted by: Spot 2007-05-29 08:12 |
| #1 LOL Houmors is return to la Belle. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2007-05-29 03:26 |