PRODUCT OF FRANCE - Produced by a farming family with no political affiliations.
SHIPPED - To the USA on an American owned shipping line.
UNLOADED - At Port Elizabeth, NJ by union dockworkers.
TRUCKED - To the distributor warehouse by a local NY/NJ trucking company.
DISTRIBUTED - By a local NY/NJ company with more than 100 employees paying taxes in both states.
SOLD - To you by ME, your local retailer.
Now, if you still think you're hurting the French Government by boycotting French Wines, think again. You are really hurting all of the people listed above (including the French farmers who have families to feed) who are just like you.
Forgive my ignorance (I know this NG won't), but isn't there a tax or tariff on alcohol? imports? Anyway... boycotting French wine is a symbolic gesture, just as France's nonsupport of the war was an empty gesture. France is no longer the world superpower it once was, and the war went on as scheduled. Not too many superpowers remaining to dominate this global village.
I think the only reason that anyone here wouldn't protest the idiots who are/were boycotting French goods, is that our wine might be cheaper. Prices for 2000 Bordeaux are/were still ridiculous.
Thank you so much!! I am the manager of a small beverage store in Ohio. I have fought for months with the owner of the store about this issue. He is dead set against us selling any more French wines. Of course, he doesn't say a word when we sell a bottle of Dom and have to order more, cuz he likes the money. Anyway, I have printed out this post to show him. I hope it will open his eyes somewhat and help me do my job!
Except for a vote. France is a republic, whose people are just as responsible for their government as Americans are for theirs. And just as likely as Americans to make a change at the next opportunity if they get unhappy enough.
le/on Mon, 21 Jul 2003 11:36:21 GMT, tu disais/you said:-
Since when has "a vote" been "an affiliation".
Are you suggesting that President Chirac didn't have the support of the majority of the French in opposing the Iraq war? And what does this have to do with afw?
Well, we all have different tastes. But my impression was the Wolf Blass Black (it's the yellow that's the cheapie, right?) is a $40 wine. There's a LOT of
2000 Bordeaux out there that don't retail for $200-400! Assuming I'm buying to cellar, my preferences would run to Bdx, with my paying less than $40 for a variety of 2000 Bdx (du Tertre, Giscours, Dauzac, la Louviere,etc) that have a taste profile I prefer. If I wanted to drink right away, I'd still personally prefer the Epicurea de Martinat or la Dame de Montrose (which were both around $20) to the Blass. I've posted on quite a few good $10 2000s. But I'm not going to make a blanket statement re whether Australia or France makes better value wines.
As Mike Tomassi says, there's a lot of very fine quality wines made in the Languedoc/south of France that retail for less than $15. In fact, with the exception of Burgundy (where the bottom threshold is a little pricier), there's no major French region I can think of where I couldn't name quite a few extremely good wines that retail in US for less than $12. Mike and I tend to disagree re Bordeaux, but I think even he would be pleased with some of the satellite 2000s.
There are lots of good wines for inexpensive (under $12US retail) prices made in the US, France, Germany, Austria, Chile, Italy, Australia, NZ, (I'm leaving out a few like Canada & Portugal where I don't have enough experience to say there's lots). For my personal tastes, it's the US that has the highest chaff to wheat ratio at that level (though Austria is the hardest one to FIND the inexpensive examples). But I'm not going to boycott US wines, for that reason or any political reason. I'll just work diligently to find the wheat. :)
I never want it said that I do not have an open mind. I will certainly give your suggestions a try. Do you have any specific suggestions from Languedoc/south of France?
Perhaps Chuck's point is that the boycott of French wine is intended to reduce demand and therefore profits of the French wine industry, who would in turn voice their displeasure to the French government for being aggressively Anti-American. After all, profit is the motivation for just about everything, isn't it? No need for discussion on the whether or not the boycott will work or is justified. As far as your question as to what any of this has to do with AFW, I'm not sure who you are asking, as Chuck's post is just as relevant as yours or the original post. No one can expect to bring up the French boycott and not expect politics to be involved when politics is the reason behind the boycott.
To the original poster, replace "PRODUCT OF FRANCE" with "PRODUCT OF USA, SPAIN or AUSTRALIA" and there is my answer.
Something like that. But Ian was right: it's off-topic, and furthermore, it's a thoroughly beaten dead horse by now. I should have remembered that yesterday before hitting the Send button.
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