French government asks EU for more cash to pull up vines

The strategy, which was created by the French government, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and the Bordeaux Wine Interprofessional Counsel, would see the uprooting of around 4% of the country’s total 800,000 hectares of vineyards.

The move is part of an even wider plan to remove 100,000 hectares of vineyards by the Ministry of Agriculture — more than a fifth of the total — although the EU request will only cover the initial 30,000ha.

A previous scheme, which had stalled, was given funding to pull-up 9,500 ha in Bordeaux. Last year, according to figures from the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB), Bordeaux had roughly 108,000 hectares of vines, and financing was provided to allow some 9,500 hectares to be pulled up in Girone. But the scheme has recently reported it has only pulled up around 3,000 ha.

That funding package totalled €57 million, with €38 million provided by the government and the remainder financed by the CIVB.

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