Ouch…That’s Got To Hurt!

Ouch
Imagine the great French chef Joel Robuchon announced he would no longer be serving French wine in his restaurants because it was too expensive and wasn’t high enough quality.

Exactly. The French people would have a "Teezee Feet" (that’s "Tizzy Fit" in English). Well, here you have the equivalent of what has occurred in Portugal where one of the leading producers of Portuguese wine has announced they are abandoning cork closures for their wine in favor of screw caps.

Those in the Portuguese cork industry, all $1.3 Billion of it, are not too happy about this affront to national pride.

"We are
obviously unhappy with this move because one of the main drivers for
the cork industry is the wine sector," said Joaquim Lima, head of the
Portuguese Cork Association.

The winery is Quinta do Cotto, described as one of the top wine producers in the country. The winery’s simple reason for leaving cork behind is that it is just too expensive.

That’s got to hurt on a number of levels. First there’s the national pride thing. But it also invites other producers in Portugal to do the same thing, though don’t count on the top Port producers to switch any time soon. If there is one sector of the wine industry that lives on tradition it’s the Port producers.


2 Responses

  1. Eve Collins - April 23, 2006

    So Joel Robuchon boycotts French wines, wow! Frankly, I don’t really care. Anyone who generalizes is of a simple mind and cannot be taken seriously. Do I detect a certain amount of glee in your report? Just caught the virus of French bashing? Have a glass of 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape La Reine des Bois from Domaine de la Mordoree, it might cure you. So it is probably just me, an American living in the Provence, being very sensitive in respect to French bashing. Probably. Yours is a serious blog which I like to read. Let others munch their Freedom Fries!
    As to the Portuguese cork producers: Many poor farmers will fall on even harder times no matter what temporary financial aid they might get from the European Union’s CAP funds. Do I support the measures taken by Portugal and Spain to protect their cork industry? Certainly not, let the free market make the adjustments. Keep taxpayers or consumers out of this! I just want to point out the potential human side to this development, anyone who has been to the Tras-os-Montes and Alentejo regions knows what I am talking about.

  2. Rikakosegawa - September 5, 2011

    My feet ouch all $30.00! You are ouch cork all $1.3 Billion!!!(-.-)….


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