The vines of Occitanie are plunging into their winter rest, but the region’s wine world is in turmoil. On November 25, around 4,000 people marched through the streets of Narbonne (Aude) to denounce the crisis affecting the sector. General decline in consumption, inflation, decline in exports, foreign competition, fall in production, etc. “The sector is hit by the worst problems in decades”according to Frédéric Rouanet, Aude leader of the Union of Independent Winegrowers of France.
The production of this first national vineyard with areas spread over two production basins, 38,000 hectares in the south-west part and more than 230,000 hectares in Languedoc-Roussillon, is mainly located in Hérault, Aude, Gard and the Pyrénées-Orientales. Since 2000, the number of farms has increased from 30,000 to 23,000, with a tendency to increase in size, as a result of regrouping and an increase in quality to produce AOP (protected designation of origin) or IGP wines. (protected Geographical Indication).
In France’s leading organic and exporting region, the difficulties mainly concern entry-level wines. On Domaine Les Graviers, on the outskirts of Béziers (Hérault), Jean-Pascal Pelagatti’s 27 hectares tick all the boxes for this new crisis. Starting with the drop in production, due to the lack of precipitation.
“We are at 40% less harvestconfides Mr. Pelagatti. This is 30% of our turnover which jumps, or around 45,000 euros excluding taxes”, he specifies. Added to this is the price of nitrogen fertilizers, which has doubled in two years, as has that of glyphosate, this chemical weedkiller. As for the price of glass, and therefore of bottles, it has “increased by 40% in 2023”, according to this winemaker. The entire profession is also facing payment delays from certain cooperatives or foreign buyers. “Since 2021, I have 80,000 euros out because customers, particularly in England, have postponed payments”testifies Jean-Pascal Pelagatti.
“Supplement my income”
To bring in money, many sell their grapes for distillation and the manufacture of eaux-de-vie. A solution supported by the State, but which also brings 30% less income to winegrowers. For the first time in the region, aid for the uprooting of vines, as is done in Bordeaux, has been requested by the profession. In the general slump, only a few niches are thriving, such as sparkling white wines.
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