the puzzle of Bordeaux first prize

The spring wine fair has awakened a painful dilemma. The winemaker Franck Dufils was moved, on Europe 1, for having found his wine for € 1.67 at Lidl. With other Bordeaux winegrowers who shared his anger, he demonstrated in front of the brand’s supermarket in Libourne, in the Gironde, to warn about its practices. “A bordeaux sold at 3 €, it’s low but it’s fine. At 2 €, it’s shocking, confirms Hervé Grandeau, member of the Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superior appellations union. We do not produce AOC wines so that they are sold at this price, it tarnishes the image of our appellation. “

Except that Bordeaux has experienced a slump since 2019, due to overproduction in relation to demand, competition from other wine regions, the fall in exports and the pandemic. At the start of 2021, the tanks were overflowing. “We respond to a request, is justified Michel Biero, executive director of purchases of Lidl. But this demand, today, does not come from consumers but from Bordeaux producers who need to empty their vats! In trading, a liter of bulk Bordeaux sells for 80 cents, this is not Lidl’s doing! “

This distributor intends to demonstrate, supported by photos of leaflets, that it is far from being the most aggressive in this segment. At the same wine fair, Leclerc offered (discounts deducted) a Château Croix de Terrefort AOC bordeaux at € 1.66. At Auchan, a superior Bordeaux was priced at € 1.67 and Le Grand Manoir was priced at € 1.50. Prices that are more often found on wines from the Rhône, Loire or Languedoc. More broadly, these prices reflect the underlying crisis in the Bordeaux region, apart from its grands crus which serve as a showcase.