Simmering unrest

Some time back, I wrote about the biggest civil revolt that took place in the 20th century in France. And no, I am not making reference to the demonstrations that captivated the world’s attention in May 1968, when students in Paris somehow lost that San Francisco summer of love feeling and protested against anything and everything. But the “manifs” of ’68 seem a simple family spat when compared to the civil dispute that took place in Languedoc in 1907.

Upwards of 800,000 protesters in the region of Languedoc and Roussillon found fault with the corrupt wine practices and the pricing of French wines. This civic action almost led to the region nearly declaring independence from France. Fortunately, state intervention led to the introduction of the French appellation contrôlée system. And today, similar systems exist under various names in all the wine regions of the world.

History, however, has a nasty habit of repeating itself. Despite the sheer beauty and complexity of their wines, the region is once again beset with low prices. And there are groups, once again, ready to take low-level actions demonstrating against these low prices and the resulting huge stocks of unsold wine. A group by the name of the Comité Régional d’Action Viticole has exploded small devices outside French supermarkets in the region.

The comparison between the riots of 1907 and the disturbances of today is striking. Both are driven by wine, its prices and the lack of attention (or indeed indifference) by the central government. The 1907 riots in Occitania were fuelled by cheap imports from the French North African colonies, and by the flagrant chaptalisation of wines. Today, other regions of France, especially Bordeaux, continue the chaptalisation of poorer wines (despite directions from Brussels), to detriment of Languedoc and Roussillon.

And this despite the fact the region is now renowned not only for wine, but also for its thriving tourist industry. Great headway has been made to improve the wines of the region, by reducing the amount of hectares devoted to wine and replanting a significant amount of this land with different varietals of grapes. These actions make the wine from Languedoc and Roussillon more desirable, especially for their unadulterated authenticity and continued value for money.

THIS WEEK’S PICK
I just tasted the 2015 Harwood Estates Gewurztraminer, and I simply loved its bouquet of lychee and rose petal. This dry wine also displays all the characteristics of the varietal; and there is a soothing, cleansing rosewater finish on the palate. It is the perfect companion wine to Asian cuisine or certain cheeses.

This delightful wine is now available for purchase for $20.00 per bottle at the winery, located on the Loyalist Parkway west of Hillier.