If there was a choice of one item that immediately says France, at least in the minds of visitors, it would probably be wine. Holiday makers and day-trippers are usually on the look-out for a wine bargain. Back in the UK of course there will be a good range of French wines on supermarket shelves, in wine depots and special wine stores. These days with the internet, it's easy to find wine from anywhere in the world and order it online direct from the merchant. There are wine tasting clubs and restaurants who organise special dinners around a particular wine estate, for regular diners - at a price of course. Then there are all those wine offers in magazines and newspapers, on the tv and through internet advertising. Think of all those promos around holiday periods. And what about M&S and their special £10 dinner with wine offer that appears regularly on t.v. Advertising and the promotion of alcohol from wines and malts through sherry, beers, ciders and everything else in between, is a regular feature in British culture.
In 1991, the Evin Law was introduced in France with the aim of regulating alcohol (and tobacco) advertising. It can be summarised as follows:
• no advertising should be targeted at young people
• all drinks over 1.2 per cent alcohol by volume are considered as
alcoholic beverages.
• no advertising is allowed on television or in cinemas
• no sponsorship of cultural or sport events is permitted
• advertising is permitted only in the press for adults, on
billboards2, on radio channels (under precise conditions), at special
events or places such as wine fairs, wine museums. When advertising is
permitted, its content is controlled.
• messages and images should refer only to the qualities of the
products such as degree, origin, composition, means of production,
patterns of consumption
• a health message must be included on each advertisement to the effect
that ”l’abus d’alcool est dangereux pour la santé“ : alcohol abuse is
dangerous for health.
Whilst places and media where advertising is authorised,
are defined, the internet is not mentioned explicitly as permissible media. It was not fully
developed in 1991 when the law was passed. Although
modified in 2005, the internet was still not mentioned in the revised
law. Its status therefore remains the same. This means, by omission, that it is illegal to
advertise wine online in France. The result has been an increase in self-censorship, with companies unwilling to risk prosecution.
Looking
at two of France's wine competitors - Spain and Italy - which are both
big exporters of wine, the two countries have placed wine at the centre
of their cultural, tourism and heritage drives. This status has been
written into the Iberian Law of 2013, thereby giving it a legal basis.
There are all sorts of initiatives and developments in France, which illustrate the cultural positioning of wine. The gastronomic meal of France for example has been on Unesco's World Heritage List since 2010, recognising the social practice of eating and drinking well. Tours a nearby large and vibrant town which we visit regularly, is one within a network labelled as 'gastronomic cities'. With those others, Tours is established as a verified reference point in the culture of the vine and wine. Since 2012, the University of Bourgogne has been offering a diploma in Wine, Culture and Wine Tourism. A fascinating initiative by the University Hospital in Clermont-Ferrand, which began in September last year, saw the opening of a wine bar as part of its palliative care programme.
The Evin Law and the restrictions that it has invoked must present real problems for viticulteurs. There are the additional questions about cost of marketing and promotion, should the law fundamentally change. Who would be able to afford it? What would happen to the smaller producers without the resources?
In this light, the success of St. Vincent, with its marriage of good food and good wine, is crucial for Cravant as well as the wider Chinon appellation. We are following developments with interest.
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