Lidl’s €1.89 bottles of Bordeaux spark protests in south-west France

A supermarket distribution hub in Gironde (Nouvelle Aquitaine) was blocked by winegrowers on March 7 due to the low price of wine on sale.

It came as a joint protest between French and Spanish farmers blocked the A63 motorway.

The winegrowers from the Viti33 group took exception to the low price of €1.89 offered by Lidl on Bordeaux wines and, from sunrise, gathered in front of the chain’s distribution hub off the A63 motorway near Bordeaux.

“That price is our death in a bottle,” said Viti33 spokesperson Bastien Mercier.

“The dealer, and we know who he is, bought this wine at a derisory price from winegrowers in difficulty, apparently at only €650 or €700 a barrel,” he said.

Since the farmers’ protests began in January, wine growers have been demanding a minimum price of €1,300 a barrel.

This demand has yet to be granted, however in January President Macron announced €80m in aid for struggling vineyards.

Tearing up vines

The price of wine is a particularly sensitive topic in the Bordeaux region at a time when 10% of grapevines are being uprooted to help prevent the spread of parasites and to eliminate overproduction.

The Viti33 group was at the forefront of this drive to decrease wine production in the area with the aim of increasing the sale price.

Their campaign was a success: in June 2023 the French government and the European Commission agreed to the uprooting of 9,500ha of vines and to compensate growers with €6,000 per hectare.

Read more: French vineyards are being paid to tear up their vines

Viti33 claims that any sales prices below €2.50 contribute to the decline of their industry.

“We cannot survive with these prices,” said Didier Cousiney from Viti33. “The problem is that everyone passes the buck. The dealer says it is not his fault as does the supermarket. And all the while we starve.”

In response Lidl said in a statement that its prices were “in line with the market.”

“Lidl only represents 7% of supermarket distribution in France, we cannot bear the responsibility for the whole sector.

“Our purchase prices are in line with the rest of the market and are by no means lower than others in this domain.”

The chain added that it had met with winegrowers from the Viti33 group to discuss their concerns.

An international motorway blockade

On the same day, farmers from France joined with their Spanish counterparts to block the A63 between France and Spain.

“France or Spain, the problems are the same,” said one farmer based in Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle.

“We are sick of this, nothing is changing. The president [of France] made promises during the Agricultural Show but we cannot see any difference.”

Read more: Will farmer roadblocks return? French union angered by lack of action

Arnaud Rousseau, the head of the FNSEA farmers’ union made the same point on March 3, warning that farmers’ anger was still “smouldering” and more protests should be expected in the coming weeks.

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