es347fan
06-30-2003, 11:57 AM
U.S. Chill Flattens Mood at French Wine Fair
BORDEAUX, France, June 26 — Something was missing from the country's largest wine fair here this week, and it wasn't just the air-conditioning (in one of the exhibition halls, temperatures rose so high that corks popped on their own). The usual contingent of American wine merchants were mostly absent, confirming to many at the fair that American ill will over France's opposition to the war in Iraq bruised more than egos.
French wine sales to the United States, once French winemakers' most promising market and now one of their greatest competitors, are going down the drain.
"It's clear from our American distributors that there is a hesitation to promote French wines for the time being," said Bruno Finance, sales manager for Yvon Mau, one of Bordeaux's largest wine merchants. He said French wine was losing its share of some other markets. "But as of today, the only place there is such a big loss is in the U.S."... Overall French exports to the United States dropped by 21 percent in the first four months of the year, excluding the military category.
There is no doubt the trans-Atlantic dispute over Iraq has made things worse in a variety of industries. American aviation executives were noticeably absent from the biannual Paris Air Show this month, in step with the Pentagon, which sent fewer of its most elaborate planes.
France is trying to repair the damage with a maladroit public relations campaign whose tagline is, "Let's Fall In Love Again," featuring a video in which the aging comedian and filmmaker Woody Allen talks about French kissing his young wife. The Paris Tourism Office, which plans to decorate its Champs-Élysées center with stars and stripes on July 4, said many hotels in the capital would celebrate the American holiday.
Chirac screws his countrymen (http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/30/international/europe/30FRAN.html)
BORDEAUX, France, June 26 — Something was missing from the country's largest wine fair here this week, and it wasn't just the air-conditioning (in one of the exhibition halls, temperatures rose so high that corks popped on their own). The usual contingent of American wine merchants were mostly absent, confirming to many at the fair that American ill will over France's opposition to the war in Iraq bruised more than egos.
French wine sales to the United States, once French winemakers' most promising market and now one of their greatest competitors, are going down the drain.
"It's clear from our American distributors that there is a hesitation to promote French wines for the time being," said Bruno Finance, sales manager for Yvon Mau, one of Bordeaux's largest wine merchants. He said French wine was losing its share of some other markets. "But as of today, the only place there is such a big loss is in the U.S."... Overall French exports to the United States dropped by 21 percent in the first four months of the year, excluding the military category.
There is no doubt the trans-Atlantic dispute over Iraq has made things worse in a variety of industries. American aviation executives were noticeably absent from the biannual Paris Air Show this month, in step with the Pentagon, which sent fewer of its most elaborate planes.
France is trying to repair the damage with a maladroit public relations campaign whose tagline is, "Let's Fall In Love Again," featuring a video in which the aging comedian and filmmaker Woody Allen talks about French kissing his young wife. The Paris Tourism Office, which plans to decorate its Champs-Élysées center with stars and stripes on July 4, said many hotels in the capital would celebrate the American holiday.
Chirac screws his countrymen (http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/30/international/europe/30FRAN.html)