Brussels, 08/06/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 8 June, the day after the results of the European Parliamentary elections were revealed, European Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel made the surprise, but welcome, announcement that she was giving up on trying to get a proposal passed that would have lifted the ban on blending red and white wines to produce rosé. French and Italian producers in particular were hostile to this, now abandoned, proposal to allow blending.
“There will be no changes to the rules on producing rosé wine,” the Commission said in a short press release. But why this change of stance? “It's important that we listen to our producers when they are concerned about changes to the regulations. It's become clear over recent weeks that a majority in our wine sector believe that ending the ban on blending could undermine the image of traditional rosé. I am always prepared to listen to good arguments, and that's why I am making this change,” Fischer Boel said. On 19 June, therefore, the EU member states' regulatory committee will vote on changes to be made to European wine-making rules, which cover issues other than rosé. Arrangements banning blending to produce rosé will be maintained in their current form.
A gift (one among several) for Mr Sarkozy? The Commission has rejected claims that the withdrawal of the plan to authorise the blending of red and white wines to create rosé was a gift to the French government to encourage it to support a second term of office for José Manuel Barroso as President of the European Commission. “When the Commission doesn't change its proposals, it is called rigid and technocratic. When it listens to the industry, it is called opportunistic. I think that it can be given the benefit of the doubt and say that there has been a dialogue on the issue and that the sectors most directly involved have had their say. Ultimately it is the outcome of a constructive dialogue that has won the day, because Europe is there for its citizens. It is right and proper that political results, at a certain time, also reflect European citizens' preferences,” commented European Commission spokesman Johannes Laitenberger.
Satisfaction in France and Italy. French Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier welcomed Commissioner Fischer Boel's decision on retaining the ban on blending white and red wines to produce rosé with no geographical indication. Having succeeded in persuading the Commission to give up on its plans to raise the ban, Barnier, in a press release from the French Agriculture Ministry, repeated “France's commitment to quality policies and to its food production model”. The press release goes on: “It is thanks to its rosé wines produced according to very specific methods of maceration that France is the world's major producer of quality rosé wines”. “French winemakers and European producers have been very active over many months in their campaign to persuade the Commission to retain traditional production methods for rosé wine,” the press release says.
It was “very pleasing” that Fischer Boel had decided to “retain the savoir-faire of winegrowers rather than concede to the market,” President of the Association générale de la production viticole (France) Xavier de Volontat told AFP. Allowing rosé to be made by blending “would have brought economic and social breakdown,” he added. Rosé represents 11-12% of French production de Volontat noted, highlighting the high level of production in certain areas, such as Provence. “Rosé is the only type of wine where consumption is increasing,” he said. Wine consumption has been in decline for some time in France and exports are also declining.
“Tradition has won the day,” said Italian Agriculture Minister Luca Zaia, after the Commission decision was announced. “This is the kind of Europe we want, one based on respect for identity, quality, food safety and tradition,” he said in a press release. “The abandonment of a reform that would have spelt the end of a product which has a long history and great quality has been achieved mainly through the efforts of Italy and France, two countries united by a common passion for wine and the culture surrounding it,” Zaia went on. “We will continue to work with commitment and conviction … to construct a Europe where there is no room for imitations of this sort and where promoting and safeguarding the heritage of our foods and beverages form the foundations of it agricultural policy,” he said. (L.C./transl.rt)