Wine distill

[winemanden]

I can't remember which thread it was on about France distilling a huge amount of wine. I've just read that Germany is considering doing the same. They blame overproduction, but always forget to say that it helps stop the wine being sold cheaper to the public, and maintains the price level in the EU!

 

[Jim Welch]

From my experience visiting Germany (and staying with German friends not at tourist accommodations) I found good wine to be far below the cost of comparable wine here in the states. Seems if it were much cheaper they’d go out of business but what do I know about commercial wine making.
With that said, isn’t distilled wine called brandy by definition?

 

[winemanden]

From my experience visiting Germany (and staying with German friends not at tourist accommodations) I found good wine to be far below the cost of comparable wine here in the states. Seems if it were much cheaper they’d go out of business but what do I know about commercial wine making.
With that said, isn’t distilled wine called brandy by definition?

Same here in the UK, wine seems cheaper than the USA. Maybe it's something to do with non-comparable incomes, I don't know. Yes, distilled wine is Brandy, but in France it's going to be used as non-drinking spirit for commercial use such as Bio-fuel etc.

Originally the EU started out as The Common Market. One of its aims was to maintain a good price for producers, which they did by selling off surplus to non-members, The UK benefitted by buying surplus stuff cheaper. They don't do that now, hence this distilling programme, and that is in addition to paying growers to grub up their vines.

They have been doing a similar thing in France for donkey's years. The top Grand Cru Châteaux, a year with an abundant harvest will make some a second wine and sell it cheaper, even though it may be virtually the same, in order to maintain the price of their top wine.
Oversimplified I know but it's supply and demand.