French winemakers are suffering the consequences of their government’s defense of Saddam, EU policies that keep the Euro high, and resting on their own laurels. There are too many good wines in the world now to expect to sell it just because it’s French:

Riot police will be on standby this week for clashes, expected to involve up to 16,000 winemakers. Many of the demonstrators feel they have nothing to lose, since up to half of them are expected to go to the wall in the next five years unless the French government – or the Europe Union – bails them out.

Critics say French wine producers have brought the crisis on themselves by arrogantly overproducing wines of indifferent quality that do not sell.

Last year Mrs Montosson did not sell a single drop from her 50-acre vineyard for eight months because she refused the price offered by her agent. “He offered me only half of what I’d got for my wine the year before,” she said. “I said it was too low and refused to sell. But afterwards the prices just fell lower and lower.”

It’s not all about the boycott, but that has to be a major factor.