What Boycott? Americans Splash Out on French Wine

[kskiska]

BORDEAUX, France (Reuters) - They might hate French diplomacy, but Americans can't help but splash out on France's fine wines.

Despite threatening to boycott French products when Paris opposed the U.S.-led war in Iraq (news - web sites), Americans overtook Germans as the biggest spenders on France's Bordeaux wines in the 2002-03 sales year.

The CIVB, a Bordeaux wine council, reported on Thursday a 77 percent rise in the value of the region's produce sold to the U.S. market in 2002-03.

(snip)

The volume of Bordeaux wines sold to the United States also rose, climbing 20 percent in the year to July 31, 2003 -- a period that included the build-up and bitter aftermath of Washington's diplomatic tangle with Paris over Iraq.

more…
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=583&ncid=583&e=7&u=/nm/20031031/od_nm/wine_dc

[DarkPhenyx]

1. Neener, Neener, Neener! Stupid French!

That'll teach you to oppose us! Now you'll have no wine in your country to drink and you'll have to import our cheap and tasteless crap. Hahahahahahahahaha!

[Cha]

2. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha...you stupid

republicans.

[Philostopher]

15. Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

French wine beats neocon whine!

[PennyLane]

20. Ha!

For real!:9

[goforit]

3. Hey and did you know you can get real cheap round trip tickets to FR.

Around $300 for a round trip.

I couldn't believe it when I saw it in the paper.

[flamingyouth]

4. Just doing my part

to help the French wine economy! :p

[proud patriot]

5. *Grin*

:-)

[Melsky]

6. I'd be drinking French

if I could afford it. So I'll have to settle for California wine and French kissing.

[Liberal Veteran]

9. You unAmerican traitor! Real patriots "freedom" kiss....

...we won't have any of that fancy "french" kissing in my gosh darned country! (Pardon my freedom).

[DarkPhenyx]

10. Or French kissing while drinking CA wine.

Messy, but fun! Best part is licking up anything that spills.

[alcuno]

7. Parce que des les idiots Americans? C'est tres bien!

J'aime les vins de France.

[OldEurope]

21. How many right-wing Americans know that Bordeaux

is in France?
(sarcasm!)

[amazona]

8. tee hee, i did my part NT

.

[onehandle]

11. Our household went from 30% French Wines...

To 90% French Wines.

And we drink a Lot of wine.

Bordeaux Wines Rock!

[calimary]

16. That, and don't forget the French cheeses and breads that go so well

with it! I can't quite bring myself to try escargot, but there's always French pastry...

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

12. I posted this two days ago & had it locked. LOL. Hey, I'm glad it's

getting noticed!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=195233

[PartyPooper]

13. *Yawn* This is no surprise to me at all.

I have been closely monitoring the situation for a long time...since Junior insulted the French...and, my very close family and friends in the wine industry have consistently told me that business is up with French wines!

:toast:

:beer:

[peterh]

14. Personally, with a couple of exceptions…

I’ll take a Calif. Cab. over a French Bordeaux anytime….but….in a little over a month, I fully expect to be sipping a Bordeaux. But, at the current level of the euro, it may be just that….sipping…:evilfrown:

[grannylib]

17. Hope they have the sense to drink it and not dump it....

[sistersofmercy]

18. Been buying French wine as much as possible. HAHA

Have a side of "freedom" fries with that crow GOP nitwits!

[stopbush]

19. Hmmm? And yet, the latest issue of Wine Spectator

which I just received today has a lead article entitled "French Wines Still Facing Hard Times in US Market."

The article says that the high-end market is unaffected but that the lower-end table wine market was off 20%. The article also opines that "sales figures might have been worse were it not for the outstanding 2000 Bordeaux."

In any case, 80-90% of my wine purchases remain French, especially with the trouble CA is having sustaining the quality of the Merlot crop (big shakeup coming with CA wineries).